Hearts Afire

There’s a fire inside Bode (Max Thieriot) as this drama returns—and producers have found the perfect character to stoke it. Those who know Bode best—his parents Vince (Billy Burke) and Sharon (Diane Farr), friends Jake (Jordan Calloway) and Eve (Jules Latimer) and ex-girlfriend Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila)—would rather see him calmed now that the ex-con has the chance to set a fresh path for his life. But a new SoCal firefighter, Camden (Jared Padalecki, in a role written for him), “is more Bode than anyone else and draws out his dangerous side,” says Fire Country exec producer Tia Napolitano of the third season’s three-episode arc. “They’re twin flames. [Camden] sees the talent and leans into it. He doesn’t try to put lightning back into the bottle.”

Will this somehow lead Bode back to his true calling and working alongside his parents? Everyone has opinions about that. “We want to get Bode fighting fires as fast as possible, but that road [after being incarcerated] really is hard,” Napolitano warns but adds, “Season 3 is going to feel like a lot of wish fulfillment. We are chasing the dreams we’ve had for the Leone family and for Bode in a new way.”

Bode’s life isn’t completely without sparks: The premiere picks up directly after the finale to reveal if his old flame Gabriela married Diego (Rafael de la Fuente). Either way, their bond will be tested. “Everything feels new because Bode has always been incarcerated until this season and they were forbidden on multiple levels for almost every episode,” explains Napolitano. “Bode has agency now. He doesn’t have to rely on other people to advocate for him. That adds a new level of attraction and complication to their dynamic.”

Might there be a new heat in Bode’s life? Leven Rambin is coming in as another former fire camp inmate, Audrey. Napolitano won’t say much about what to expect from the two. “They share that in a way that none of our regular characters can with him, and she’s a lot of fun,” she notes.

Also changed are Bode’s relationships with his other loved ones, like his parents. “It’s new and fresh. Vince and Sharon have spent so much time worrying about Bode after he comes back into their world in the pilot,” says the EP. Now that their son is out, “they have to check themselves about what it’s like to parent an adult man who normally should not have them over his shoulder or advocating for him so fiercely as they have.” Just as complicated? Previously estranged friends Bode and Jake. “This will be a new era of their brotherhood because Jake has been the young man in Station 42 and Bode’s out now and his dad is the battalion chief over there,” she points out. “What does that look like? How do they handle being friends and potentially vying for similar things in the professional space?”

They’re not the only ones potentially after the same job: Sharon decided she wanted to be division chief again after her brother-in-law Luke (Michael Trucco) took over last season. But that doesn’t mean she can just take it back. Furthermore, “It would make her Vince’s boss again, a dynamic they’re used to but haven’t been in for a long time,” cautions the EP.

Edgewater County’s responders kick off the season by dealing with a helicopter crash that—like everything in the premiere—informs all the action this season, which deals with several hot issues. (That emergency features “very interesting authentic firefighting work,” Napolitano says.) Bode may not be the father of his late ex Cara’s daughter, but is Rick (Adam Aalderks)? Surprises are coming.

How will Jake, who’s been raising Genevieve (Alix West Lefler), handle the fallout? And what of Manny (Kevin Alejandro), arrested for his actions after Luke recommended Three Rock fire camp be shut down? “Manny’s been knocked down. Can he dust himself off again?” Napolitano asks. “Eve calls him the blueprint last season. Can he continue to be it even though he’s fallen? We are a show about redemption.” There might even be some ahead for Luke: “We always play with Luke being the bad guy with a heart of gold who’s a little bit lovable. Redeeming Luke now and again is a good idea.”

Just as redemption remains very much part of the show’s makeup, even with Bode free, so does Three Rock, with Eve comfortably in charge. “She’s able to joke with the guys. They confide in her. They have a trust and a camaraderie,” according to the EP. The season will also highlight the bond among Bode, Jake, Gabriela and Eve, with “a lot of jokes and warmth.” Exes Jake and Gabriela, now solid friends despite a messy relationship (due, in part, to Bode), can even lean on their history to know how the other ticks.

With the season kicking off with a premiere that drives viewers right into Episode 2 with major action beats, Napolitano promises, “You’re going to get every answer for every question you had from the finale.”

Fire Country, Season 3 Premiere, Friday, October 18, 9/8c, CBS