Season 3 of Fire Country left fans on the edge of their seats, panicking about whether their favorite characters would make it out of the massive fire they were running into. . Season 4 begins with the fates of Vince (Billy Burke), Sharon (Diane Farr) and Walter (Jeff Fahey) hanging in the balance and their loved ones wondering if they will make it out alive.
Woman’s World sat down with Fire Country co-creators Joan Rater and Tony Phelan to discuss that shocking finale, who will survive the terrifying fire and what fans can expect from the upcoming season. See the trailer for Season 4, which premieres October 17, below and find out what the creators had to say about where the show is headed.
Woman’s World (WW): For any readers who might need a quick refresher on the Season 3 finale, can you just give a quick rundown of what happened?
Joan Rater: There was a huge fire and we left three of our major characters in it… What we learn is that Vince didn’t make it out, which is a devastating loss and something that reverberates through the whole season.
We are telling stories about wildland firefighters in some of the most dangerous situations [imaginable] and we wanted to be true to the storytelling. It felt like we wanted to explore what a loss is like, because they happen. It’s part of the job and in this case it’s a profound loss because it was Vince.
WW: At the end of Season 3, the fates of Vince, Sharon and Walter are unknown. What led you to shake things up?
Joan Rater: [We wanted to] make it seem as close to the job as possible. This year is all about legacy and fathers and sons. So, as we were getting towards the end of the season, it just felt like that was the story that would be the biggest loss. We wanted to really have our young characters grow up and for Bodie to lose his dad, as so many people have. You’re really forced to grapple with some stuff and grow up. That seemed to us a really ripe story.
WW: How did you come to that decision for Vince’s character? Were there alternative endings?
Joan Rater: As writers, we sit in that room for eight to 10 hours a day, thinking of every version, and we double back and we change our mind. But it’s funny—e started this season saying we need a shake up and it should be Vince for these reasons. Then we changed our minds a million times and came back to what we initially thought. You are always questioning and kicking the tires, so, yeah, we considered everything.
Tony Phelan: This felt like the right story to tell. We also have gotten to a place where Bode has now gotten out of prison, and so much of his character and his drive as a person was about achieving that. Now what’s next for him? We thought, “Let’s put him through some real struggle.” And obviously, when you lose a parent, you feel like there’s so much that was unsaid. And that’s another thing that Bode is grappling with, that he and Vince never really were able to get closure about so much of what had happened earlier on.
He’s also a recovering addict, and that is another challenge that he has that we haven’t seen on the show yet, but it’s a part of who he is.
WW: Along with Vince, another character leaving is Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila). She’s also played such a big role in Bode’s life, so how is that going to affect him in the upcoming season?
Joan Rater: I think that the timing is off for he and Gabriela, and they realize that they have this great love. We the writers also are really invested in their relationship and their story, but in order to heal these deep wounds that they’ve really never dealt with, they realize they need to do it separately. Both of these huge losses are going to impact Bode, and hopefully he’s going to finally grapple with what he wants and who he is.
WW: Speaking of Gabriela, she’s had a pretty traumatic past few episodes, being stalked by Finn (Blake Lee) and then he gets shot in the finale. How does that impact her and is that what causes her to leave in the premiere?
Tony Phelan: We wanted Gabriela to leave from a position of strength, and she is there for Bode through the events of the premiere, but realizes that A) she has career aspirations that might not keep her here, and B) that it’s no good for her and Bode, and in order to do the growth that each of them needs to do, they can’t do it together.
WW: What three words would you use to describe Season 4?
Joan Rater: Rebirth, growth and life after loss.
