The CBS drama “Fire Country” follows Bode Donovan (Max Thieriot), a former convict who gets out of prison after serving time and joins a brigade of brave men and women with complicated pasts who battle blazes in California. With the upcoming Season 4, however, the series will be losing not one, but two of its main cast members, all supposedly in service of realism. “Season 3, leaning into the authenticity of the real-life heroes that our characters are playing, people die, they leave,” showrunner Tia Napolitano told Deadline, contradicting the notion that Gabriela was written off because of a fumbled storyline. “That’s a reality, there’s danger in this sort of job, so we wanted to honor that and really up the stakes.”
To that end, actors Billy Burke — who portrayed Cal Fire chief (and Bode’s father) Vince — and Stephanie Arcila said goodbye at the end of Season 3. Arcila, who starred for all three seasons as Bode’s partner, firefighter Gabriela Perez, saw her story end in dramatic fashion. News of her departure came as a shock to fans, though there’s a chance that it may not be permanent. “We love Stephanie, and we are committed to saying that the Bode-Gabriela story does not end here, it goes on,” co-creator and executive producer Tony Phelan said. “We’re hoping that we can bring that character back, because we think that they have such great chemistry, and the audience is really invested in the two of them.” He’s not wrong there — Bode and Gabi are among the best “Fire Country” couples.
Fire Country Season 3’s finale left lives hanging in the balance
“Fire Country” Season 3 drew to a close with a two-part episode. The first part is titled “A Change in the Wild,” which seemed to be hinting that we’d see some major shakeups. The story sees several of Bode’s family members trapped in a fire that is consuming the memory care facility where Bode’s grandfather, Walter (Jeff Fahey), lives. The retired former fire chief is there with his son, Vince, and daughter-in-law, Sharon (Diane Farr). The last we see of them, the roof is collapsing, and it doesn’t seem like anyone will get out alive.
The initial plan for the finale seems to have been to keep it a secret as to who will live and who will die, but word quickly leaked out that Billy Burke would be leaving the series. “Fire Country” Season 4 trailers have since confirmed that Vince didn’t survive the fire, so things are going to be even rougher than they already were for Bode in Season 4. The loss of Vince is a huge blow for both the characters in the show and its viewers, but fans can at least hold onto the hope that Gabi will return to the fray before too long.
Crucially, Stephanie Arcila hasn’t ruled out reprising the role of Gabi, one that brought her great joy. “I never say never,” she told Deadline. “Life takes us through so many avenues, and Gabriela is such a gift to me in my career, personally and professionally. I’m so grateful to have played a Latina on a show and a Latina where they were able to include part of my culture as well, part of my Colombian background. It was really exciting.”