Facing the Fire: It’s Time for Bode to Experience Failure and Growth in ‘Fire Country’
With Season 3 sparking new wildfires in the lives of our favorite Cal Fire heroes, Fire Country has amped up the drama. But perhaps the most glaringly obvious takeaway from the latest leg in Bode’s (Max Thieriot) journey toward firefighter fame is that he’s very rarely ever been allowed to actively fail. Yes, the show started with Bode in prison, and then serving his sentence out at Three Rock, but that was based on mistakes we never got to see him make on the show. More than that, his time behind bars (and in the orange firesuit) was due to legal mishaps rather than personal issues he has yet to work through. If Fire Country has made anything abundantly clear this season, it’s that Bode needs to fail — for real this time.
Bode Needs to Learn to Fail Without a Safety Net on ‘Fire Country’
Aside from when Bode lost his chance to be Manny’s (Kevin Alejandro) first-saw early on in the first season, Bode has made very few mistakes that he was unable to come back from. All the times he snuck out from the boundaries of Three Rock earned nothing but a slap on the wrist, and his constant disobeying orders in order to play hero, or save Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila), never came back to haunt him. This season alone, Bode has already lied for Gabriela, broken up her potential marriage, and cheated in order to get ahead in the firefighting cadet program. Each time, the Fire Country lead has walked away relatively unscathed. In the case of that last point, he has a strike against him, but only after first having been cut from the program.
But as much as Jake (Jordan Calloway), Gabriela, or his parents think that giving him all this leeway is helping Bode, it’s only reinforcing bad and thoughtless behavior. Bode continues to make these impulsive and erratic “spur of the moment” choices because he hasn’t had to truly pay the price for them. Things have always worked out for the Leone heir, including his own placement in the Cal Fire training program (and not to mention his original placement in Three Rock), so why would he change? Gabriela is right that she and Bode continue to play with fire, but it’s not just their relationship status that’s the problem, it’s Bode’s unwillingness to think anything through, always acting first and apologizing later.
While he’s not the only one in his family who struggles against impulsivity, at least Vince (Billy Burke) has broken free of his own father’s bad temper and choices, working hard over the years to be a more thoughtful person. Bode, for all the good he tried to do while becoming “better” for Gen (Alix West Lefler) last season, so easily falls back into these bad habits and poor choices. But if Bode were allowed to fail, if he were allowed to actually fall without the Leone safety net to catch him, he might actually learn to be not just a better and more trustworthy firefighter, but a better man as well.
Bode Has a Lot of Potential on ‘Fire Country’
Bode is a great character. The way he sacrifices himself for his friends and family (as he did back at the end of Season 1), and his willingness to forsake his own happiness for those he loves, is admirable. We love Bode, and for good reason. But for all the good that Bode does, he often goes about it the wrong way. If Fire Country wants us to start taking his redemption arc more seriously, if the show wants us to root for him honestly, then it needs to take off the training wheels. Bode could be an incredible firefighter, but he’s never going to reach his full potential while he’s being babied or saved at the last second from every consequence that results from his poor choices.
As a first responder, Bode ought to be level-headed, clear-thinking, and rational in the field. While he needs to have a heart for the job and those he’s serving, he also needs to use his brain in order to do that effectively and safely. Panicking because Gabriela made a mistake, and then covering the whole thing up because he cares for her, isn’t the answer. Neither is letting that slide. Yes, he and Gabriela did a good thing by saving Gil (Paul Moniz de Sa), but that doesn’t excuse the wrong they did. As a firefighter, and Fire Country’s main hero, Bode needs to be reprimanded so he can make wiser choices in the future. If he wants to be a first responder, we need to be able to trust him completely.
