Although Fire Country season 4 promised a Leone tragedy in its premiere, the episode title seems to imply that one death is not set in stone. After the events of Fire Country season 3’s finale, a few major changes to the show’s lineup were seemingly set in stone. For one thing, Stephanie Arcila’s Gabriela was finally leaving town.
This brought to an end the multiple-season relationship between Fire Country’s Bode and Gabby, a couple who could never quite get their timing right despite their sizzling chemistry. Bode might ordinarily have been devastated by this development, but the Zebel Ridge fire and its aftermath ensured he had bigger fish to fry when it came to personal problems.
Fire Country Season 4 Premiere Title Suggests That Vince May Not Be Dead
Vince Leone’s Fire Country Season 4 Exit May Not Be Permanent
Sharon, Walter, and Vince Leone were all trapped inside the Buena Vista care home when the building’s roof collapsed, and Fire Country season 3’s finale didn’t reveal which of them survived and who failed to escape. The assumption was that Billy Burke’s Vince Leone would be revealed to be dead in season 4’s premiere due to behind-the-scenes changes.
After the season 3 finale aired, Burke and Arcila’s Fire Country season 4 exits were announced, proving that Vince almost certainly died in the fire. Comments from the show’s executive producer, Tia Napolitano, underlined this further, with the creative saying, “It really just comes down to what’s the best creatively.”
Napolitano went on to note that Vince’s death would fit the harsh realities of the job, saying, “That’s a reality, there’s danger in this sort of job, so we wanted to honor that and really up the stakes.” Of course, longtime Fire Country viewers know that soap opera tropes are as big an influence on the show’s writing as reality.
How Fire Country Season 4 Can Explain Vince’s Absence While Keeping The Door Open For His Return
Vince’s Body May Not Be Recovered From The Ruins
As such, it is not all that surprising to find out that season 4’s premiere is titled “Goodbye For Now.” This could be a reference to Gabby’s exit, which is more likely to be temporary than Vince’s death. Alternatively, it could be a sardonic comment about Vince’s death, as everyone in the show will eventually be reunited with him.
However, given the twisty storytelling of the series, it seems likely that Fire Country season 4 is hinting at keeping Vince’s fate ambiguous. It would be easy for the show to explain that his body could not be found amid the ruins of the care home, thus leaving his fate a mystery and facilitating Burke’s potential comeback.
It is debatable whether this would be a good idea for Fire Country, as the revelation could be too ludicrous for fans of the procedural to take seriously. However, that doesn’t mean that Fire Country season 4 can’t pull off this misdirection, and its premiere title may be the first clue to this twist.
