Season 4 of Fire Country started its run on the 2025 TV schedule with tragedy. We sadly lost Vince in a fire, and now Bode, Sharon and more are grieving the loss of this vital family member while Station 42 is trying to figure out how to run without one of its leaders. However, before we see how they all move forward, I asked the showrunner about how this terrible news was broken to Bode, specifically, and she told me why it was Manny who did it.
Between Seasons 3 and 4, we were waiting on pins and needles to see who died in Fire Country’s last episode. However, due to the announcement of Billy Burke’s exit, it seemed likely that his character, Vince, wouldn’t be returning. That is a catastrophic loss for everyone on the show; however, it obviously hit Bode and Sharon the hardest. Thankfully, the person who shared this news with Vince’s son was Manny, and he supported him through this awful moment.
When I interviewed showrunner Tia Napolitano about this episode, I asked why Kevin Alejandro’s character was the right person to break this news to Bode, and she explained:
Manny felt really right. Again, when you think about where we started in the pilot and over the course of Season 1, Manny really became a father figure to Bode while he and his own father, Vince, are in a bad place as father and son. And with the loss of Bode’s father, now, it felt like Manny would rise to the occasion of being a father figure to him once more and stepping up to do it.
I was thinking about this too as I watched the episode. Of all the people who could have told Bode about his father’s death, Manny felt like the best person. Not only has he always been supportive of Max Thieriot’s character, but he also knows exactly what he has been through, because he’s been through it too.
Both Bode and Manny were in Three Rock, they have felt monumental loss before, and in this moment, Manny was the right person to break this life-altering and sad news. Plus, as Napolitano said, Alejandro’s character is like another father figure to Bode. He helped him through his time at Three Rock, and he was there for him when his relationship with his dad was rocky.
Along with Manny being the right person to tell Bode about his dad from a deeply personal perspective, it was also logistical. The showrunner told me they knew the younger firefighters, like Eve and Jake, weren’t the right people to have this conversation, and it was impossible for Walter or Sharon to do it, because they were already en route to the hospital. So, that left Manny, as Napolitano told me:
It really felt generational, like it shouldn’t be one of the kids. And Walter and Sharon have already been taken to the hospital. That Manny doesn’t want to but rises to that occasion, [it] felt so on character for Manny and for those two and their relationship.
I agree, it was very on-brand for Manny to do this. While he was also dealing with Gabriela leaving Edgewater for a new job, which was more bittersweet than anything, he was also supporting the other firefighters through this terribly tragic situation. He was particularly there for Bode, and even though I’m sure it was really hard for him to break the news, I’m happy it was him.
Now, I’m hoping that Manny and Bode can continue to be there for each other as Season 4 continues. Vince’s death truly shook everything up, and now it will be interesting to see how everyone rises to the occasion. Manny certainly has, and I hope he can help Bode do the exact same thing.
