‘Fire Country’ Season 3 Review: Messy Drama and Even Messier Firefighters
Season 2 of Fire Country ended on one of its biggest cliffhangers, as Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila) walked down the aisle to marry Diego (Rafael de la Fuente) while Bode (Max Thieriot) walked out of the church in search of a new career, unable to stay and watch. But if you thought that was the end of the drama for these firefighters now that Gabriela has gotten hitched, boy oh boy were you wrong. Fire Country returns for Season 3 with even more drama than before, throwing our favorite first responders into more season-long conflicts while setting the forests around them ablaze.
‘Fire Country’ Season 3 Kicks Off With New Storylines
Much of the premiere of Season 3 of Fire Country has to do with the disaster that strikes during Gabriela and Diego’s wedding. While saying their vows, Gabriela is seconds before saying “I do,” but it doesn’t look like she’s so sure about getting hitched to Diego. While she’s unable to actually say those two words, an opportune disaster strikes and interrupts the nuptials. After a helicopter crashes, leading to a chaotic fire nearby, it’s all hands on deck — which includes Bode, who is technically not even supposed to be fighting fires anymore as a civilian. Eager to get back to firefighting, Bode doesn’t wait for permission to don one of the CalFire uniforms and jumps into the action.
While Season 3 continues to toy with Gabriela and Bode — showing us that she indeed did not actually marry Diego — it also begins some new storylines. Manny (Kevin Alejandro) is facing prison time again after punching Luke (Michael Trucco) in front of the governor and her staff, and he will have to not only face the consequences of his actions but deal with the fallout of his relationship with Gabriela now that he’s on the wrong side of the law again. He’s cautious of Bode and can sense Gabriela and Bode aren’t good for each other. Then again, he doesn’t have legs to stand on when facing jail time for his outburst. Vince (Billy Burke) and Sharon (Diane Farr) must reorient their lives now that Bode is out of prison and on parole. Eve (Jules Latimer) faces new challenges in the community as she continues to captain Three Rock Con Camp. And, as hinted at in the Season 2 finale, Jake (Jordan Calloway) will have to deal with the fact that Gen’s (Alix West Lefler) biological father is a guy from their high school, Rick (Adam Aalderks), and seems to want to become a part of her life.
The new challenges ahead make for an exciting third season as the series seemingly kicks up the drama on all fronts by shaking up some of these previously established dynamics. The solid relationship between Manny and Gabriela seems to be tested, and the always level-headed Jake must face a daunting shake-up in his personal life after he worked so hard to be a father figure to Gen through all of the drama with her parentage. While Gabriela and Bode’s will-they-won’t-they (let’s face it, eventually they will) is entertaining, developing the other characters of the series is vital for the longevity of the show.
A New Season of ‘Fire Country’ Brings New Faces and New Fires
As our characters face new disasters and new dilemmas, the series also expands. This season introduces Audrey James (Leven Rambin), a fellow ex-con, along with Camden (Jared Padalecki), a firefighter from Southern California, the latter of whom is reportedly primed to get his own spin-off. While the team of Fire Country is close-knit, they could do with adding some new blood into the mix. Previous characters like Rebecca (Fiona Rene) and Freddy (W. Tré Davis) helped to add a new dynamic to the show and also to flesh out Bode’s character. Even though he’s out of prison, that doesn’t mean the series should keep Bode locked within his own friend group.
Having seen the first two episodes of the new season, it’s clear that there will also be a major shift in dynamics, and it’s one that will directly affect all the characters on the show. Just the opening episode utilizes the fire crisis less as its own event and more as a tool for storytelling, which is when this series excels. It doesn’t need wacky events or outlandish disasters à la 9-1-1; Fire Country’s forte is the interpersonal drama that happens between its characters.
However, one thing is certain: the show has to decide what it wants to do with Gabriela and Bode, whether it’s to finally see them together or have them realize they’re not good for each other and break up. The continuous back and forth can only go on so long before it gets stale, and while there’s no doubt that their relationship isn’t perfect, it’s pretty clear that these two can’t resist each other. Rather than creating another Diego situation, Season 3 needs to nail down this couple so we can move forward, just like Bode’s role going from inmate to free man.
‘Fire Country’ Season 3 Powers Forward Into New Territory
The entire central story of Fire Country up until now has been about Bode at Three Rock. The first season dealt with a lot of the fallout that came with his return, not only in his relationships with his parents but also with childhood friends. Much of Bode’s development came from his time at Three Rock and improving himself. In Season 3, we are going into unexplored territory. With Bode now out of Three Rock and free from prison, it’s important that the series doesn’t backslide without the prominent presence of Three Rock in Bode’s life. The Con Camp has been a pivotal point in his character development and will be difficult to replace.
Introducing new conflicts this season, specifically Jake’s and Manny’s, could be the ticket to the show finding a new path as it focuses less heavily on Bode and more on the general cast, who could be fleshed out more. Introducing the new characters also offers new dynamics that the show is sorely missing after two seasons. Let’s hope Rambin lasts more than just a single season, and that we see Padalecki again even after he joins the spin-off. Although the future is uncertain, what is clear is that there’s a lot more drama to be had with the series, and even with a large amount of potential chaos, Fire Country Season 3 is off to a great start.
