Warning! Spoilers ahead for Fire Country season 4, episode 1.Fire Country season 4 opens with a couple of saddening losses, but Gabriela's exit may have very well saved the show from a frustrating future. As set up in the Fire Country season 3 finale, Edgewater goes through a massive change when it returns for the 2024-2025 TV cycle. As if the death of Vince is not tragic enough for its season opener, "Goodbye for Now" also ends with Gabriela's exit.
Long before Fire Country season 4 released, it was already reported that both Billy Burke and Stephanie Arcila would be leaving the CBS series. While Burke has been mum about walking away from playing the Leone patriarch, Arcila has offered a few insights into her departure, including the fact that writing out Gabriela from Fire Country wasn't her decision.
Gabriela Leaving Saves Fire Country From Her Frustrating Romance With Bode
Bode and Gabriela sitting close together in the Fire Country season 3 trailer
That said, there may very well be a silver lining to Gabriela's departure. While it's disappointing to see her leave and effectively end the chances of her and Bode being a couple, this moves saves Fire Country from having to continue with this will-they/won't-they dynamic between them.
Bode and Gabriela's romantic story has been set up in the very first episode, and the pair has gone through so many stages in their relationship since then. Unfortunately, there's always something keeping them apart. It's clear that both of them still have feellings for each other. Gabriela herself admitted this to Bode in their farewell moment in Fire Country season 4, episode 1.
It's safe to assume that despite her relationship with Audrey, he also feels the same way, considering their interactions. However, Fire Country can't seem to find a way to make Bode and Gabriela's will-they-won't-they situation as compelling as other shows' similar narrative. For the most part, the push and pull feels more like a toxic relationship than a very strong attraction.
Of course, Fire Country could have just brought them together in a stable relationship, but it feels far too early for that. The main hook of a will-they/won't-they relationship is the tension. The show risks losing people's interest if they paid it off in a permanent manner at this point in its run.
How Gabriela's Exit Perfectly Sets Her & Bode Up To Be Fire Country's Endgame
Max Thieriot as Bode Leone and Stephanie Arcila as Gabriela Perez in a still from Fire Country season 3's premiere.
As the title, "Goodbye for Now", suggests, the door is open for Gabriela's return in Fire Country. Even the show's executives have shared that they are looking to bring her back, but they just have to find the perfect story for it. Currently, it's unkown if Arcila will be involved in the rest of the 2024-2025 TV cycle via the procedural, but if not there are always other chances for her homecoming.
It's worth noting that her dad, Manny, is still in Edgewater, and it's difficult to imagine them not keep in touch. But on top of that, Gabriela's physical absence in Bode's life can also reinforce the idea that he is her endgame. Fire Country can pair him up with other women, such as Audrey, in the meantme. Just because there's an expectation that he and Gabriela would eventually end up with each other doesn't mean that he can't attempt to move on from her.
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