Fire Country is beginning to have a Bode and Gabriela problem. As the show progresses through its third season, I’ve noticed a clear intent to position Bode Leone (Max Thieriot) and Gabriela Perez (Stephanie Arcila) as the show’s end-game pairing.
Unfortunately, Bode and Gabriela are becoming one of the Fire Country‘s most boring, frustrating couples. More recently, it looks like Bode and Gabriela are overshadowed by other character dynamics and relationships throughout the show. As the show makes its way through its tertiary season, I’m making the case for why the bloom is off the rose for Bode and Gabriela.
The Revelation of Gabriela and Bode’s Kiss Hurt Diego
During Season 2, Episode 9, “No Future, No Consequences,” Gabriela and Bode share a kiss shortly before Gabriela’s scheduled nuptials with Diego Moreno (Rafael de la Fuente). Bode opts out of interrupting Gabriela’s wedding with Diego, and it’s obvious that her heart is not with Diego. But then in the Season 3 premiere, “What the Bride Said,” a helicopter crashes out of the sky in Edgewater like an act of divine intervention. It turns out that the universe is not ready for Gabriela to marry Diego either.
Later in the Season 3 premiere, Diego learns about the kiss from Season 2, which breaks the poor guy’s heart. It feels wrong for Gabriela and Bode’s romance to blossom at the cost of hurting Diego. Yes, Gabriela was uncertain about marrying Diego, but he even asked her right before the wedding if she wanted to postpone the event. She refused the option. It’s difficult to continue rooting for Gabriela and Bode when they have caused such pain for Diego, a genuinely good guy and gentleman.
Gabriela’s Indecisiveness With Bode Is Frustrating
Nevertheless, the relationship between Gabriela and Diego is officially over in Season 3. Bode is now out of prison, and both characters are ready to start a relationship, right? Well, not yet. In Season 3, Episode 3, “Welcome to the Cult,” Bode and Gabriela managed to escape the Gilmore situation unscathed after coming clean about their mistake in “Firing Squad” to both Jake Crawford (Jordan Calloway) and Tom Gilmore (Paul Moniz de Sa). Gilmore is still grateful to the duo for saving his life, agreeing to overlook their error. However, that ordeal left Gabriela greatly shaken up. At the end of the episode, she tells Bode that she fears he still has an addictive personality and that they are bad for each other. As Gabriela says at the end of the episode, “We keep playing with fire, and we need to stop before we burn our lives down.”
Gabriela makes a very mature and fair point, that is until the very next episode, “Keep Your Cool.” Soon after the elevator ordeal, Gabriela reneges on her comments from the previous episode. Gabriela’s co-ed ice bath with Bode quickly turns steamy, and the episode ends with the two going to bed in Gabriela’s trailer. I guess Gabriela doesn’t care about the two having a mutually toxic, addictive relationship where they are fixated on seeking adrenaline highs while fighting fires. But then again, this “new normal” for Bode and Gabriela might not be an actual relationship. Maybe it’s a friends-with-benefits situation. Still, Gabriela’s indecisiveness concerning her relationship with Bode is maddening. In one episode, she flip-flops from sharing her fears with Bode and rejecting him to jumping into bed with him. If Bode and Gabriela’s romance remains stuck in a perpetual state of “will they/won’t they?” throughout the show’s run, then no, thanks.
Other Character Relationships in ‘Fire Country’ Outshine Bode and Gabriela
So Bode and Gabriela enjoy their adventurous time together. For them, the underlying danger that comes with their relationship is something they both find attractive. Not to mention, Gabriela broke up her marriage with Diego over Bode. Other characters have far better relationships and character dynamics than Bode and Gabriela. In terms of romance, Vincent Leone (Billy Burke) and Sharon Leone (Diane Farr) have one of the most refreshing, positive marriages and romantic relationships on network television. Vincent and Sharon have experienced ups and downs, but after working through their issues in the first two seasons, they’ve come out stronger than ever and are still head over heels in love. Seeing the two positively reinforce one another just a few episodes into Season 3 offers a stark contrast to the frustrating repetition of Bode and Gabriela.
Putting romance aside, Bode’s relationships with the other cast members are far more compelling than the utterly bland, cliché romantic melodrama with Gabriela. Specifically, “Keep Your Cool” features a fantastic moment in Bode’s relationship with Jake. Although the two are close friends, Jake had to serve as Bode’s instructor during the cadet training program. During the elevator incident, Bode needed to prove he could follow Jake’s lead, obey his orders, and follow protocol. Likewise, Jake was experiencing some personal anxiety at home because Genevieve (Alix West Lefler) wanted to spend a semester in Idaho with her biological father, Rick Stengler (Adam Aalderks), and his family.
Like Jake, Bode feels a similar responsibility towards Genevieve, since he promised her late mother, Cara (Sabina Gadecki), that he would help look after Genevieve. One of the best scenes in the episode occurs when Bode provides genuine, heartfelt advice to Jake. Bode and Jake almost come off like Genevieve’s co-parents. It was refreshing to see Bode and Jake resolve their tension over the cadet training and talk candidly about Genevieve.
