‘Fire Country’ Season 2 Recap: What To Remember Before Season 3
One of the hottest shows currently on television, Fire Country, is gearing up for the premiere of its third season this fall, which means we need to remember where we left these characters off. Since the show started, Fire Country has been all about Bode Leone’s (Max Thieriot) journey toward redemption, bettering himself and living up to the person he wants to be. Season 2 finally takes him there, and though he still has a long way to go, we’re glad to see how far he’s come in comparison. With Season 3 just around the corner, let’s revisit the show’s killer (and shortened) sophomore season before another fire breaks out.
‘Fire Country’ Season 2 Sees Bode Become a Free Man
Perhaps the best part of Fire Country Season 2 is seeing Bode finally released on parole. At the start of the season, Bode is still in prison after the fallout from Season 1, but after things were squared away and the truth came out regarding his innocence, our protagonist returns to Three Rock. Given the natural hero that Bode can be, it only makes sense that an extraordinary act of heroism is what eventually breaks Bode out of his sentence, giving him the freedom he’s craved for years. Now on the other side of Three Rock, Bode has to learn to be a productive member of society once more, and after the season finale, it seems as if he’s convinced his uncle Luke (Michael Trucco) to get him a spot on Cal Fire’s latest opening.
But that’s not the only thing Bode was up to in Season 2. For much of the season, he believes that his ex-girlfriend Cara Maisonette’s (Sabina Gadecki) daughter, Genevieve (Alix West Lefler), is actually his own child. This bombshell confession is dropped at the end of Season 1 when Cara tells Jake (Jordan Calloway) that she believes Bode might be Gen’s father. This knowledge, that he truly has something to live for apart from Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila), pushes Bode to work on himself throughout Season 2, and saves his life at a time when he was considering suicide by combat. Unfortunately for Bode and the entire Leone family, this turns out not to be true. Gen isn’t Bode’s daughter, as she is actually the child of Bode’s former friend-turned-foe, Rick Stengler (Adam Aalderks).
Rick has gotten Bode into trouble with drugs as well as other illegal and underage activities back before our hero left Edgewater, contributing to the reason why Bode and Cara broke up in the first place. It had been years since Bode and Rick had last seen each other until they were reunited in the finale. It turns out, Rick is back in Edgewater following Cara’s untimely death because he heard that he might be a father, and so he, like Bode, is trying to be a better man. How that will factor into Season 3 is still up in the air, but it’s clear that Rick isn’t going anywhere any time soon. Since Gen has been living with Jake for the last few months, this will likely create some additional tension between the two, with poor Genevieve caught in the middle.
Three Rock Is Nearly Shut Down, but Saved in the Eleventh Hour
While Bode is largely wrapped up in his own personal issues during Season 2, there are external changes that contribute to some of the uneasiness of the season. Following the investigation into Three Rock in the first season, Manny (Kevin Alejandro) is demoted and removed from his position at Three Rock, with Eve (Jules Latimer) taking over as Captain. This causes some jealousy on Manny’s part, and he and Eve find themselves at odds throughout Season 2. But things get even harder when that aforementioned investigation turns into something even more complicated, with Cal Fire — Luke in particular — willing to throw Three Rock under the bus as an example for other conservation fire camps to get their acts together.
Thankfully, Bode saves the right politician at the right time, and Governor Kelly (Catherine Lough Haggquist) aids the fire camp in remaining afloat. While not all of Three Rock’s troubles might be gone after Kelly’s intervention, it seems as though the camp is no longer in danger of closing down. Their heroic acts during the Lazarus Fire — the campaign fire that Three Rock and Station 42 are called away to fight in “No Future, No Consequences” — especially helps secure their place within Cal Fire, and as an institution worth protecting. By the end of the season, Manny and Eve seem to have found themselves back on relatively good terms, even if Manny has his own legal troubles outside of Three Rock.
The Leones Deal With Troubles of Their Own
Fire Country Season 2 is full of tragedy, considering Bode’s incarceration, Cara’s death, and Manny’s arrest are only the tip of the iceberg. It turns out, that things can get worse for the Leones after Vince (Billy Burke) is electrocuted on the job in “A Hail Mary.” Unwilling to let anyone in about his condition, Vince keeps his hand tremors secret; even when Gabriela discovers the truth, he orders her to remain quiet about it as it could ruin his career as a firefighter. More than anything, Vince has always wanted to fight fires alongside his son, and with Bode’s release imminent, he thinks he can hold out just a bit longer. It turns out Vince’s condition is worse than previously thought, and when Sharon (Diane Farr) discovers the truth, she convinces him to pursue treatment. Lucky for Vince, for now, it seems like that’s helping.
Of course, Vince and Sharon go through a lot together this season as a couple too. After Bode goes to prison, Sharon joins a campaign fire, ultimately leaving Vince alone. For a while, it seems like she flirts with the idea of breaking things off with her husband, especially as Jason O’Mara’s Liam forms an emotional bond with her. In “See You Next Apocalypse,” the Leones are forced to handle this situation as Sharon’s strange behavior is finally dealt with. But martial struggles aren’t the only family drama we get here, as, in “Alert the Sheriff,” we discover that Sharon has an estranged stepsister named Mickey Fox (Morena Baccarin). The sisters ultimately end things on amicable terms as Bode helps Mickey catch a cop killer, leaving the door open for a future return. Given that Mickey is also set to lead the upcoming spin-off Sheriff Country, we haven’t seen the last of her.
‘Fire Country’ Season 2 Ends With a Wedding (Sort of)
Perhaps one of the biggest changes introduced in Season 2 is Gabriela’s latest squeeze, Diego Moreno (Rafael de la Fuente). In the few short months that Bode is in prison, Gabriela moves on with her fellow paramedic, who she soon gets engaged to, right around the time Bode returns to Three Rock. Though Gabriela clearly still has a thing for Bode (the two share a kiss during a campaign fire in “No Future, No Consequences”), she decides to go through with marrying Diego. The season finale, “I Do,” ends with Gabriela and Diego at the altar, about to exchange vows and rings, when Gabriela looks into the crowd to see that Bode has skipped out on the important moment. No doubt, Season 3 will be addressing that.
Though Freddy Mills (W. Tré Davis) tells Bode that he needs to go after Gabriela, he decides to respect her decision and take the high road. Gabriela has a clear history of not knowing what (or who) she wants, so it’s still up in the air if she and Diego will officially enter wedlock in Season 3. Until then, we can only hope that all this Edgewater drama will resolve itself in the third season, and push our beloved heroes to be better going forward.
