‘Fire Country’ Sparks Backlash by Teasing a New Romance for Bode Leone md11

The latest episode of Fire Country Season 4, “Fresh Start,” features a reunion of SEAL Team stars Max Thieriot and Alona Tal, best known for their roles as Clay Spencer and Stella Baxter, the tragic husband-and-wife couple from the latter show. Tal appears as the new Fire Country character, Chloe, a concerned mother and old friend of Bode Leone (Thieriot). The message from the episode is clear: Fire Country aims to set up Chloe as Bode’s new love interest. However, as the saying goes, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” Bode might currently be single and ready to mingle on Fire Country, but the new romance the show is teasing already looks to be a bad idea.

Bode and Chloe Share a History in ‘Fire Country’

Fire Country rushed through Chloe’s introduction, revealing her as the mother of Tyler (Conor Sherry), the troubled teen whom Bode and Jake Crawford (Jordan Calloway) rescued in the previous episode, “Best Mom in the World.” Bode takes it upon himself to mentor Tyler, recognizing the warning signs that the teenager is heading down a bad path, and believing he can help him improve his life and avoid making the same mistakes that Bode made in his youth. Coincidentally, Chloe is also a former high school classmate of Bode’s who used to tutor him in math. Chloe also admits to Bode’s mom, Sharon (Diane Farr), that she used to have a huge crush on Bode. Obviously, the Fire Country writers are signaling that Chloe will become a potential Bode love interest.

Later in the episode, it’s revealed that Chloe’s live-in boyfriend, Landon (Josh McDermitt), is abusing Tyler, and Bode and Chloe catch Landon in the act. In an awkward confession to Bode, Tyler suggests Landon was the arsonist who started the Zabel Ridge Fire, which led to the tragic death of Vince Leone (Billy Burke) earlier in the season, and Bode reports his suspicions to Sharon. The incident makes Chloe conveniently single, so Bode would be free to explore a relationship with her guilt-free. However, various aspects of the romantic setup do not pass the credulity test.

Why the Potential Bode & Chloe Romance Doesn’t Work

Not only is the troubled youth Bode mentoring the son of his new love interest, but said love interest used to have a big crush on Bode when they were kids. Plus, Chloe’s now ex-boyfriend appears to be the arsonist responsible for the death of Vince Leone. It makes the whole Bode and Chloe relationship overly contrived, relying on some insanely forced narrative coincidences. Additionally, it looks awkward and inappropriate for Bode to potentially spark a romance with Chloe when her life appears to be so utterly chaotic right now, and her son is struggling emotionally.

Chloe and especially Tyler need some peace and stability, and if Bode wants to mentor Tyler, then he should set a good example for the boy and provide him with structure and discipline. The very notion of Bode serving as a positive male mentor for a troubled young teen like Tyler is already laughable because of Bode’s reckless reputation, his tendency to scoff at authority, and acting like a wild cowboy with a martyr complex in the field.

Any Romance Bode Has Comes Off Like Bode Biding Time Until Gabriella Returns

The other issue with the brewing Bode and Chloe relationship is that the Season 4 premiere established that Gabriela Perez (Stephanie Arcila) is still in love with Bode, and she confessed to him before she left Edgewater on her recruiting gig. Later in the season, Bode and fellow firefighter Audrey James (Leven Rambin) put their relationship on pause, and Audrey transferred out of Edgewater, seeing her relationship with Bode as potentially risky and volatile for her mental health and continued sobriety, yet she did leave the door open for Bode to “win” her back. Although the Audrey situation frees up Bode to explore a relationship with Chloe, it’s difficult to ignore the Gabriela factor.

Deep down, Bode’s true love for Gabriela came off as the real reason his relationship with Audrey failed. Also, after Gabriela’s confession to Bode in “Goodbye for Now,” it’s now impossible to invest in Bode forming a new romantic relationship with Chloe. It definitely appears that Bode is merely biding his time until Gabriela returns to Edgewater. All of these issues, especially the way the plot rushes to establish a history between Bode and Chloe, make the dynamic feel inorganic. Fire Country sent the message loud and clear during the Season 4 premiere: Bode and Gabriela are the endgame couple, so Bode and Chloe are simply an artificial romantic interlude, at best.