The question that all Fire Country fans had after the Season 2 finale was this: will Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila) say, “I do” to Diego (Raphael de la Fuente)? The Season 3 premiere answers that question, and I, for one, am very pleased to confirm that the answer is a resounding no. We all saw Bode (Max Thieriot) walk out in the middle of the ceremony, with Gabriela watching as he did. The wedding picks up in the middle of the vows as Diego pledges his love to Gabriela. When it is Gabriela’s turn, though, she hesitates for a very long time… so long, in fact, that even those most opposed to this wedding cannot not help but feel a little bad for her poor groom.
Fortunately for her, Gabriela is quite literally saved by the bell, which, in this case, comes in the form of her wedding banner helicopter crashing into the church (as omens go, not a great one). Gabriela jumps at the opportunity to help those in need without stopping to take the several seconds needed to officially marry Diego. Bode is the first to follow her, and they end up saving lives together once again. Of course, the two fight the entire time, which Manny (Kevin Alejandro) notices and refers to as a “lover’s quarrel” (maybe the only thing he’s right about inthis episode). Manny later makes it clear that he does not think that these two should be together. Here’s the thing: I like Manny — I really do — but he is wrong about this one.
‘Fire Country’ Season 3 Reminds Me Why I Started Liking Bode and Gabriela Together in the First Place
As soon as they run away from the church and toward the helicopter, Bode and Gabriela naturally pair up to work together. As an injured Bode helps Gabriela save the helicopter pilot, we get what might just be the most romantic scene of the entire show. When she sees that Bode has cut his hand, Gabriela takes off her wedding veil and uses it to bandage Bode’s wound. I was not sold on Bode and Gabriela until the mid-season finale of Season 1, when she jumped off a bridge to save him — while she was still dating Jake and was angry at Bode. My favorite thing about these two is that all logic goes out the window for them when the other is hurt.
After their big kiss in the campaign fire bubble last season, it seemed like a no-brainer for Bode and Gabriela to just get back together once and for all. This was even more obvious when Gabriela got Bode his favorite donut in the Season 2 finale, right after he was released from prison. Unfortunately, this was less obvious to Gabriela. In a moment of doubt, she decided to go with the practical choices of marrying Diego and having the wedding indoors. Bode almost had his “Speak Now” moment, but Manny jumped in to tell him to leave it alone, because it was the happiest day of Gabriela’s life (which wasn’t quite what she said, but what is Fire Country without a little miscommunication?).
Bode and Gabriela Should Finally Get Back Together in ‘Fire Country’ Season 3
When Manny punched Luke (Michael Trucco) last season, nobody was more on Manny’s side than I was. Now, though, I have to disagree with Manny. In the Season 3 premiere, Manny tells Vince (Billy Burke) and Sharon (Diane Farr) to keep Bode and Gabriela apart in case he is not around to do so himself. Manny is hardly the first person on the show to try to get between Bode and Gabriela, and he should know by now that it does not work. No matter what happens, Bode and Gabriela will always gravitate back toward each other like two magnets.
There is no romantic dynamic on television that I love to watch more than the slow burn. However, Bode and Gabriela are not a true slowburn pairing. There was an immediate spark when they first met and got together in Season 1. Bode only broke up with her because he was going back to prison and did not think that he deserved her. Manny says that Bode and Gabriela are just like him and Roberta (Paola Núñez), but is he reading them right? Some might agree, but I think he’s wrong. Unlike Manny and Roberta, Bode and Gabriela have never gotten a real shot at trying to make it work as a couple. Now is the perfect time for the two of them to get that chance.
Fire Country airs Friday nights on CBS, and is available to stream the same day on Paramount+.