Fire Country S1 Episode 17 Revealed Who The Arsonist Was (& It Was So Obvious)

The following article contains spoilers for "Fire Country" Season 1, Episode 17 — "A Cry for Help."

It's bad enough battling fires caused by the elements or negligence, but when someone out there is purposely causing them, it makes for a lot of headaches at Cal Fire. Season 1, Episode 16 of "Fire Country" introduced a serial arsonist into the mix, and a lot of people were suspicious of Jake Crawford (Jordan Calloway). While Jake seemed like an upstanding guy, audiences have only known these characters for less than a season, so anything was possible. Much of Episode 17 is spent attempting to clear Jake's name, and thanks to his buddy Bode (Max Thieriot), they're successful.

In fact, the true arsonist behind the crimes is newcomer Collin O'Reilly (Zach Tinker), whose real name is Alex, and he has a history of starting fires. The probie gets taken away, and Jake's trust in his fellow firefighters is shaken. Unfortunately, some fans can't help but feel let down by the revelation that the arsonist was the new guy. Many believe the show made the arsonist's identity too obvious, with Redditor u/jdessy pointing out, "The episode Probie is introduced is the episode the arsonist is introduced. I really thought they wouldn't make it THAT obvious but...they did!" It may not have been the most shocking twist in TV history, but at least the episode sets up a thrilling conclusion to this season.

Probie Collin, a.k.a. Alex, being the arsonist didn't come as a surprise to many on social media. In fact, plenty of people guessed the arsonist's identity a long time ago. On January 30, @AmyxFrederick posted a screenshot of a theory basically hypothesizing that Collin wasn't exactly who he said he was, given his intense interest in Bode's criminal past. Another clue some viewers picked up on was Collin getting caught in a lie, as @chocolateluvn86 wrote, "I think it's the probie Collin O'Reilly that's staffing the fires! He has the most to prove and Bode caught him in a lie!He's not even related to Kirk O'Reilly."

Many fans couldn't understand why Cal Fire would suspect Jake in the first place. Aside from a couple of unfortunate coincidences and some planted evidence, he should've earned people's trust by now, and he's proven his dedication to the job repeatedly. @JJSea had this to say, "Why don't they see it's clearly the probie..he just happens to live near by and comes to this fire on his day off. Now come on Legacy or not. That's suspect." While Jake's name has been cleared, being accused of starting fires will undoubtedly stick with him. 

With only a few more episodes in "Fire Country" Season 1, Jake will have to work hard to overcome feeling betrayed by his colleagues, except for Bode. The two have a somewhat turbulent past, but they really came together in Episode 17, with Bode going to bat for Jake. With Season 2 already confirmed, there's plenty of room for some great character development.