This 'Fire Country' Character Needs an Actual Romantic Storyline!

Fire Country is almost back for the second half of its third season, and it's safe to say that the season has been a disappointment for nearly every main character. Bode (Max Thieriot) and Gabriela's (Stephanie Arcila) once-epic romance has been damaged beyond repair, and the show seems set on continuing to punish Gabriela for leaving Diego (Rafael de la Fuente) at the altar. Jake (Jordan Calloway) has lost Gen (Alix West Lefler), at least for now, and he didn't even try to fight for her. Manny (Kevin Alejandro) is back in Three Rock, and Gabriela won't speak to him.

The only main characters who seem to be doing relatively well are Vince (Billy Burke) and Sharon (Diane Farr). While Eve (Jules Latimer) hasn't had the worst storyline of this season, there is still a lot more that the show could be doing with her character. This season has finally given Eve a storyline outside of firefighting, as she seems to be on the path towards reuniting with her estranged family. Now, though, it is time for Fire Country to finally give Eve a proper romantic storyline.

'Fire Country' Needs To Give Eve a Romance

Fire Country Season 3 has been all about romantic drama, with Bode and Gabriela nearly rekindling their relationship and Gabriela and Jake briefly reconnecting. Despite this, Eve has not been involved in any of this romantic drama. She has not even had a romantic storyline since Season 1. In Season 2, Eve's only storyline was about Three Rock. While she's branched out more for Season 3, her arc this season has still primarily been related to her family, and the midseason finale left off on a cliffhanger that could permanently ruin that relationship.

The only serious romances in Fire Country outside of the main characters are when the firefighters date someone in a similar line of work, such as with Gabriela and Diego, and Jake and Cara (Sabina Gadecki). Eve has not yet gotten a chance to have a proper romantic storyline in this regard. Season 3, Episode 6, "Not Without My Birds," saw the introduction of Eve's ex-girlfriend, Francine (Katie Findlay). While tending to a fire that's approaching the nest of baby eagles, Eve bumps into Francine, who is now a park ranger who's taking care of the eagles. Although Francine hasn't been back since, this storyline has a great deal of potential for Eve.

'Fire Country' Needs To Bring Francine Back

When Eve and Francine reunited over work, things were initially tense and awkward, especially when it looked like they had conflicting goals. Eve's main priority was initially stopping the fire, while Francine wanted to save the eagles. In spite of this, they were able to find common ground and save the birds together (with help from Bode). Eve and Francine finally got to talking about the past, and Eve revealed that she ended things with Francine because she felt like Francine didn't support her dream of being a firefighter. Rather than try to talk it out with Francine at the time, Eve just left her, and they never got the chance to work this out.

Francine, for her part, had felt like Eve was abandoning her for the Leones and Jake. The midseason finale dove more into Eve's family's negative feelings towards the Leones and their similar feelings of abandonment by Eve. It looks like Fire Country is taking steps towards giving Eve more of a well-rounded life outside of work, and the show needs to bring Francine back in order to continue this romance. As the show works to resolve Eve's family-centered storyline and hopefully save the ranch, her relationship with Francine makes sense as the next direction for her arc.

It is clear that Eve and Francine only broke up due to miscommunication and their insecurities. When they last spoke, Francine encouraged Eve to reach out to both her family and to Francine. In just one episode, Francine already has a great deal of potential as Eve's love interest. They work in similar fields, clearly have a connection, and have a complex history together. As Fire Country moves into the second half of Season 3, now is the perfect time to bring Francine back and give her and Eve a proper second chance at their romance.

Fire Country Season 3 will be back on CBS on January 31. In the meantime, it is available to stream on Paramount+.