Fire Country Leaves Bode's Most Frustrating Plot Pointless After Its Massive Cast Shake-Up

Fire Country opened with the promise of a slow-burn romance between Bode (Max Thieriot) and Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila), but nothing has materialized from that in three seasons. However, there was some hope, as Bode managed to find himself a free man and start working with Cal Fire full-time. As Bode and Gabriela were able to get to know each other more throughout Fire Country season 3, we could see the potential for the romance to finally build up.

Now the entire arc is pointless, as Arcila is leaving the series before Fire Country season 4. It’s one of the most frustrating things about the entire series, leading to questions about whether there was any point in rooting for the two of them. It doesn’t help that there was a lot of back and forth, with the characters being with other people for short periods of time, despite feeling that they were right for one another.

Bode's Romance With Gabriela Has Been Fire Country's Most Frustrating Plot

Fire Country Teased The Slow Burn Too Much

Bode and Gabriela clearly had a spark between them when they first met in the Fire Country series premiere. As the main male and female leads, it seemed obvious that the two would end up together, and at that point, we were willing to run with a slow-burn romance. However, a slow-burn needs to pay off, and time after time, the CBS firefighter drama has failed to live up to expectations. Each time there is a chance of the two getting together, the writers forced some sort of drama between them that would push them apart.

During Fire Country season 2, Bode was incarcerated, and it made it harder for the two characters to get to know each other well. Gabriela wanted to help him, especially as she had faith that he wasn’t the villain so many were making him out to be, but she didn’t go out of her way to support him. By Fire Country season 3, the relationship just became repetitive, with no movement in their feelings for each other.

It doesn’t help that Gabriela cheated twice with Bode, leading to questions about her ability to commit. The first was early on when she and Bode grew up together on an emotional level, cheating emotionally on Jake (Jordan Calloway). Then the second time was when she and Bode physically cheated when Gabriela was engaged to Diego (Rafael de la Fuente), a genuinely good person who didn’t deserve it. Had Bode and Gabriela ended up together, maybe there was a way to accept these two cheating moments, but without the payoff, Gabriela just came across as a bad person to have a relationship with.

Stephanie Arcila's Fire Country Exit Makes Bode & Gabriela's Arc Pointless

There Is No Chance Of Bode Being With Gabriela

Now we have learned that Arcilla won’t be in Fire Country season 4, as she is one of two original characters confirmed leaving the series. How the exit will happen isn’t clear just yet, but one thing that is clear is that it’s made her arc with Bode completely pointless. With her exit, it means that there is no way for the two to continue to get to know each other, or for us to see how their relationship could work out.

The idea of Gabriela and Bode being together without both on screen now doesn’t make sense. There’s been limited growth in Arcila’s Fire Country character, and that would be needed to believe that the two could even make their relationship work. Plus, Arcila has confirmed that Bode and Gabriela are going to take a break following her character’s exit after the Fire Country season 3 finale.

Part of the frustrating part is that Bode is with someone else, and their relationship has more of a spark than his with Gabriela. It makes sense for him to focus on his relationship with Audrey, and that’s going to be much easier without Gabriela around. If he really wanted to be with Gabriela, Bode would have waited for her and tried to make something work instead of moving on so quickly in Fire Country season 3.

Why Fire Country Is Writing Out Gabriela

Stephanie Arcila Didn’t Want To Leave The CBS Series

This Fire Country exit is purely a creative decision, which is certainly going to annoy a lot of people out there. After all, the “creative decision” is often used when it comes to writing out characters we’ve come to know and love. Arcila has shared that she didn’t want to leave the show, but she learned about it when Fire Country season 4 was confirmed. She has taken the exit with grace, focusing on all the good that she has managed to bring with the character on screen, especially being able to share part of her Columbian background on screen.

Arcila has described the exit as “a break” for Bode and Gabriela, and this is a chance for her character to take a bit of a breather after everything that has happened. After all, throughout the third season, Gabriela has had to deal with a dangerous stalker, and an experience like that would surely make her want to step away from the job and take time for herself. In some happier news, the door could be open for Arcila to return to Fire Country, as the producers have shared that they could consider this in the future.