The announcement of Billy Burke and Stephanie Arcila exiting ahead of Fire Country season 4 ensured that the most likely to die in the Buena Vista fire is Vince. The loss of a central character is undoubtedly tragic and impactful, but another similarly colossal loss was also revealed in the finale, and Fire Country season 3 seemingly glossed over it.
Losing Three Rock Risks Fire Country Becoming Solely A Family Drama
Among the clear casualties of the Zebel Ridge fire was Three Rock. Fire Country season 3’s finale established early on how Three Rock was on the path of the fire, just like the Buena Vista care center, but the threat to it seemed smaller due to Eve and all the inmate firefighters being there to defend their fire camp.
With Station 42 unable to reach Three Rock, having to prioritize the Leones, the Three Rock camp’s destruction became a certainty. Fire Country season 3 ending with Eve forcing the inmates to retreat was heartbreaking, but the finale still presented the Leone tragedy as the most consequential development. However, Fire Country risks becoming solely a family drama without Three Rock.
Oxalta’s damage to Three Rock sending the inmates back to prison made their stories less important in Fire Country season 3. Three Rock being completely destroyed risks extending this development well into Fire Country season 4, canceling what set Fire Country apart from other firefighting dramas through this loss. This can turn Fire Country into a different kind of show.
Why Three Rock Will Have A Bigger Impact On Fire Country Than Vince's Death
Vince’s death will definitely change Fire Country forever, especially considering how an important part of the story he had always been. However, albeit tragic, it makes sense. The threats to the characters’ lives have to be a feature in high-stakes dramas like Fire Country, and it wouldn’t be believable if they always made it out alive.
Vince’s likely death can especially have an enormous impact on viewers and other characters alike because of how beloved he had always been in Fire Country, making his death an important reminder of the seriousness of the characters’ jobs and overall impacting Fire Country season 4’s story in a big way. Still, the characters would eventually overcome his passing.
However, losing Three Rock and not focusing on the inmate firefighters would be a change of a core characteristic of Fire Country, which could be extremely detrimental to the firefighting drama in the long run. Indeed, over three years, audiences got used to Fire Country focusing on the fire camps, making it too hard a pivot if they just disappeared.
Three Rock being destroyed doesn’t necessarily mean Fire Country season 4 won’t feature fire camps. Indeed, Audrey’s arrest in Fire Country season 3’s ending could make her the link between the central story and a fire camp. In the meantime, Three Rock could be rebuilt. Still, whichever way Fire Country chooses to tackle it, it cannot forget its biggest strength.
