I Take It Back; Jake Might Actually Be the Better Dad on ‘Fire Country’
This season of Fire Country has been more intense than a wildfire, but that’s to be expected when soapy character drama takes precedence over battling actual flames. In this case, the looming question of Gen’s (Alix West Lefler) parentage has finally been answered, and Bode Leone (Max Thieriot) is, in fact, not the father. But just because Bode isn’t biologically related to his ex-girlfriend’s daughter doesn’t mean he can’t still be there for her… but should he? After more recent events, it’s become clear that there’s actually another firefighter out there who might be better suited for the job of surrogate dad to the young orphaned girl, and, believe it or not, that’s Jake Crawford (Jordan Calloway).
Bode Is Not the Father on ‘Fire Country,’ but Jake Could Be
Jake has come a long way since the opening act of Fire Country. The Cal Fire captain was promoted in Season 2, but last season, he was just another one of Station 42’s hot team members with plenty of relationship issues to go around. After dating Gabriela Perez (Stephanie Arcila) for a few months, Jake lost her to Bode when he arrived back in Edgewater as a part of the Three Rock Conservation Camp. Losing his girlfriend to a prisoner was a low blow for Jake, especially since he and Bode weren’t on speaking terms at the time, and he began to realize how selfish of a partner he had been. By the time he and Cara (Sabina Gadecki)—an ex-flame of Bode’s—started dating in the back half of Season 1, it seemed like maybe there was hope for his love life just yet.
While we didn’t get to see much of Jake and Cara’s domestic bliss, what we did made it clear that there was a semi-nuclear development growing between them and Cara’s daughter, Genevieve. Flash-forward to Season 2, and all of that has gone out the window. Jake’s proposal is a thing of the past, as Cara died in a car accident before he could pop the question. Believing Bode was Gen’s father, Cara asked him to take care of “their” daughter with her dying breath, and given that was her final wish, everyone wanted to make good on it (and rightfully so). But it turns out that Bode wasn’t the father after all, and, as usual, Gen wasn’t consulted on what she wanted. The only one who noticed, of course, was Jake, who was himself still grieving Cara’s death.
There are plenty of reasons that Jake would make the better father for Gen than Bode, the first of which is familiarity. Gen and Jake know each other. Not only that, but they love and trust each other also. There’s a bond these two have created, with Cara bringing them together, that’s full of love and commitment. They have been the closest thing to a family as each other has known for quite some time, and it’s always been clear that Gen saw her “Uncle Jake” more as a father figure than a cool uncle (though he’s that too). As Jake told her in “A Hail Mary,” when he planned on proposing to Cara, he knew that also meant being Gen’s father—a role he was both willing and excited to accept. Whether Bode was the biological father or not, Jake wanted to be there to love, support, and nurture Genevieve as best he could, and that meant even during the hard parts, such as Cara’s death.
Jake Knows Gen Better Than Bode Does on ‘Fire Country,’ and It Shows
Another factor here is that Bode is still very much incarcerated at Three Rock, and now that he’s off fighting another fire far away from camp, he’s even further from Gen than ever. Though he has argued in the past that he and Gen just need more time to get to know each other, the truth of the matter is that the time that Bode’s at Three Rock right now is also the most crucial time in Gen’s life. She needs someone to be there for her in the day-to-day, and Jake can be that for her. While her mother might’ve wanted Bode to raise Gen, that desire was heavily influenced by her belief that Bode was Gen’s biological dad in the first place. Now that we know that isn’t true, wouldn’t Jake be the logical choice? Not knowing who actually fathered Gen means that someone has to step up, and with Bode unable to comply, Jake has finally taken it upon himself, and we’re glad he did.
In “It’s Not Over,” we see the genuine chemistry between Jake and Genevieve. We see their inside jokes, their “tells,” and all the other little “I love yous” they shower on one another. It’s sweet, charming, and heartfelt given how much they’ve each been through, especially Gen, who also lost her grandparents the year prior. They even have their own secret handshake that feels like something out of a bad ’80s movie. While proximity shouldn’t be the sole reason why Jake should retain custody of Gen in the long term, it’s a major factor in who she is ultimately going to look up to as a father. She’s admitted to not knowing Bode well enough to make that call, but with Jake, someone she absolutely trusts and knows her mom loved dearly, there’s an immediate willingness to cling to him as her rock. Given how far he’s come, we can’t help but agree. No longer is Jake a player who dropped girls the moment they got too emotional or attached to him, now he’s dad material ready to lay his life and passions down for the sake of another.
One thing Jake has made clear from the beginning is that he still wants Bode involved in raising Gen. Sure, Gen’s a teenager, so these years are going to fly by (especially if Bode isn’t around for all of them), but it’s still important to Jake that he fulfills Cara’s final wishes, and that means keeping Bode in the loop. This proves that not only is Jake a better man when it comes to romantic entanglements, but he’s also a thoughtful one who is willing to do hard things for the sake of those he loves. While Bode is (rightfully) working on himself at the moment, Jake is still trying to make sure Bode is included in all the big decisions and life changes going on with Gen, which is admirable. Both men care deeply about Gen because of their love and respect for her mother, and that has driven them both to take up this emotional responsibility, something that just makes sense given their character and their own personal growth throughout the series.
How Will ‘Fire Country’ Resolve Gen’s Parentage?
Legally speaking, we still don’t know all the exact details of Genevieve’s current living arrangements. She seems to be living with Jake again in the apartment they shared with her mother, and that seems like a better situation than staying with Vince (Billy Burke) and Sharon (Diane Farr) as they deal with their own issues. But how long will this arrangement last? Is Jake officially Gen’s legal guardian, or are there still hoops they need to jump through in order to get there? How will Jake’s friendship with Bode potentially affect that? Is there more to this story, and will we ever discover who Gen’s biological father actually is?
So far, we have a lot more questions than we have answers, but this recent development, with Jake taking the parental lead, seems to be taking Fire Country in a positive direction. No doubt, this will cause some strain between Jake and Bode, at least at first, but for the sake of Gen, it seems like they’ll be able to put their differences aside. In an impossible situation where Gen could’ve easily been tossed aside or abandoned, she’s been loved and cared for by the people of Edgewater, and by Jake in particular. She might not be his kid by blood, but he’s adopted her as his own, and hopefully, he’ll be willing to one day take that step legally as well.
