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.