Fire Country was heading for a wedding with its Season 2 finale.
And a wedding was in fact had, with nary a hitch, despite a newly
freed Bode (played by Max Thieriot) RSVPing with some intention to disrupt things.
Instead, following a run-in with Manny (Kevin Alejandro), Bode decided to let Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila) exchange vows and pursue happiness with Diego (Rafael de la Fuente). And as the finale drew to a close, Bode was determined to find his own happiness, as a firefighter – regardless of CAL FIRE’s bearish POV on hiring ex-cons.
Elsewhere, Sharon (Diane Farr) avowed her intention to reclaim her job from Luke (Michael Trucco), while Jake (Jordan Calloway) learned that a sus high school acquittance named Rick (“the king of everything you didn’t want your parents to know about”) might be Gen’s biological father.
TVLine spoke with Fire Country showrunner Tia Napolitano about Bode’s wedding day restraint, Jake’s heartbreak, and the plan for a “really fun” Season 3.
TVLINE | How hard did you have to hold back from having Bode actually break up the wedding? I have to imagine there was some back and forth…
We went back and forth on that. It felt like the obvious move, it’s what you’re expecting, so we wanted to find a different path. When Bode sees Manny and comes to believe that Gabriela might be happy [with Diego], that this is right for her, it just feels selfish to take it away from her. He puts other people, and her especially, above himself and represses the urge, which I felt was so much more interesting.
TVLINE | If he doesn’t run into Manny, things play out differently?
Things play out differently. And I don’t think he was going to sweep her away; my intention with what was going through his mind is he owes her a conversation. He owes her the question before she decides the rest of her life. More than he was going to do some convincing, he was going to say, “Look me in the eye. Truth be told, is this what you want to do? Or do you want to run away with me? I have a car out back.” [Laughs]
TVLINE | Do you think Gaby was hoping he might?
Yes. Especially [with] that look back. She sees him and then she looks back again, hoping he’s going to stand up.
Yes. He had a curative procedure, so we’ll get him back in the fire station quickly.TVLINE | Can Sharon simply reclaim her job as Division Chief from Luke, or is that going to be a whole thing?
What I love about Sharon is she’s so confident that she can. [Laughs] She said to him, “You’re renting that title,” so we’re going to have to see the reality of how that goes. Our people have switched titles and positions and kind of done whatever they want, and I think CAL FIRE might notice that next season. People have been swapping hats left and right!
TVLINE | Rick from high school, the bad egg who’s says he’s no longer a bad egg…. What’s the plan for Jake vs. Rick next season, because that was obviously the last thing Jake wanted to hear.
If Rick’s been incarcerated, just like Bode has, and is claiming to be clean now, just like Bode, it tests our people’s belief in redemption. Is redemption just for Bode or is it for all people? Is Rick redeemable? Can we open our hearts to him? But Jake’s heart is going to break over and over. This Gen thing just got settled, and for it to be ripped open by Rick’s presence is going to be heartbreaking for him. Jake looks at Genevieve just sipping that milkshake and he knows this bullet is coming for her, and he can’t protect her from it.
TVLINE | Is there anything else you’d like to say about Season 3?
I’m considering it a season of wish fulfillment. We finally get to see Bode out, after wanting it since the pilot. It’s such a long time coming, and the fun of getting to see him in places where all our characters have been this whole time will be a fresh engine for Season 3, and a really fun, aspirational place for us to tune in every week.
TVLINE | His first days of freedom weren’t especially joyous, I felt bad for him being almost regarded as a pariah when sitting at Smokey’s.
Our goal is to have a lot of fun with him next season and really let him in on the fun that Eve and Gabriela and Jake have as young single people. Yeah, we really want to bring some levity and joy to Bode.
