Gabriela made it down the aisle, but did she say "I do"?
Warning: The following contains spoilers from the Season 2 finale of Fire Country, "I Do." Read at your own risk!
The Fire Country Season 2 finale may be titled "I Do," but we never saw any nuptials made official within the episode. Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila) walked down the aisle with Manny (Kevin Alejandro) to marry Diego (Rafael de la Fuente), but the audience doesn't found out whether the couple actually completed their vows and tied the knot. Gabriela's marital status is just one of many cliffhangers within the season ender.
Bode (Max Thieriot) left the ceremony early to stop himself from objecting to the union. He decided to focus on becoming a full-time firefighter now that he's out of prison and cornered his uncle Luke (Michael Trucco) to try and make it happen. It's unclear whether Luke will help because he also has to worry about Sharon (Diane Farr) taking her job back from him. As Bode looked to the future, Manny regressed into bad habits. The cops arrived at the wedding as Manny reunited with his daughter after a couple of weeks on the run. Sharon and Vince (Billy Burke) were able to convince them to let Manny walk her down the aisle, but then he left the ceremony in handcuffs to face the assault charges for punching Luke at the firefighter's benefit.
Across town, Jake (Jordan Calloway) skipped Gabriela's wedding to take Gen (Alex West Lefler) out for milkshakes. The cute surrogate-father-daughter date came to a screeching halt when Jake went to apologize to Rick (Adam Aalderks) for assuming he was still up to his old criminal ways earlier in the episode. Rick then revealed that he was in town because he heard Cara (Sabina Gadecki) had a 12-year-old daughter he believes is his. After everything Gen has been through this season, the rollercoaster of introducing yet another potential father figure to this traumatized girl was a lot.
With all these loose threads, it's great that Fire Country has already been renewed for Season 3. TV Guide caught up with executive producer Tia Napolitano to break down the Season 2 finale and see what is in store when the fiery drama returns in the fall.
How does having Bode out of prison change your approach to stories on Fire Country?
Tia Napolitano: We still have Eve at Three Rock as a captain. Cole is still there. We'll see the inmates on calls. It's part of the DNA of the show. Everyone is so invested in the program doing well, but it will change the storytelling with Bode a little bit in a great and exciting way. He can have a lot more fun. He can have some joy at Smokey's and go to Jake's apartment and do things that a normal 30-year old man can do. It'll feel very refreshing and a breath of fresh air because Bode hasn't been able to do those things for basically our entire show.
Bode claims at the end of the episode that firefighting is the only healthy addiction he's ever had. Is it really though when he's jumping into burning buildings without gear?
Napolitano: Healthy, according to Bode, is not necessarily the dictionary definition of healthy. You have to be a bit of an adrenaline junkie to be a firefighter and he certainly is one. We will play with whether he's going to do that safely or not in Season 3.
He goes to Luke of all people for help with getting into Cal Fire. Luke is currently the main antagonist on the show, so can you talk about what that partnership will be like? Should we call it a partnership?
Napolitano: Luke has always been "Cool Uncle Luke" to Bode, and Bode has always been Bode Coyote. I think even when Bodie was struggling as a teenager, Luke saw the good in him. Even though people suspect Luke of doing nefarious things, Bode sees the good in Luke. So I think it is complicated nephew to complicated uncle saying, "Hey, I think we can do good together." I think it really is them banding together for good instead of evil, but we'll see how that goes.
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There's been a real push for Bode to start living for himself this season instead of pinning it all on other people. Is this push to be a firefighter him doing that or is that still a work in progress for him?
Napolitano: He is endeavoring to do something for himself. Of course, firefighting is a public service. He's going after what he wants and it is a sign of how far he's come, how much he's grown emotionally that he's actually able to say that out loud, "I want this for me and I am going to pursue it for me." Will he be able to stick to it and see it through? We'll see in Season 3, but it is a sign of character growth that he can even say the words and go for what he wants for just him.
Speaking of what he wants, we see the conversation between Luke and Bode and not Gabriela saying her vows. What can you tease about that loose end?
Napolitano: It is a cliffhanger, my friend. We'll get those answers in Season 3.
What can you say about Gabriela's feelings for Diego at this point? Does she still care for him?
Napolitano: Gabriela and Diego's relationship is a smart match. He is the logical choice. He'll give her a great life. He's a sweet guy. He has a wonderful family. He's a talented guy. He's gorgeous. They obviously have chemistry. They go dancing together. Their marriage would be a strong one and a long one. Is it her ultimate true love? I think that's for her to tell us and for us to explore. She's obviously conflicted, but she does truly care for and love Diego.
Someone else with a cliffhanger is Jake. What is going through his mind when he realizes Rick is probably Gen's father?
Napolitano: That look Jordan gives us as an actor looking back at her, phew. The fact that there are any more complications in this child's life right now just breaks his heart. All he wants to do is protect her. He now sees this train heading straight for her. She has no idea it's coming. She's blissfully sipping milkshakes in the corner. His heart breaks for her vicariously in that moment.
What does that realization do for him after losing Cara and taking on this parental role in Gen's life? What would losing Gen do to him?
Napolitano: I don't think he's gotten there yet. He's really putting her first, which is such a parental thing to do. It's going to take three more deep breaths and then he's going to go, "Oh my god, I could lose her too." I think his first thought is just for her, this poor kid.
What was the motivation for sending Manny back to jail in this finale? What stories do you want to tell with him regressing like this?
Napolitano: Regress is a great word. He's always been the blueprint. He's been the future. When you're looking at Bode, Cole, and all the guys, they can look at Manny and say, "Look how far we can come after this program." For him to backslide is like, "Does this dream become a nightmare? Can he pick himself off?" Everyone is looking at him. His daughter is looking at him. It was a way to really complicate his journey on this earth and we're rooting for him to climb that hill again, to get back to the man who we met in the pilot. We want Manny to get back to that place so badly, which is so human.
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Manny came back to town to walk Gabriela down the aisle, not necessarily to get arrested. The cops showed up at the wedding and he didn't have a choice but to go with them. Is he actually ready to face the consequences of his actions?
Napolitano: He knows enough about the system that he was going to turn himself in. He was not going to cost her that memory, those pictures, or have her look back at her wedding and say, "Oh that's the day my dad wasn't there." He was not going to do that to her. I think it was Gabriela first and then the law right after that.
What can you say about the function of Three Rock in Season 3 now that Bode isn't there?
Napolitano: We'll learn a lot more about Eve and her relationship with the inmates. We will continue to see the inmates on calls. These programs are always sort of in question. We've toyed with that already. What does it mean to work there? What are inmates getting to learn? We'll see their connection to 42. It'll still be part of the DNA show, but we might tweak it a little bit.
What can you say about how Eve has changed as captain of Three Rock?
Napolitano: She's got some confidence and the grit of ascending. It was not easy, which is so much more satisfying. Jake's journey to captain was like, "It's great! They gave me more money and people listen to me. This is wonderful." Eve had to work for it. That confidence and that status she's earned feels really good.
Vince and Sharon have been on such a rollercoaster. How would you describe the state of their marriage now that Sharon wants her old job back?
Napolitano: They're good. There's some wish fulfillment for the Leones. Sharon taking her job back at the end of the season is a sign that mama is back, you know? She was sort of broken and hurt at the beginning of the season, but she's fully herself again. She's ready for her power again. I think Vince is very comfortable with his wife bossing him around at work. And their son is out. Let them have some joy and a little bit of stability. Let us really enjoy this family that we love and hand out in their house. Let's imagine how good Vince's Sunday sauce tastes!
It was so nice to see Freddy (W. Trรฉ Davis) back in this finale. Will we see him more in Season 3?
Napolitano: I would love to see more Freddy, especially with Bode out, especially in this [upcoming] season of joy and friendship for Bode. I want to see more of Freddy's happy ending.
Fire Country Seasons 1 and 2 is now streaming on Paramount+.
