Fire Country opened with the promise of a slow-burn romance between Bode (Max Thieriot) and Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila), but nothing has materialized from that in three seasons. However, there was some hope, as Bode managed to find himself a free man and start working with Cal Fire full-time. As Bode and Gabriela were able to get to know each other more throughout Fire Country season 3, we could see the potential for the romance to finally build up.

Now the entire arc is pointless, as Arcila is leaving the series before Fire Country season 4. It’s one of the most frustrating things about the entire series, leading to questions about whether there was any point in rooting for the two of them. It doesn’t help that there was a lot of back and forth, with the characters being with other people for short periods of time, despite feeling that they were right for one another.

Bode’s Romance With Gabriela Has Been Fire Country’s Most Frustrating Plot

Fire Country Teased The Slow Burn Too Much

Bode and Gabriela clearly had a spark between them when they first met in the Fire Country series premiere. As the main male and female leads, it seemed obvious that the two would end up together, and at that point, we were willing to run with a slow-burn romance. However, a slow-burn needs to pay off, and time after time, the CBS firefighter drama has failed to live up to expectations. Each time there is a chance of the two getting together, the writers forced some sort of drama between them that would push them apart.

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During Fire Country season 2, Bode was incarcerated, and it made it harder for the two characters to get to know each other well. Gabriela wanted to help him, especially as she had faith that he wasn’t the villain so many were making him out to be, but she didn’t go out of her way to support him. By Fire Country season 3, the relationship just became repetitive, with no movement in their feelings for each other.

It doesn’t help that Gabriela cheated twice with Bode, leading to questions about her ability to commit. The first was early on when she and Bode grew up together on an emotional level, cheating emotionally on Jake (Jordan Calloway). Then the second time was when she and Bode physically cheated when Gabriela was engaged to Diego (Rafael de la Fuente), a genuinely good person who didn’t deserve it. Had Bode and Gabriela ended up together, maybe there was a way to accept these two cheating moments, but without the payoff, Gabriela just came across as a bad person to have a relationship with.