Fire Country season 4 episode 4, titled Like a Wounded Wildebeest, premiered on November 7, 2025, on CBS, finally addressing the leadership vacuum at Station 42. Brett Richards has taken over as interim battalion chief, but Station 42 hasn't adjusted to the new command structure.However, after Bode makes more than a few questionable choices in the previous episode, episode 4 focuses on him and the future of Station 42.Disclaimer: The following article contains spoilers from Fire Country season 4 episode 4. Reader's discretion is advised.Episode 4 kicks off with Audrey and Manny discussing the fact that Bode has a Ziploc bag filled with pills, and Manny decides to tell Sharon Leone. Together, the two of them decide to inform Richards about the new development. It proves to be a key feature of the episode as Manny decides to take full responsibility for Bode and backs him to the hilt.Richards then decides to test Manny even further by making him the incident commander for a rescue operation. Manny excels in that role with flying colors despite Jake confronting him about Bode’s presence. Manny deals with the situation well, as Richards watches on.That seems to impress him, as he later tells Manny after the incident. He also informs Manny that he is being appointed as the new Battalion Chief of Station 42 at the end of Fire Country season 4 episode 4.Manny, not Jake, has been appointed as Station 42’s new Battalion ChiefA still from Fire Country 4 (Image via Instagram/@firecountrycbs)Ever since Vince Leone passed away in the Fire Country season 4 premiere, tensions have been running high as to who would replace him. When Brett Richards was appointed, many within the crew feared the worst.But over the course of three episodes, Richards slowly realized something. Towards the end of Fire Country season 4 episode 4, he understands that while Station 42 needs healing, what matters most is someone from within the family to do it.He initially looks towards Jake to become the next Battalion Chief, but that is before Manny steps up in the wake of Bode hiding pills despite being a recovering addict. The way Manny handles the situation, Bode, and questions from the crew seems to impress Richards, and Manny’s past as the Three Rock chief also helps his case.At the end of Fire Country season 4 episode 4, he names Manny as Station 42's next Battalion Chief. While the news shocks Manny, and he admits to Jake that it is not a job he wants, he also asserts that he plans to do his best to keep Vince Leone’s legacy alive.Jake looks visibly unhappy at Richards’ decision. However, he comes to terms with it after Manny asks him to stay on with Station 42, as the latter wants to keep the family intact, which includes Jake. Thus, Jake decides to stay at 42 at the end of Fire Country season 4 episode 4.Also read: The Night Manager season 2 trailer announces January 2026 release dateBode’s spiral seems to have stopped, but it doesn’t look like he's out of the woods in Fire Country season 4 episode 4 View this post on Instagram Instagram PostThe last two episodes of Fire Country season 4 showed Bode Leone slowly but steadily moving towards the edge of an emotional ledge and inching closer towards taking a pill. He did take one in episode 2 but immediately spat it out, regretting his decision to do so.But in episode 3, things became even worse. After facing another tough day, Bode rushed to take the pills only to realize that they’d disappeared from his bag. The end of the episode showed Audrey handing them to Manny, revealing that she had taken them from his bag after realizing that Bode had not flushed them as he had told her.In episode 4, Manny and Bode have a confrontation. Manny takes responsibility for Bode after Brett Richards says he wants to remove him from the probie program.By the end of Fire Country season 4 episode 4, Bode flushes the pills down the toilet, but unfortunately, there are more problems ahead. Eve and Jake show Bode a mysterious letter from R (whom they suspect to be Renee, Vince’s old girlfriend), and they tell him that they believe Vince may have been having an affair.To make matters worse, before he leaves town, Richards stops to see Sharon and tells her that Cal Fire’s investigation into the Zabel Ridge fire points to arson. He also warns her that, given Bode’s sense of justice and his tendency to jump in headfirst, she’ll need to be careful with how he receives the news in Fire Country season 4 episode 4.Interested viewers can watch Fire Country season 4 episode 4 on CBS.