The Fire Country midseason finale wasn’t afraid to end on a deadly note after losing three main characters earlier in the season.
During the Friday, December 19, episode of the CBS series, Bode (Max Thieriot) was waiting for Landon (Josh McDermitt) to get questioned for his involvement in the fire that caused Vince’s (Billy Burke) death. Landon’s stepson Tyler (Conor Sherry) found Bode while on the job and somehow, by the end of the episode, was in danger as a fire threatened their lives.
Jake (Jordan Calloway), meanwhile, met his secret brother — but things didn’t get off to the best start. They were able to bond, however, and were on their way back in a firetruck when the aforementioned fire led to a crash with possible casualties.
“[You should] be worried. We’ve got Bode and Tyler in a fire shelter in the middle of a blaze. Those things are built for one, there’s two lives in there,” executive producer Tia Napolitano exclusively told Us Weekly of the episode. “And we’ve got Jake and his brother over the side of a cliff. You see how many times that vehicle goes over and over. We see heads hit hard surfaces.”
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Napolitano teased that “those are not easy things to come back” from, adding, “We’ll watch our people fight to get out of there.” The showrunner also revealed there was a “huge twist” coming in the midseason premiere, which airs on February 27.
“It’s going to change everything that hugely impacts Bode. He is going to really fight to continue to be on his path to progress and growth that we love to see him on. He has made those good choices — though he still struggles — and winning those struggles and really becoming someone who can continue to be someone Tyler wants to grow up to be,” she said. “Bode is a role model. Look how far we have come.”
She continued: “Eve is going to find her way with these new guys at Three Roc. Sharon is learning even more so how to stand on her own. Ruby — her mother — comes back. There’s a lot of surprises, twists and turns, and drive coming out of that twist that comes at the end of the midseason premiere.”
While Bode has hit roadblocks on his journey — including almost relapsing — that chapter of his story is over.
“With his recovery journey, we watched him really struggle on screen for the first time. That chapter is closed. He is working, he is healthy and in good recovery. That is not a worry we have for Bode,” Napolitano shared. “He’ll have other emotional struggles. We’ll watch him struggle with new things and ultimately his angels will win over his demons.”
There is also Bode’s personal life to think about. He started out with an off-and-on connection with Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila) before the actress was written off the show. Bode was also dating Audrey (Leven Rambin) who left a few episodes later and now he has a possible connection with Chloe (Alona Tal).
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“It’s a balance. Bode went possibly the longest stretch this season with his romantic life taking a back seat while he worked on becoming a firefighter and thinking about other areas of his life,” the screenwriter told Us. “His romantic life is always going to be part of the show and it’s always a complex little web of soap and romance.”
Napolitano confirmed that “no doors are closed” going forward. The insight comes as Fire Country is still dealing with Arcila and Billy Burke‘s characters no longer being part of the narrative. Season 3, which wrapped up earlier this year, ended on a cliffhanger with Vince (Burke) and Sharon’s (Diane Farr) lives left in the balance. News broke hours after the finale aired in April that budget cuts led to Burke and Arcila’s exits.
“It’s different. We felt it in the writing and we felt it in the shooting and finding new combinations of characters together,” Napolitano shared. “Until we get to the end of the season, I would say we’re making more friends — not losing friends. Look around at Fire Country and enjoy for a little bit.”
Fire Country returns to CBS on Friday, February 27, at 9 p.m. ET. New episodes will be streaming the next day on Paramount+.
