[Editor’s note: The following contains some spoilers for Season 3 of Fire Country.]

The Big Picture

In Season 3 of the CBS series ‘Fire Country,’ Bode needs to reflect on his identity outside of firefighting to avoid an unhealthy addiction.
Events thrusting Bode, played by series co-creator Max Thieriot, and Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila) into chaos leave little time for personal processing.
New characters, played by Leven Rambin and Jared Padalecki, will bring fresh dynamics to ‘Fire Country.’

The CBS series Fire Country is back for Season 3 with Bode Leone (Max Thieriot) trying to figure out what comes next for him, now that he’s a free man. Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila) and Diego (Rafael de la Fuente) are still reeling from the helicopter crash that halted their wedding and forced them to confront their feelings, all while being thrown into the chaos of stopping fires and helping victims.

After watching the season premiere, Collider got the opportunity to chat one-on-one with Thieriot about the theme of legacy, whether any addiction can be a healthy addiction, the weird adjustment to being able to act in locations Bode couldn’t have gone to before, the memorable visual of a bloody wedding dress, what Leven Rambin is bringing to Season 3 as a former inmate wanting to get hired by CalFire, and throwing Jared Padalecki into the mix for an arc.

Now that Bode Is out of Prison, ‘Fire Country’ Season 3 Is About Reflection
Image via CBS

Collider: Bode is in a really interesting place in Season 3. He got used to the life he had in the correctional system and he also got the opportunity to fall in love with being a firefighter in a way he hadn’t before, but now he’s free and without both of those things. Is he going to give himself a chance to figure out who he is, outside of being a firefighter? Obviously, it’s something he wants, but is that good for him, if that’s all he has?

MAX THIERIOT: No. A lot of this season focuses on that. Is that addiction? I have a good friend who is an MMA fighter, who still fights the UFC. He won his season of Ultimate Fighter and they did a special on him. He’s a recovering addict, and a big thing for him is that you can’t replace something with nothing. You can’t find this other addiction to replace it with. People who are prone to addiction often end up finding something else to replace that. [My friend] did it with fighting. Bode is doing it with firefighting. It’s obviously something that is ingrained in him. It’s in his blood. His family has been doing it forever. But at this point, it’s really him chasing that adrenaline and that addiction and that legacy, and not really taking the time to step back and look at himself and try to figure out what his life should be versus what he thinks his life is supposed to be. And so, while we don’t instantly jump into him stepping back and looking at that, this season is about him diving in headfirst, and then reflecting, at some point, on that. Is that addiction healthy for him? This season is about legacy. He’s gotten used to the life that he was living and having certain parameters on it. I got used to the acting that I was doing and only having to wear orange every day and only being able to go to certain sets. It’s been a weird adjustment for me too. I’m like, “What do you mean, I can film in Smokey’s? What do you mean I can go to the Leone house?” It’s been interesting, but in a way that’s also been fun and new. It’s exciting to explore this different part of his life and really try to find the best way through that.

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There was something so interesting about Bode not knowing at first that Gabi didn’t actually get married. He really thought she finished the ceremony, and they’re in this situation where they’re working together and he thinks she’s married. Once he finds out that isn’t the case, does he even have time to process what has happened and what hasn’t happened?

THIERIOT: I don’t think so. They’re just thrust into action and had to react in that moment. It was everything raining down at once. There was not a lot of time to digest all the information, along with what was going on in the moment, which was fun. It created a hectic and crazy first episode, and even leads into the second one. It was cool because then we get to decompress, going forward, and really play out and watch him digest all that information and figure out what to do with it.

With the Events of the Season 3 Premiere, ‘Fire Country’s Bode Should Consider a Destination Wedding

This show can’t even let a girl get all the way to the end of her wedding ceremony before a helicopter crashes next to the church. What was it like to be in those moments with her in the wedding dress, trying to save lives while she’s getting blood all over her? What was that like to shoot?

THIERIOT: Crazy. When (showrunner) Tia [Napolitano] pitched this story, visually the concept was pretty cool. You have this bride on her wedding day, with mud and blood all over her wedding dress, trying to save lives. Everybody was like, “Well, that sounds cool. Let’s see what that looks like.” And it was definitely wild. You see everybody jump into action and, man, it’s a lot. If Bode ever decides to get married, he’s gonna have to make sure the wedding happens outside of town somewhere. It’ll have to be a destination wedding.

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Leven Rambin will be in this season. What is she bringing to the show and adding to the mix? What will we see with your characters?

THIERIOT: We have a lot of interaction on the show. She comes in as an inmate who is trying to get hired by Cal Fire, just like Bode, and is trying to earn a spot in this program and make that transition that is not super easy. While a lot of these characters understand Bode and they know him, none of them can really fully relate because they haven’t lived the life that he’s lived, and her character really can. They are so similar in that way. It’s one of those things where you can tell somebody, but if you haven’t done it, you don’t know. And she’s done it. She adds a really unique and fun perspective. She has so many different layers to her, as a character, and what Leven can play, as an actress, is remarkable. Her character is someone who is a little bit hardened by the system and fiery, no pun intended. She’s witty and sassy and is just so different from other characters that Bode is involved with on the show, which just adds a really fun dynamic. I don’t wanna give away too much about what happens down the road, but I couldn’t be more excited to have her on the show. She’s an incredible actress. I would say that she just adds so much to this world and so much to Bode’s life as well.

Jared Padalecki Will Be Bringing a New Vibe to Season 3 of ‘Fire Country’
Image via The CW

You also have Jared Padalecki joining for an arc this season. What can you say about the kind of firefighter and guy his character will be? Is he somebody that Bode can look up to, or is he somebody that he’ll clash with? What will that dynamic be?

THIERIOT: It’s a mix. Bode and Camden have a lot of similarities in the way that they do things, but at the same time, they’re also very different. Bode is a guy who grew up in this small Northern California town, and Camden is someone who came from Southern California. Picture Malibu or Pismo Beach surfer vibes. Instead of Wranglers and boots, it’s flip-flops and tank tops. They’re very different in a lot of ways but Bode really appreciates his leadership and his strength and this lone wolf mentality that he has. They have a lot of fun scenes. Jared and I are good buddies, so we had a lot of fun playing with this dynamic. I’m really excited. Jared has such a presence on camera, that he has just as Jared. He has this charm about him, and he’s 6’5”. He has this thing about him and he brings it to show in a way that we haven’t seen yet. I think viewers are gonna be really excited just to see him interact with all our people. It’s a different look for the show, but it really opens the world up in a fun way.

Related 10 Movies To Watch if You Love ‘Fire Country’ The heat is on.

A young convict joins a firefighting program looking for redemption and a shortened prison sentence. He and other inmates work alongside elite firefighters to extinguish massive blazes across the region.Release Date October 7, 2022 Network CBS Streaming Service(s) Paramount+ Seasons 3

Fire Country airs on CBS and is available to stream on Paramount+. Check out the trailer:

Watch on Paramount+