[Editor's note: The following contains major spoilers for Season 4 of Fire Country.]
In Season 4 of the CBS series Fire Country, Bode (Max Thieriot), Sharon (Diane Farr), Station 42, and the town are going to be experiencing changes, following the death of Vince Leone (Billy Burke). With Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila) moving on outside of Edgewater and a new battalion chief (Shawn Hatosy) looking to shake things up, these firefighters are going to need to find a new normal at the same time that their unity and loyalty is tested. Heightened stress and higher stakes will push everyone to their limits, reigniting old struggles and creating new clashes.
During this one-on-one interview with Collider, showrunner Tia Napolitano discussed the monumental impact of the loss of Vince Leone, shooting the funeral procession, how Bode is both similar to and different from his father, getting Bode and Gabriela back to a place of friendship, whether we might ever see her return to Edgewater, where things are at with Audrey (Leven Rambin), Sheriff Country crossovers, how Station 42 will react to Battalion Chief Brett Richards, whether Jared Padalecki might make a return appearance, and what’s to come in Season 4.
The Death of Vince Leone Will Be Monumental for the Heroes of Station 42 in ‘Fire Country’ Season 4
"It is impactful because of how important the character is to the show."
Max Thieriot as Bode Leone speaking at his father Vince Leone's funeral in Fire Country Season 4
Collider: It feels like if Vince were going to die in a fire, he would want it to be saving and protecting his family. What was it like to make a decision like that, not only for a crucial character on the show, but also for an actor who’s such an important piece of the whole puzzle? When it is such a monumental moment, do you want to make sure the moment makes as big of an impact as possible?
TIA NAPOLITANO: We definitely wanted to make sure the death of one of our heroes was as monumental as possible, and it is impactful because of how important the character Vince is to the show and to everyone on the show. And so, we were entering Season 4 and wanted to make sure we keep the show fresh and different and challenge our people in new ways. It’s the show that started so grounded in the death of Riley, and it felt like losing someone that the audience could also know in a deep way and mourn felt like taking them on a new ride with us.
How did you feel about the big death reveal being in the Season 4 trailer? Did you feel like it was just better to rip off the Band-Aid and put it out there for people to react to?
NAPOLITANO: Yeah, it was a surprising trailer. We wanted to give the audience some red meat. We wanted to let them know what they were in store for. It also seemed impossible to promote anything if we didn’t reveal the death. There just weren’t a lot a lot of places that we could go to give the audience something to hang onto without revealing that.
When it came time to figure out the specifics, what was it like to figure out how it would happen, who would be held responsible, who would lock Bode in the ambulance, and who would be the one to tell him his father was gone?
NAPOLITANO: We’ll explore it as the season goes on as well. Obviously, Sharon blames herself for the decisions that she and Vince made, for them to go in there in the first place. Walter obviously feels some responsibility. Jake feels enormous responsibility, having been the person to take over. He locked his best friend in a cage, as he says, to keep him from raging into a fire and killing himself. I think everyone feels a little piece of responsibility. Manny began on this show as such a mentor and partially a father figure to Bode when he and his father were on the rocks in the pilot. Now, with the death of his father, Manny has to reexamine who he is to Bode and how he rises to fill that role. Step one is that had to look Bode in the eyes and say, “Your father’s gone.”
What was it like to have the procession and the funeral, to have everyone together in their dress uniforms, and to hand Sharon the flag? How was it to see that moment with everyone?
NAPOLITANO: It felt personal. The funeral felt like we really lost a real person. The heartbreak of Luke handing that flag to Sharon felt so real. It was so beautifully acted by Diane [Farr] and Michael [Trucco] in those moments. With Bode’s delivery of the eulogy, the pain in Max’s eyes felt so real. It felt really impactful and emotional. For the crew on the day, it was actually very sad. It felt close to a real loss. Hopefully, that makes it impactful television. The tears were not hard to find.
While Bode is staying focused on work, Sharon is at home falling apart, which is the opposite of what we’re used to seeing from the two of them. What made you want to have her fall apart in that way, when she’s usually the one that’s strong for everyone? How hard was it to see her breakdown and just lose it on Papa Leone?
NAPOLITANO: Sharon losing Vince feels very private. The two of them were so specific. We know what they were like at home because we got to watch them, but their private moments felt so private that Sharon’s grief felt very singular to me. There’s grieving the person he was to everyone else, but hers is so personal. She thought of their bedroom like a cocoon and their house like a sanctuary, and that’s where she’s dealing with all of it. When Luke brings Walter over, she says that it’s an assault. She is in this little Vince and Sharon cocoon, grieving in the way she’s choosing to, and here comes this walking reminder of the way that she lost her husband and her survivor’s guilt. Everything she’s been shielding herself from comes screaming forward, and you just see her erupt in a way that’s very real. It takes 42 unbenching themselves for her to get back in uniform and get back in the game.
Did it feel important to have Vince give this gift to Manny by getting him reinstated back Station 42?
NAPOLITANO: Yeah, there will be echoes of Vince that will trickle throughout the beginning of the season, where you will still feel his fingerprints in Edgewater.
With Vince now gone, what aspects of his father do you think Bode wants to emulate, and how do you think he’s most different from him in a way that works specifically for who Bode is?
NAPOLITANO: You’ll see Bode begin to get irked by people who inadvertently start or don’t prevent fires. Sharon says, “You inherited your father’s aversion to fire hazards.” Vince was always so grumpy about gutters and fire hazards, and I think Bode starts to really understand that. Bode will really come to share his father’s love of Edgewater and the people in it and realize how important Cal Fire and Station 42 are to protecting that. I always say that our people are the custodians of Edgewater, which is this little tinderbox of a town. And Bode takes that responsibility, especially in the wake of his father’s death, very seriously.
The Departure of Stephanie Arcila in Season 4 of ‘Fire Country’ Is Meant to Be a Love Letter to Bodiela Fans
"Their love has been such an important part of the show."
Max Thieriot as Bode with Stephanie Arcila as Gabriela standing outside a fire in Fire Country Season 3
After Vince’s death, Bode and Gabriela actually become friends again, which I thought was really nice to see. Was it important to get them back to a better place before she also leaves the series?
NAPOLITANO: Yeah, we really wanted to write a love letter to Bodiela fans. Their love has been such an important part of the show. It was such an important part of the pilot. She’s been such an important part of our show and Bode’s life that we wanted to honor that and give the audience this little window of exactly what those scenes are, which is them in pajamas on the couch. They had a lot of longing and angst on their journey. There wasn’t a lot of relaxing and domesticity. That’s really what this aimed to be and hopefully accomplished.
Do you hope that she will reappear at some point? Is that at least something you always keep in the back of your mind?
NAPOLITANO: I do. It’s really the reason the episode is called, “Goodbye For Now.” It’s the reason we did not kill that character. Absolutely not. I want to believe that there’s a future for Bodiela out there.
Do you feel like they could still end up together somewhere down the road? Even if it’s the last episode ever of the series, do you see that as a possibility?
NAPOLITANO: Yes, it’s definitely a possibility.
In the meantime, since we don’t see much of them in the first episode, what can you say about Bode and Audrey?
NAPOLITANO: Audrey will return to Edgewater and will really be someone that Bode leans on. She’s someone that’s got his number. He has those pills in the final moments of the show. Brett Richards is going to be someone who’s under his skin. He’s dealing with the grief of losing his father. Audrey will really rise to the occasion to be someone who can keep him in line, keep him fighting, and keep him fighting to follow his better angels. In the fight for Bode’s soul, I think she’s really going to be a force for good that will make us root for them as a couple.
You mentioned the pills that Bode has, and obviously new stresses can lead to someone falling back on old habits. I also thought it was interesting that he could show up on Sheriff Country and have someone like Skye to talk about addiction with, in a way that he can’t with someone who doesn’t have first-hand experience. Was it fun to see them get to have a moment like that, to actually have him go somewhere that he could have a conversation about that and not feel the same kind of pressure that he does in his own little bubble at home?
NAPOLITANO: Yeah. And Bode’s able to be there for her. We’ll see a lot more of that from Bode. We’ve seen Bode get so much advice, so much guidance, so much protecting, so much lifting up. This season, he will rise to be someone who can give guidance and protect others. He’s getting stronger. He’s growing up more. He’s getting a little wisdom under his belt, which I think feels refreshing and very triumphant for Bode.
The two shows are going to be a double feature now. Are you also having some of those characters pop up in your season? How does it feel to think of the series and the characters as part of this bigger world now?
NAPOLITANO: It’s really exciting Deep down, I’m a fan of the show. How could I do my job if I weren’t? Getting to see new corners of Edgewater is really exciting. Getting to bring characters and send characters back and forth between the two shows feels like it’s real and bringing more texture and depth to Edgewater. It’s very exciting.
Who would you personally like to see from that show interact with someone from your show?
NAPOLITANO: What does a Wes and Eve scene look like? What do those two people have to say to each other? That’s very interesting to me.
Battalion Chief Brett Richards Will Be Changing Things at Station 42 in ‘Fire Country’ Season 4
"It will surprise you, who starts to agree with him."
Shawn Hatosy standing over Max Thieriot as Bode and Jordan Calloway as Jake kneeling in Fire Country
With Vince gone, that will inevitably shakes things up at Station 42, and Shawn Hatosy is there specifically to shake things up. What can you say about how his character will fit in? How will he be shaking things up? What can we expect from that drama?
NAPOLITANO: Richards shows up as our new battalion chief and literally takes Vince’s seat. That is emotionally very difficult for all of our people. He also suggests that 42 needs to change, which is emotionally very difficult for all of our people. We will get to know him over a few episodes and really know what makes him tick, who he is, and where he comes from in a way that will surprise us. I think people will start to flip like dominoes, over to his side a little bit. It will surprise you, who starts to agree with him first. All of a sudden, he’s in charge of all of 42, which has only, in our memory, ever been a Leone house, so what does that look like? It will evolve and change every week.
Is it fun to have an actor like Shawn Hatosy come in and switch up the vibe in new ways?
NAPOLITANO: Casting Richards was very important to us. We were so lucky to get Shawn Hatosy. What a catch. We’re so happy to have him. We love Richards. We’re excited to feature him on the show. He’s having a lot of fun with all the actors. He brings a great energy to set and he brings a new vibe to the show. We set him up in the premiere to be somebody that we probably don’t like, but we will get to know him, and he does toe that line of, “Who is this in our house? Is he as bad as I think he’s going to be? Is he a little bit good? Can we learn anything from him? Is he going to make me turn on someone that I’ve only ever loved?” He really shakes things up and keeps us guessing, especially in his first few episodes.
How does that play with someone like Jake, who thinks he should have that position himself?
NAPOLITANO: Jake will have an interesting journey, coming out of the premiere. Bode lost his father, but Jake experienced the loss of a father figure. Vince was close to a father for Jake, and he’s grieving too. In his conflict with him and Bode, or with him and Richards, you’ll see Jake never fail to stand up for himself and stand his ground, which I think is really interesting. And Jake and Bode will have to decide what’s more important – the battle that’s going on between the two of them, or the battle between the two of them and Richards, this new guy in their father’s house.
Do you have any other new characters coming up that we should keep an eye out for?
NAPOLITANO: We’ll see a lot of new faces in Edgewater this season. There are a lot of people coming through to shake things up, including people from our characters’ past. We’ll get a new glimpse into Sharon’s family. You’ll see a lot of new faces in Edgewater.
Will we see Jared Padalecki again?
NAPOLITANO: We love Camden Casey. I don’t have any updates on his return to Edgewater, so far.
Anything Can Happen in Season 4 of ‘Fire Country’
"From episode one to the midseason, so many things change."
What would say to tease what’s in store for the characters, as far as standout moments coming up?
NAPOLITANO: In Season 4, anything can happen. Bode is going to really pursue new professional heights. Luke will be a really big part of that, so we will see some more Michael Trucco on our show. We have a huge, awesome fire for our midseason finale and premiere two-parter, as we always do. From episode one to the midseason, so many things change. It will really defy expectations and keep you leaning in. As a community, we just survived Sable Ridge, but fire is not stopping. We’re really leaning into the realities of climate change, and that fire season is year-round. Our people are really up against it with fires being worse every year. How do we gear up and protect ourselves? That’s a real question that everyone will contend with as we keep going.
Fire Country airs on CBS and is available to stream on Paramount+. Check out the Season 3 trailer:
