Fire Country’s Shocking Season 3 Mistake With Gabriela — Stephanie Arcila Breaks Her Silence

Gabriela’s story in Fire Country season 3 was characterized by major upheavals, and Stephanie Arcila’s exit in Fire Country season 4 highlights even more how much her season 3 story betrayed Gabriela. Facing off with Finn in Fire Country season 3’s finale put Gabriela in a very difficult situation, but even that hurdle didn’t clarify what would prompt Gabriela’s departure.

The announcement that Stephanie Arcila wouldn’t be returning as Gabriela in Fire Country season 4 coming from Fire Country’s showrunner Tia Napolitano in an interview ensured that Gabriela’s exit had yet to be explained narratively. However, Gabriela’s departure from Edgewater after her storyline in season 3 makes one huge mistake with how Fire Country season 3 treated Gabriela more evident.

Gabriela’s Fire Country Season 3 Story Leaves Her At Her Lowest Point

Gabriela Got Only Marginally Better After Reaching Rock Bottom In Fire Country Season 3

If previous Fire Country seasons saw Gabriela face challenges and overcome them, Fire Country season 3 was the first to show Gabriela definitely struggling. Choosing to leave Diego in Fire Country season 3’s premiere at the wedding materially impacted Gabriela, as it left her with debts to pay, and the associated stress also affected Gabriela’s mental health negatively.

Manny risking time in prison and eventually getting a better deal by being sentenced to one year at Three Rock weighed heavily on Gabriela, pushing her to isolate herself from her father too, after the wedding fiasco had already stopped her from wanting to spend time with her friends. Not connecting with her loved ones left Gabriela feeling completely alone.

Using alcohol to numb her feelings and risky dives to feel something influenced Gabriela’s decision to punish an irresponsible citizen by siphoning their gas to gift it to an unhoused family so that they could evacuate in Fire Country season 3, episode 8. Jake’s subsequent reprimand led Gabriela to reach a breaking point, culminating in her escape from the scene.

Hitting rock bottom placed Gabriela in danger, but the calamity at least forced Manny and Gabriela to finally speak again in Fire Country season 3’s winter premiere. Gabriela got better by reuniting with her father and following Manny’s lead, but the ordeal highlighted how Gabriela didn’t save herself; instead, Manny got her out of the hole she had dug herself.

This theme presented itself again with Finn, where not only those in Station 42 protected Gabriela after he was revealed to be her stalker, but it was also Audrey who neutralized Finn’s threats by shooting at himFire Country season 3 depicted Gabriela’s worst period, and yet it didn’t let her save herself, as others in the end protected Gabriela.

This peculiarity was also noticed by Gabriela’s Stephanie Arcila (via Deadline), who explained in an interview how her hope for Gabriela’s future was that she would “rise up as the incredibly resilient, smart woman that she is and save herself.” Gabriela never saved herself in Fire Country, but in season 3 in particular, multiple characters had to save her.

With Arcila exiting in Fire Country season 4, season 3 ending with Gabriela at her lowest point after multiple problems from which she couldn’t pull herself out without others saving her forces her story not to end well on Fire Country. This is made even worse by Fire Country not being able to show Gabriela getting better before leaving.

Fixing Gabriela’s Story Would Need Her To Have A Bigger Role (But That’s Unlikely)

Arcila’s Exit In Fire Country Season 4 Means Gabriela Can’t Have A Bigger Role

Fire Country' Is Falling Into the One Trap I Was Dreading the Most

Given the downward spiral that Gabriela went through in Fire Country season 3, a proper send-off for her character would have to explain how the ordeal with Finn left Gabriela, instead of having what drew her to leave remain unexplained. Even if Manny were to tell others why Gabriela left in Fire Country season 4, her perspective couldn’t be shown.

The absence of Gabriela’s perspective regarding her departure is particularly important because even during her problems, Fire Country season 3 showed her acting unlike herself, but it never went deep enough to investigate why or what feelings were driving Gabriela.

Were Gabriela to wrap up her storyline by reappearing for a short arc in Fire Country season 4, it wouldn’t be enough to truly show how everything that had happened left her. In addition to her always being saved by others, the absence of her perspective thus risks removing Gabriela’s agency entirely from the conversation.

Rate this post