Fire Country is not wasting any time when it comes to raising the stakes in season 3 — and Us Weekly has the exclusive details to prove it.
Us can exclusively reveal the synopsis for the season 3 premiere, which airs on CBS Friday, October 18. “In the midst of Gabriela and Diego’s wedding, a helicopter crash ignites chaos and the team immediately gets to work putting out spot fires and helping victims,” read the logline for the first episode of the season, which introduces the next chapter of the show centered around themes of legacy.
Max Thieriot’s Bode is now a free man fighting for his own future — and he’s the central figure in Us’ exclusive glimpse at the show’s key art images for season 3. Bode, who is fresh out of prison to start the season, is wearing the traditional Cal Fire yellow uniform in the first picture.
Bode looks longingly over his left shoulder in one poster, while a raging orange fire burns behind him. You can see the Cal Fire patch on his arm just below his radio on his left side.
Need more proof that Bode has been welcomed into his father Vince Leone’s firehouse? Just look at the second piece of key art, which reveals Bode running alongside Vince (Billy Burke), his mom, Sharone Leone (Diane Farr), and longtime BFF Jake Crawford (Jordan Calloway), all of whom are part of Cal Fire.
In the photo, Bode is once again wearing a Cal Fire protective jacket and matching yellow gloves. This time he also has a protective hat and goggles. The hat reads, “Leone,” in sharpie, revealing that he now goes by his given last name. (When the show began, Bode used the surname Donovan instead of Leone because of his tense relationship with his parents.)
Clearly a lot has changed since we last saw Bode and his firefighter family. During the season 2 finale, which aired in May, Bode was released from prison after serving the end of sentence at Three Rock Convict Camp.
“We felt like, by the end of season 2, we just had been craving it and craving it and craving it for so long,” showrunner Tia Napolitano exclusively told Us at the time. “And our show is all about redemption and we get Bode to this place where he’s really earning it and changing and really growing. We wanted that wish fulfillment and that satisfaction of, Finally, this man gets to no longer be incarcerated.’”
Shortly after his release, Bode attended his ex-girlfriend Gabriela’s (Stephanie Arcila) wedding — but the episode ended before viewers could see if she went through with the ceremony. (Bode and Gabriela shared a kiss before the nuptials, leading many viewers to think the wedding might be called off.)
“I think if anyone is about to get married and is kissing somebody else, they’re not fully there,” Arcila exclusively told Us in May. “That’s the No. 1 sign.”
Thieriot teased that Gabriela is part of Bode’s “addiction,” noting that although he’s a little more level headed at the end of season 2, “Seeing her getting married really kills him.”
Bode also revealed at the end of last season that he wanted to be part of Cal Fire, which wasn’t a given because of his record. “Bode’s journey from free citizen to firefighter is going to be a long one. We’ve covered on the show how hard it is. There’s so many hoops and red tape to get through to get your record expunged as an inmate,” Napolitano shared with Us. “I think seeing him fight for that is fighting for himself. They become one and the same.”
Bode’s story, however, isn’t the only one to keep an eye on when season 3 begins in October. Newcomer Camden, played by Jared Padalecki, is sure to turn heads when he joins the show.
The SoCal firefighter is described as someone who has a “surfer swagger” and is a “force to reckoned with,” according to Deadline, which reported the casting in August. The outlet teased that Camden “immediately recognizes” Bode’s “raw talent” when he comes to town.
Fire Country returns for season 3 on CBS Friday, October 18, at 9 p.m. ET.