Fire Country ended its third season with its biggest cliffhanger yet. After all, Season 1 sent Bode (Max Thieriot) back to prison just as his loved ones thought he’d get paroled, and Season 2 ended with him out but walking away as his ex-girlfriend Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila) was getting married. That’s nothing compared to where Season 3 left off.
A fire threatened significant parts of Edgewater, including Three Rock fire camp and the care facility where Vince’s (Billy Burke) father, Walter (Jeff Fahey), lived. Jake (Jordan Calloway) planned to leave 42, having taken a job elsewhere since there’s only so far he can climb at a house where everyone knows Bode will one day be battalion chief. Plus, Gabriela’s stalker tracked her to the Leones’ house, and in the ensuing struggle, Audrey (Leven Rambin) shot him. Manny (Kevin Alejandro), when he thought his daughter Gabriela had pulled the trigger, was willing to say he’d done it, but when the three of them brought Finn (Blake Lee) to get medical help, Audrey turned herself in. Then, while Bode could only watch, the care facility, by that point completely consumed by flames, collapsed with his father Vince, mother Sharon (Diane Farr), and grandfather Walter inside. After the finale, it was announced that Billy Burke and Stephanie Arcila will not be returning for Season 4.
Below, we take a look at all the burning questions we have going into Fire Country Season 4. Let us know yours in the comments section.
Will Vince, Sharon, and/or Walter die?
Listen, last we saw them, the burning building collapsed right on top of them. Well, at least Vince. And with Billy Burke exiting, well, we have to admit, we’re very worried that he’ll die. However, executive producer Tia Napolitano was cagey when talking to Deadline about just that: “We are not going to confirm who we’re losing. There will definitely be a devastating loss for everyone that remains in our family.”
While it could be that Walter dies, no matter how much that would affect Vince, we just don’t see him leaving his wife. Vince and Sharon are one of the most stable (and best) relationships on TV (though they have had their challenges), so it really does seem like the only way to explain Burke’s absence will be with Vince’s death.
How will Sharon and Bode cope without Vince?
Whether or not Vince dies, we’re going to see Sharon without her husband and Bode without his father. The Leones and their relationships are the heart of the show, and it’s just not going to feel the same without that onscreen. Sharon and Vince are each other’s rocks. How will she handle losing him (especially if he does die, as it’s looking like he will) and then not having him around while also continuing to work where she’ll be constantly reminded of him? Bode has shown so much growth since we first met him as an inmate firefighter at Three Rock. Will this set him back?
How will Gabriela be written out?
If Gabriela had continued to cover for Audrey shooting Finn, we could see that factor into how her absence is explained going forward. But instead, the finale didn’t set up her exit at all. We suppose it could be that she decides she needs a fresh start somewhere else after everything she’s been through in Edgewater, but how is she going to decide to leave her father? And given that it seemed like a reunion between Bode and Gabriela was inevitable, what does this mean for their future?
Will Audrey go back to prison?
Audrey did shoot Finn to save Gabriela, but that doesn’t mean that she couldn’t still end up facing some serious consequences for what she did — and perhaps even land back in a fire camp for some time, given her record. She did, however, turn herself in, so that could count for something.
Do Bode and Audrey still have a future?
Bode and Audrey were together at the end of the season, but we could easily see that romance fizzling out due to the events of the finale. Whether she ends up back in prison or in fire camp or not, the primary factor will be what happens to Bode’s family. We could see him either pushing her away or their relationship being one of any number of changes he makes following the loss of his father (again, should he die).
How will Three Rock rebuild?
The fire in the finale consumed Three Rock, and while Eve (Jules Latimer), her girlfriend Francine (Katie Findlay), and her inmate firefighters tried their hardest to save the camp, they had to retreat when it became too much of a risk to their lives. But they can (and will, we imagine) rebuild. There’s just a matter of what that will look like.
Once he knew that battalion chief at 42 wasn’t in the cards for him, Jake looked elsewhere and landed a job in Butte, where he’d be captain and a promotion was in his future. (Everyone knows that Bode is one day going to be battalion chief.) But with Billy Burke and Stephanie Arcila’s exits announced, it does seem like Jordan Calloway isn’t going anywhere. Does Vince die, and his death leads Jake to stay at 42? Does he stay for his best friend, Bode, to help him in the aftermath of tragedy?
Will Manny be 42’s new captain?
Sharon had offered Manny the position, though he’s not sure if he’ll be accepted back into Cal Fire after his time at Three Rock. And while it does seem safe to assume that Jake will stay at 42, could he get the bump up to battalion chief in the aftermath of what happens to Vince, leaving that captain spot still open for Manny? Sure, it may seem a bit quick, but Edgewater is a small town, they’re all a family, and they’re going to need someone familiar leading after that finale.
