Despite their passionate on-again, off-again relationship in Fire Country, Gabriela’s surprising reaction to Bode’s new romance just underscores exactly why writing her out of the show is a mistake. It was announced last month that both Billy Burke and Stephanie Arcila would not return as cast regulars in Fire Country season 4. While it appears Burke’s Vince Leone was killed in a building collapse in the Fire Country season 3 finale, the showrunners have said writing out Arcila’s Gabriela was a creative decision for Fire Country, but they hope to bring her back in the future.
Still, it’s fair to wonder if it was the right decision. Fans were certainly shocked by the exits, especially as both Billy and Gabriela have been central figures and two of the most important characters since Fire Country season 1. While her relationship with Bode (Max Thieriot) might benefit from some time apart, there’s no denying that as a character, Gabriela still has a lot to offer, and she didn’t necessarily need to be written out to grow. The way she handled Bode’s new relationship proves as much, as revealed in a recent ScreenRant interview with Stephanie Arcila about Fire Country season 3.
Gabriela Was Surprisingly Okay With Bode Finding A New Romance In Fire Country
She Accepted Audrey Despite Her Past With Bode
Despite their love for each other, Bode and Gabriela were off again throughout Fire Country season 3. They were so off again, in fact, that midway through the season, Bode and Audrey (Leven Rambin) cemented their new relationship status and officially became a couple. While it was great to see Bode find new love in his fellow “probie” firefighter, there was no doubt that it could have caused significant tension among the team, especially with Gabriela.
Gabriela has always been a consummate professional at her job, but when it comes to matters of the heart, the head doesn’t always think or respond clearly
Gabriela has always been a consummate professional at her job, but when it comes to matters of the heart, the head doesn’t always think or respond clearly. Yet, rather than get upset or allow any hurt to impact their professional working relationship, Gabriela was accepting of Bode’s new relationship. What’s more, she even bonded with Audrey and became friends, relishing the rare injection of female companionship in their male-dominated world. ScreenRant spoke to Arcila about Gabriela’s arc this season, and she revealed why the firefighter was so at peace with letting Bode go:
ScreenRant:Season 3 gave Gabriela the chance to overcome so many different obstacles. What has been your favorite part of her journey?
There are many because she’s so dear to my heart. There’s a worthiness within yourself and a release in control within yourself when you see one of the people that you love dating someone else and still can be respectful and have that love for them and understand that what is meant for you will be meant for you no matter what. And at the end of the day, I feel that the world is always working out.
Things are always working out in your best interest, even if you don’t see it in the moment. I think part of that journey is her healing. And her reconciliation with her dad. That has been the most heartwarming part for me. To watch them fall, to watch their egos get hurt, but then at the end of the day, put it all aside and know that they love each other so much and that they are all they have.
Gabriela’s Response Upended The Usual Dramatic Tropes
It Was A Refreshing Change Of Pace For A Romantic Storyline
Arcila’s comments about Gabriela having enough respect for her and Bode both to step aside show exactly why the story worked. The Fire Country writers wisely avoided two outdated and tired tropes by having Bode and Audrey’s relationship work out this way. The first trope avoided is the love triangle, a plotline so worn out by now in movies, TV, and books that it’s see-through. The second is that it avoided demeaning Gabriela’s character by not allowing her to treat Aubrey with any cattiness or an unwelcoming attitude.
All too often, female characters, especially in drama, are led and motivated by their jealousy of other women, especially when it comes to male romantic interests. It’s problematic and tiresome, which is why it was so refreshing that the Fire Country writers didn’t take the lazy, easy path. Instead, they kept the show interesting while allowing Gabriela to remain true to herself and her integrity rather than resorting to more reductive character development – or devolution, as it might more accurately be called. Ironically, however, it’s exactly that narrative decision that exposes exactly why it’s a mistake to write Gabriela out.
Fire Country Is Making A Mistake To Write Gabriela Out Already
Gabriela Could Grow As A Character Without Leaving The Show
Honestly, while the Gabriela and Bode romance may have run its course for now, that doesn’t mean that Gabriela as a character has run out of story runway. On the contrary, the extraordinarily mature way she’s handled Bode and Audrey’s relationship shows exactly how much she’s grown, and it would have opened the door to do new things with her character in Fire Country season 4. The interview with Arcila revealed exactly how next season could have focused on her relationship with her father instead of with Bode:
Gabriela’s first example of a love in a man is her father. He raised her, and he raised her to know that we are imperfect, and it is okay to not be perfect. It is okay to fall. What matters is how we get up and how we respond and how we care for our community and the people that we love, but especially how we care for ourselves.
Gabriela and her father had only just reconciled in season 3, so there would still be plenty of story to mine there in Fire Country season 4. It’s understandable that the writers want to shake things up, but it doesn’t necessarily have to unfold like this. The only way Gabriela would need to leave the show to continue growing as a character is if her entire world revolved around Bode. If it does, that’s a problem with how the writers write her character, not the character herself. But it arguably doesn’t, as evidenced by her gracious reaction to Audrey and the newly reforged relationship with her dad.
The plan right now is to hopefully bring Arcila back into the fold at a later date, with the explanation that the time apart will help both Bode and Gabriela grow – and possibly give their love story the reset it needs. Still, it’s hard to see why Gabriela has to leave completely to do it, or how it will be more interesting for viewers to miss all the character development happening offscreen instead of seeing how Gabriela and Bode grow beside each other but separate for once. If Gabriela does return toFire Country one day, we can only hope that what we gain from her time away is worth what we’ll lose with her exit.
