“That story of redemption will always be ongoing.”
When Fire Country premiered in 2022, the original selling point was that it was a redemption story. Through Bode, the show aimed to explore if redemption can happen even when someone has done some of the worst things. Three Rock inmate fire camp has always been integral to the story. Bode was the connection between the camp and the redemption arc, but the show might lose this aspect with him leaving.
However, Max Thieriot talked to Collider’s Christina Radish in an interview about the Season 2 finale about how they aim to tackle this going into the third season. Thieriot said that the camp will still be part of the story, but the challenge will be how to keep it. He didn’t reveal how that will happen, but it is a challenge writers will rise to. Thieriot talked about that, saying,
“The inmate fire camp is a huge piece of the show and something that we won’t just walk away from telling. It obviously makes a big difference and is something that really makes it feel like its own unique story, so that story of redemption will always be ongoing. But now, it’s just about different ways to creatively tell those stories without Bode being in fire camp. I think it’ll be fun because we’ll be able to tell those stories in ways that the audience doesn’t expect.”
Bode’s Future Post-Three Rock
Thieriot also talked about how Bode will cope with being free from the rigid structures of the inmate fire camp. Bode is in a tough position where he doesn’t have anything to obsess over after he sustained several losses throughout the season. He can’t obsess over Gabriela, Genevieve, or the camp, so he must find another place to channel his energy. Thieriot talked about Bode’s decision to become a firefighter. The job is rewarding and demands a lot, something Bode needs currently. Thieriot teased Bode’s next steps, saying,
“That’s why, at the end, we see him go to his uncle and say, “I need to fight fire. This is what I need to do.” He’s been told what to do for a long time and his purpose has been driven by somebody else who’s calling the shots, and now that he has to make these decisions for himself and he is free, he’s changed and he’s had a lot of growth over the seasons, as a character, with the decisions that he makes, and how he looks at himself now and at his own life.
“A big thing for him is that he knows he can’t just sit around and wait for something because sitting in silence with his own thoughts is the scariest place for him. He has to be proactive about staying active and finding something to do, and he’s realized that he can put that into firefighting. That gives him a purpose. I think the adrenaline is something, too. That’s the addiction for him. It becomes your identity. It’s such a high adrenaline job that requires so much out of you that it’s an empty feeling to not have that at all. It’s something that’s really difficult for people to walk away from. What do you replace that with? What fills that hole?”
Seasons 1 and 2 of Fire Country are available to stream on Paramount+.
