It’s no secret that Bode (Max Thieriot) and Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila)
are the two Fire Country is fighting tooth-and-nail to pair. After their
hot-and-heavy romance in Season 1 and the clear sexual tensions between
them throughout Season 2, all the cards are on the table now in Season 3. Gabriela has left her fiancé, Diego (Rafael de la Fuente), at the altar and has lept into the fire with Bode. But at the end of the Season 3 premiere, “What the Bride Said,” Manny (Kevin Alejandro) makes a very important comparison that puts the Bode/Gabriela relationship in perspective — and it’s about time everyone finally acknowledged the truth.
Bode and Gabriela Run Far Too Hot To Remain Together
Before Manny is taken away by the authorities, he begs Sharon (Diane Farr) to keep Bode and Gabriela apart. Manny compares their romantic entanglements to his rocky relationship with Gabriela’s mother, Roberta (Paola Núñez). We learned last season that Manny and Roberta are always drawn back to each other, often leading to their neglect of other people or responsibilities. If this isn’t the perfect parallel between Bode and Gabriela, then we don’t know what is. After all, Gabriela and Bode have both ignored orders or clearly-established rules in the past, all because they wanted to jump in and save the other. It’s not a stretch to think that this will get them into serious trouble in the future.
In fact, we see that even here in “What the Bride Said.” After Bode and Gabriela discover the downed helicopter pilot, Kenji (Osric Chau), Gabriela is forced to stabilize him after he’s found impaled. By the time Diego shows up, he offers his professional medical opinion (he wants to move him in order to better operate), only for Bode to step in and help convince Gabriela that she can stabilize him on her own. Let’s ignore the fact that Diego has more experience and that he’s looking at the entire situation logically (and not through the rose-colored glasses that Bode is), but here, Fire Country tries to make Bode the good guy by simply believing in Gabriela’s ability. Sure, Gabriela is a capable paramedic, but she allows Bode’s suggestion to rule over Diego’s, only because she’s mentally chosen him.
Sure, it works out, but it feels like it only does because the plot demands it, not because it actually would in this context. Either way, this is just another example of Bode and Gabriela throwing caution to the wind because of their interest in each other. Diego made a clear and effective argument, and yet Gabriela chose to risk Kenji’s life at Bode’s request. It’s clear that Manny is right on the money concerning Bode and his daughter: they simply don’t think things through when they’re around each other and instead follow their hearts constantly without any regard for those around them.
‘Fire Country’ Needs To End Their Will-They-Won’t-TheyIt’s for this reason that Gabriela broke up with Jake (Jordan Calloway) back in Season 1, and why she’s going to break things off with Diego now. Likewise, Bode had a fling with Rebecca (Fiona Rene) in the first season but couldn’t take things further — despite how good they were for each other — because of his constant draw to Gabriela. While it’s not wrong to choose one person over the other romantically, it’s hard to root for Bode and Gabriela when they constantly hurt other people in their shaky pursuit of the other. It’s emotionally irresponsible and reads quite selfish.
This is why Manny’s suggestion that Sharon and Vince (Billy Burke) keep these two apart is so logical.Manny sees these same passionate-yet-reckless tendencies in both Bode and Gabriela that he and Roberta let control so much of their lives. He’s right in that if Bode and Gabriela don’t learn to curb these behaviors, they will get the other in more trouble than they’d get into all by themselves. If Fire Country wants us to care about this couple, then they need to start working on themselves the same way that Bode said he would last season. It’s clear now that nothing has changed and that these two are like pouring gasoline on a wildfire. If this doesn’t make things obvious to everyone at Station 42, then perhaps nothing will.
