The hit CBS drama, Fire Country, finally returns from its midseason hiatus later this week. The show previously left off with a gigantic cliffhanger, with many of the main characters’ lives hanging in the balance. Not to mention, CAL FIRE was dealing with a dire situation — a zombie fire in Edgewater that soon spread into a massive wildfire. It’s a good time to bring viewers up to speed before Season 3’s upcoming action-packed return. Here’s a midseason recap of what’s happened so far in Fire Country Season 3.

Bode Leone Fulfills His Family Legacy

In the aftermath of the failed wedding of Gabriella Perez (Stephanie Arcila) and Diego Moreno (Rafael de la Fuente), Bode Leone (Max Thieriot) finds himself in CAL FIRE’s recruitment program as he seeks to finally fulfill his family’s legacy and become a full-fledged firefighter. Bode manages to overcome a strict fire examination and nearly flunks out of the program multiple times. The drama escalates when Bode comes under the supervision of his new training captain, Camden Casey (Jared Padalecki). While Casey and Bode butt heads at times over Bode’s philosophy for firefighting, Bode eventually earns Casey’s respect during a hostage situation, and Bode graduates from the program, along with another ex-convict firefighter recruit, Audrey James (Leven Rambin), whom Bode befriends during the recruitment period.

Although Bode Leone’s professional life improves, his love life continues to experience ups and downs. Gabriela finds herself newly single after breaking up with Diego at the start of the season, and she fears getting into a relationship with Bode because they are too volatile as a couple and take too many risks. Season 3, Episode 2, “Firing Squad,” reveals that Gabriela accidentally treated an injured firefighter, Tom Gilmore (Paul Moniz De Sa), with a medicine he was allergic to, missing the allergy tag he was wearing. Bode and Gabriela agree to cover up the error, but Jake Crawford (Jordan Calloway) eventually discovers their shared deception, forcing Gabriela and Bode to confess the mistake to Gilmore. Gilmore forgives them, as they still ultimately saved his life, so they avoid further career problems.While Bode’s life gradually improves, Gabriela appears to be going on a downward spiral after her breakup with Diego. Gabriela and Bode share a steamy romantic interlude in Season 3’s fourth episode, “Keep Your Cool,” but Gabriela still cannot make up her mind about pursuing a relationship with Bode. She remains upset about her father, Diego Perez (Kevin Alejandro), who is forced to return to Three Rock as an incarcerated firefighter, creating a rift between the two. Later, Bode appears to grow closer to Audrey, but they are still in the friend zone at the moment. Gabriela’s life continues to spiral, with the once-confident Edgewater golden girl continuing to feel sorry for herself. Additionally, Jake is despondent that Genevieve Maisonette (Alix West Lefler) is spending time out of state with her biological father, Rick Stengler (Adam Aalderks), and Rick’s family. In one of the most disappointing, frustrating moments in Season 3, Jake and Gabriela, both depressed, get drunk at a bar and end up engaging in a tryst in Jake’s truck. Season 3 fills the story with heavy amounts of soap opera-style romantic subplots, which do not help the series.

Fire Country Season 3 also gradually reveals that Eve Edwards (Jules Latimer) is estranged from her family, who were disappointed when she pursued a career as a firefighter rather than working on the Edwards family farm. It’s later revealed that Eve’s father, Elroy Edwards (Phil Morris), suffered a heatstroke working on the farm while Eve was conducting her firefighter training. The series finally introduces Elroy in Season 3’s eighth episode, “Promise Me,” when Elroy reveals his resentment towards the Leone family, believing Eve turned her back on her own family in favor of the Leones.

Elroy comes off as very stubborn and stuck in their ways, as exemplified by their not wanting to listen to Vince Leone’s (Billy Burke) warnings regarding the dangers in the area of a zombie wildfire that approaches the Edwards’ farm in the midseason finale. Overall, it looks like Elroy Edwards is acting beyond petty about perceived slights and neglect that don’t exist. Eve is her own person and has her own life. She should not be shamed for wanting a career as a firefighter rather than working on the family farm. Hopefully, once the show returns from its midseason break, Eve can make some progress with her estranged father, who should finally understand that Eve was never trying to replace him with Vince.

‘Fire Country’ Set the Stage for an Action-Packed Return

When we last left the main characters in Season 3, Episode 8, “Promise Me,” things looked pretty dire, with CAL FIRE Battalion 1508 and Three Rock dealing with a dangerous zombie fire. Bode and Audrey fought desperately to ensure a man’s home did not fall into the blaze, but they were too late and failed to find a way to escape. With nowhere left to turn, Bode and Audrey take refuge in the home’s swimming pool, but Audrey does not know how to swim. Gabriella grew angry with Jake Crawford due to some residual tension after their recent romantic interlude. Gabriella abruptly quits her job after an argument with Jake and leaves the scene, but she then gets lost as the wildfire engulfs the area, shutting down any safe paths. Manny hears the news about Gabriella and leaves his post to rescue his daughter. As a convicted firefighter in Three Rock, Manny is violating the rules, so leaving his post potentially risks punishment or an increase in his sentence. However, that means nothing to Manny compared to Gabriella’s safety. The fire also spread to the Edwards family’s farm, as Eve and Vince made the wrong call about the direction of the wildfire.The show left viewers on the edge of a huge cliffhanger, with the lives of Bode, Audrey, Gabriella, and Manny in certain jeopardy. Not to mention, it seems that the Edwards might lose their whole farm in the wildfire at a time when Eve was hopeful she could reconcile with her estranged father. The wildfire could burn down whatever chance remains of Eve making amends with her family. It was a riveting, compelling way to leave off in the middle of the season, and the stage is set for a suspenseful, action-packed return later this week.