Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Fire Country Season 2.
InFire Country’s sophomore season, Bode Leone (Max Thieriot) has been challenged in a way he never would have expected. He was thrown back in prison, and nearly killed in armed combat, and, as usual, that’s not even the most of it. In the very first episode, the bombshell that he might be a father is dropped right on Bode’s head, and his life has never been the same. In the first five episodes of Season 2, the CBS firefighting series has kept us on our toes as Bode waits for the results of the paternity test that will either confirm or deny that he is Genevieve’s (Alix West Lefler) biological father. But the latest episode, “Alert the Sheriff,” revealsthe sad truth that Bode is not Gen’s father. While this might seem like a bold or brave move for the show, it ultimately comes across as underhanded and underwhelming.
Fire Country
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.
Bode Is Not the Father on ‘Fire Country’
Last season ended with a cliffhangerrevealing that Cara’s (Sabina Gadecki) sister was actually her daughter all along, with the true identity of the father up in the air. As Bode fights for his life in prison, Jake (Jordan Calloway) tells him he might be a father, causing him to view his life differently. Instead of killing himself in mortal combat with Sleeper (Grant Harvey), he strikes a deal that ends with him back in Three Rock trying to make good on his inward promise of bettering himself for Gen. But now that his role as her biological father has been stripped from him, what exactlyshouldBode’s role in Gen’s life be? It seemed that both she and Bode wanted to be loved deeply by the other,making this revelation devastating for everyone involved. It’s certainly been a big pill for viewers to swallow.
Of course, Bode, Vince (Billy Burke), and Sharon (Diane Farr) all resolve to still love and adopt this young girl into their family, which is admirable. Bode ends “Alert the Sheriff"with his desire to be a father to Gen still intact, hoping to make good on his promise to Cara that he would watch out for her. Of course,Cara dies believing that Bode is likely Gen’s father, so it makes sense that she would ask him to watch out for the teenage girl. But now that we know that isn’t true, how exactly does Bode fit into all of this? Until this point, Jake has been a better father figure to Gen, partially because he’s the one who’s able to be present and because he made a concerted effort with her. But even then, he’s always referred to as her “Uncle Jake,” nothing more. There’s still a distance between them that says “you’re not family,” and yet, the same is now technically true with Bode, even if it doesn’tfeeltrue. Just as she was warming up to Bode being her father, we learn the heartbreaking truth that he isn’t.
More than likely,there will be some drama between Bode and Jakeas they duke it out over who is best fit to look after Gen. On one hand, Jake is the obvious choice since he isn’t incarcerated, has a stable job, and was in a loving relationship before Cara passed (he was even about to propose to her). He cares deeply for Cara, just as Bode does, and has moved his own life around to bring her and Cara into it. However, unlike Jake, Bode was personally tasked with looking after Gen by Cara on her literal deathbed. That, combined with his heroism at Three Rock and a stable family life (despite his past mistakes), gives Bode a fighting chance and a clear reason to want to raise Gen himself. Of course, the problem is that neither man is really Gen’s biological father, and while family certainly doesn’t end in blood, it does still begin there.
Gen Deserves To Know Who Her Father Is on ‘Fire Country’
Bode might not be Gen’s father, but she still deserves to know who is. Cara conceived Gen at a time when she and Bode were on-again/off-again, meaning she had other sexual partners in her wild teen years that could fit the bill. Although it looked likely that Bode would be the one who fathered Gen, we know now that isn’t the case, and since we don’t know much about Cara’s past, the identity of the father is pretty mysterious. Whether Gen’s biological father is someone we’ve been introduced to already or have yet to meet is unclear, but it’s likely that person is still out there — completely unaware they have a teenage daughter of their own. Even if Gen decidesto stay with the Cal Fire familyin the end,Fire Countryowes it to her to let her discover the truth about her biological father. If he’s anything like Bode, he’ll be a stand-up guy elated at the opportunity to love his child — and we should want that for her just as much as Bode would.
But selfishly, it looks as if that won’t be a part of Gen’s journey. Sure,Fire Country’s entire mantra is that found families are just as valid — and they certainly are. No doubt it’s also a massive reason why the series took this step, which feels very much in line with the familial culture created at Station 42. If there’s one thing viewers have praisedFire Countryabout, it’s the familial camaraderie between its cast members despite few of them being related, and that theme carries on here. But that doesn’t mean blood relatives should be thrown out the window, especially if they never get the chance to make an effort.Gen has a father out there who deserves to know he’s a dad, and likewise, she too deserves the truth, and shouldn’t keep hoping that Bode is her father after all. As it stands right now, she has no idea that Bode isn’t her father, and it looks like Vince and Sharon are hoping to keep up the charade as long as possible. It’s been over a month since Cara’s death, and Gen has settled well into her new life with the Leones, her would-be grandparents. While that’s a good thing, we can’t help but feel like it’s a little disingenuous, especially now.
Of course, the biggest issue with Bode not being the father is thatnow he doesn’t have any real rights to Gen as a parent. We all know that Bode was bettering himself long before Gen came into the picture, and with his heart set on being a good guy for his supposed daughter, that process has only skyrocketed. But now that Gen is not Bode’s child, it’s hard to see how he has any real claim to raising her at all. “Alert the Sheriff” ends with Bode explaining to his folks that he still wants to be there to look after Gen, but what gives him the right to think that he should? Aside from his promise to Cara, it seems a little arrogant to think that a future ex-con should be the one to take care of this newly orphaned teenage girl (especially while he’s still technically a criminal), no matter how much he’s grown in the process. Beyond the questionable nature of that, legally, it seems like an even bigger hoop for Bode to jump through, one that may actually prove impossible for someone like him. It’s heroic, to be sure, but is it right?
This ‘Fire Country’ Reveal Feels Like More Forced Drama
The wayFire Countryhas treated Genevieve thus far has been more like a piece of luggage than an actual person with real emotions working through all the surrounding death. We have to remember that before Cara returned to Edgewater, Gen thought her grandparents were her actual mother and father — and they died too. If Bode had been her father, then turns like Cara’s death, Gen moving in with Vince and Sharon, and Bode’s continual growth and development would have really meant something to both the characters and the audience. It would have felt earned and powerful. But now, it almost feels as if the whole thing was a massive waste of time, constructed simplyto generate more steamy firefighter dramafor network audiences. Case in point, showrunnerTia NapolitanotoldEntertainment Weeklyjust after this shocking reveal that they were “[more] interested in, what does Bode go after when this paternity goes away?” Yes, Bode isFire Country’s main character (and forever underdog), butthat doesn’t mean every character’s story should suit his dramatic needs, or fit into his emotional arc at all times. Cara was already tossed aside like that, and it feels like Gen has been too.
This speaks to a bigger issue thatFire Countryhas had since Day 1: it tends to get a bit too soapy when the writers want to push the story in a new direction. Of course, we allwantedBode to be Gen’s father. Everyone in Edgewater seemed to. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to the writers that fans are understandably disappointed in the results, and we (like Bode) feel sort of played by how it all turned out. Thankfully, Bode is taking it relatively well, which is a testament tohow much he’s grown since the pilot,but disappointment still abounds. While the decision might be fun for actors like Thieriot to wrestle through on the screen, from an audience perspective,it all feels like too much to put this young girl through for the sake of “Bode drama”— which already hasplenty of other interesting facets to exploreoutside of wrecking his potential as a father. Long story short: writing in shocking (and world-changing) character twists just for drama’s sake isn’t a good look, andFire Countrycould learn to ease up a bit on its heroes.
With only a few episodes left in this shortened season (and another already on the way), it’s anyone’s guess as to what’s going to happen next. To be clear, it is a good thing that the Leones have taken Gen in, given she has nowhere else to turn. Whether she’s Bode’s daughter or not, that’s honorable, and well worth celebrating in light of her not being their grandchild. Despite that, it’s easy to still feel disappointed thatBode’s potential as a father will never be fully explored with Genin the way we hoped. While it’s likely that Bode will continue to try and fill that void in Gen’s life, it does leave the possibility open of another father figure who might be revealed down the line. Hopefully, she gets the chance to know the rest of her biological family. Wherever the show goes next, we hope that Gen is fully and completely loved the way all children deserve to be — and that Bode will one day become the father he hoped he was. Frankly, when that day comes, he’ll be real good at it.
Fire Countryairs Fridays on CBS and is available for streaming on Paramount+.
