There's so much reinforcing subtext in Call of the Wild. I can see why the episode grates on F/V people, because it keeps saying, over and over, that you can't go back. Fraser and Vecchio are friends, but that's firmly 'old times'.

It's been a while since I've seen CotW (note to self: watch it again soon), but I never got that feeling. You are right, in comparison to the Fraser/Kowalski scenes, the Fraser/Vecchio scenes are about the past. But their friendship is very much about today.
I loved that episode so much because it treats their friendship with respect. They love each other, and even though they have been separated for such a long time, they still do. Sure, they have both moved on, their lives have changed. But their friendship hasn't. They didn't eed time to get used to each other again, but they went right back to where they left. That's something only really good friends can do.
Okay, they are only friends, so I can see why the F/V people wouldn't like that. But I still liked the way it was done.
I really need to watch that ep again, maybe that's just my nostalgic memory talking.