After 4 Seasons, This CBS Series’ Crossover Event Is Its Greatest Achievement Yet

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Sheriff Country Season 1, Episode 13 and Fire Country Season Season 4, Episode 13.Sheriff Country and Fire Country finally crossed over in a two-part event with their respective episodes, “The Finest” and “The Bravest.” Together, the Edgewater Sheriff’s Department and Cal Fire’s Battalion 42 are drawn into the search-and-rescue case of kidnapped children, with many twists and turns. The crossover turned out to be exactly what both shows needed, representing a peak in quality for Sheriff Country in its debut season, and Fire Country, currently in the midst of its fourth. It’s time to unpack how the crossover saw Fire Country reaching its full potential.

The Crossover Was Peak ‘Fire Country’

Collider has pointed out in the past how Fire Country fails when it tries to do too much, as the romantic melodrama and contrived subplots become the worst parts of the show. Fire Country always works best when it focuses on the suspense and action of Battalion 42. The two-parter delivered exceptionally well, accentuating the strengths of both Sheriff Country and Fire Country, while downplaying their weaknesses. In “The Finest” and “The Bravest,” the Edgewater sheriff’s and fire departments work together and pool their resources to find and save the missing children, which is really the sweet spot of both shows, especially Fire Country.

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Most of the relationship drama in the two-part event stems from stepsisters Mickey Fox (Morena Baccarin) and Sharon Leone (Diane Farr) dealing with discord over their mother, Ruby Quinn (Christine Lahti). Viewers will recall that Ruby and Sharon’s relationship had another falling out earlier in Season 4. Nevertheless, the emotional tension between the sisters didn’t detract from the episode, as they put their differences aside to find the missing children, with Mickey overseeing the investigation to track down the children’s kidnapper, Donald, and Sharon handling the search-and-rescue effort. Eve Edwards (Jules Latimer) and Wes Fox (W. Earl Brown) even got to experience a fun partnership. Wes initially looks down upon Eve’s Three Rock crew as he doesn’t approve of the convicted firefighter program, viewing it as “government-sanctioned servitude.” Despite the conflict, Eve and Wes’ shared screentime proved to be one of the more entertaining aspects of the crossover.

‘The Finest’ Raises the Stakes

While the Edgewater crossover kicks off in “The Finest,” it’s the latter half, “The Bravest,” that exceptionally raises the storyline’s stakes. The episode seamlessly picks up right where the end of “The Finest” ends, with firefighter Bode Leone (Max Thieirot) and Sheriff’s Deputy Nathan Boone (Matt Lauria) discovering the missing children, who are being held captive in a buried container. Unfortunately, planted explosives force them to become trapped in the underground container, with no means of escape. “The Bravest” nicely ramps up the tension as Bode and Boone also become trapped with the kids, and they’re running out of air. Meanwhile, the rock quarry is still loaded with deadly explosives, hindering Cal Fire’s search and rescue efforts. The episode then becomes an even more suspenseful race against the clock, as the lives of the children, Bode, and Boone hang in the balance.

Bode Leone and Nathan Boone Become Unlikely Partners

Image via Sergei Bachlakov/CBS

Bode and Boone’s unlikely partnership emerges as the true star of the crossover event. At first, their relationship begins as a rivalry, with both men nearly coming to blows at a softball game. However, over the course of the two-parter, Bode and Boone continue working together, and their relationship dynamic becomes the true highlight. It was nice to see Boone call out Bode on his savior complex, almost as if Boone had been reading Collider’s features critiquing Fire Country and Bode’s penchant for martyrdom. Even Bode somewhat passively accepts Boone’s criticism, since deep down, Bode knows it’s probably true.

Bode and Boone’s ordeal also depicts a new side of Boone that not even Sheriff Country had shown before, revealing that Boone has claustrophobia, and it’s ultimately Bode who helps guide Boone through the traumatic situation. Fire Country excels when it spotlights disparate individuals putting aside their conflicts and working together for the greater good, and Bode and Boone’s success — not just for the kids, but for each other — exemplifies just that. The two men form an unsuspecting, yet inspiring, partnership. By the end of the episode, their rivalry is still intact, but the two men finally gain respect for each other, and Boone rips up the speeding ticket he gave Bode at the beginning of “The Finest.”

Bode and Boone’s newfound bromance should definitely continue in both shows. As Mickey points out in “The Finest,” Boone could use more friends, and the same can be said for Bode, who rarely hangs out with anyone outside of work. Ultimately, “The Bravest” sets the gold standard for quality stories in Fire Country Season 4. Obviously, it’s not something they can do every week, but at least the mega-event delivered and fulfilled Fire Country’s true potential.