Spoilers for the Season 2 finale of Fire Country are ahead. If you haven’t watched the episode, you can stream it right now with a Paramount+ subscription.
We always knew Fire Country Season 3 was going to be a wild ride, and the final words of the Season 2 finale confirmed that. With Bode out of prison and Three Rock, his life as a free man presents a lot of questions, and his struggle to answer them and get his life on track is going to be difficult. So, during the final moment of “I Do,” Max Thieriot's character asked his uncle for a favor, and the showrunner broke down how his words will impact what’s to come, enhancing a theory I had about Bode and his family.
To recap, in the final seconds of the episode, Bode asked his Uncle Luke for help getting a job, saying:
I do need your help, but it’s not ruining Gabriela’s wedding. I need to fight fire, fast out here as a free man…Pull some strings, pull a rope, I don’t care, man. Firefighting is my first healthy addiction I’ve had in my life. I’m ready to claim my legacy as a Leone, as a firefighter.
Fire Country’s showrunner Tia Napolitano broke down these intense and game-changing final words, and it only enhanced a theory I had about Season 3.
Fire Country Showrunner Tia Napolitano Broke Down The Final Words Of the Season 2 Finale
While speaking about the Season 2 finale of Fire Country that just aired on the 2024 TV schedule, Tia Napolitano and I discussed Bode’s trajectory going into Season 3 at length. Finding a job as a firefighter is an uphill battle, so he decided to ask for help from his uncle, which will involve him pulling strings. To this point, the showrunner told me:
Bode says ‘I'm ready to claim my legacy as a firefighter and as a Leone,’ and I think as a Leone, we're really going to dig into what does that look like. And we've talked about in the past Luke was, you know, cool Uncle Luke, and he let Bode drink, because if he doesn't do it here, he's going to do it somewhere else. And we've seen Sharon pull strings, we've seen Vince ask to pull strings.
The Leones aren’t afraid to pull strings to help their firefighting family, and with Bode out of Three Rock, it won’t be surprising if they try to get him a job, despite it not really being allowed. Going into Season 3 the questions about all of this will revolve around how far Bode’s family is willing to go for him, and who will have the power to do it, because Sharon made it clear she’s coming for Luke’s job.
Elaborating on the questions we should be asking ahead of the next season about these last words, Napolitano said:
And I think that generation – Luke, Sharon, Vince – with Bode out and wanting things, how do they decide how much to pull strings for and how much to help him? Who's going to have the power to do that? You know, who believes in giving him extra opportunity and who believes that he should just be made to fight for everything all on his own? I think it is, you know, a sweet spot of our show. And with Bode out, it's only going to come more forward into the conversation.
All these questions are so helpful to consider going into Season 3, and they only amplified my thoughts about how the Leone family dynamic will change and drive the drama forward in Fire Country’s junior season.
I Have A Theory About How Bode’s Big Ask Will Impact The Leone Family In Season 3
When it comes to the dynamics between the cast of Fire Country characters, arguably, the most turbulent one is between Luke, Sharon and Vince.
In Season 1, while nothing ever happened, there were seemingly some feelings between Luke and Sharon. In Season 2, Luke took over Sharon’s old job as the Division Chief, and his motivations were clearly about using the position to get more power rather than helping the community.
So, going into Season 3, Sharon straight up told her brother-in-law she was coming for his job.
The tension will be palpable going into the third season for a lot of reasons – especially for Bode as he also deals with what Gabriela’s mom told him, processes his grief over Cara’s death and his relationship with Gen. However, Bode’s big ask will make things even more complicated.
I think Luke will want to help his nephew, and he will pull the strings. However, I also think it will complicate already complicated matters between him, Vince and Sharon. Will they approve of Max Thieriot's seeking out his uncle's help? Will they want their son to find his own way? Or will they try to pull the strings instead?
As Napolitano said, a “sweet spot” of the show has always been the fragile dynamic in the Leone family. So, Bode being out and asking for help will only amplify the tension, I think.
Going into Season 3, I think Bode’s request will be the crux of the first few episodes, and it will set the stage for some sort of reckoning with his family, as we truly learn who is willing to make risky moves. I also think this could serve as a breaking point for Sharon, Vince and Luke. They’ve had their fair share of fights, but between Sharon coming for Luke’s job, and all three of them likely wanting to help Bode, albeit in different ways, I think we’re in for a wild ride.
We’ll find out how these final words of Fire Country Season 2 impact Season 3 next fall. While we wait for that, you can stream all of the CBS drama on Paramount+.
