Fire Country star Max Thieriot reacts to those season 2 premiere bombshells

Bode (Max Thieriot) had one hell of a season premiere.

Fire Country season 2 picks up six months after Bode returned to prison in the season 1 premiere (fans will remember that he lied about drug dealing to spare his buddy Freddy). But it's not long before we see Bode back at Three Rock Con Camp, after a short but violent showdown with Sleeper (Grant Harvey) that was interrupted with a revelation from Jake (Jordan Calloway): Bode is the father of Cara’s (Sabina Gadecki) daughter Genevieve.

A lot has chages while Bode was in prison. At the fire station, Jake is now a Cal Fire captain; Manny (Kevin Alejandro) is working there after being relieved of his role running Three Rock; Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila) is doing paramedic training with new trainer Diego (Rafael de la Fuente); and Sharon (Diane Farr) returns from time away to announce she doesn’t want to be division chief anymore. Taking over for Manny at Three Rock is Eve (Jules Latimer), who is under a lot of pressure to run a tight ship after the drug investigation that cost Manny his job and sent Bode to jail.

Bode is not back in Three Rock long before he gets hit with yet another bombshell: his ex, Gabriela, is engaged to Diego, which he finds out by accident when she runs in to tell Eve.

We spoke to Thieriot about those two massive bombshells, how Bode adjusts, and what else is in store this season on Fire Country.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What was your reaction to how Bode would find out about Gabriela’s engagement?

MAX THIERIOT: Honestly, I was probably as blown away as fans are gonna be when they see it. It’s perfect. It’s such a good moment to end the episode on. Now we wanna know what the five minutes after that look like.

What can you tease about what happens next or what their dynamic is like this season?

In the beginning, they were conflicted as far as what their feelings were towards each other, and now we’re getting to see a different version of that. She was dating Jake when she started having feelings for Bode, but now she’s engaged and the stakes are so much higher. It would be a little too easy if all of sudden she sees Bode and she’s over Diego, so we will really play around with how complicated that all is. Ultimately, what is Bode willing to do? Given his history and nature, he’s a people pleaser and he’ll put everybody's well-being before his own, so getting to see him fight for the first time is going to be really fun.

So many characters are in different places, which means we get to see new dynamics. Are there any in particular you’re excited for viewers to see?

We get to see a completely different power dynamic with Vince and Sharon. She has always been the higher ranking chief and she got to call the shots. This season is fun because they are so dynamic on-screen together and now he is higher on the food chain than her, which she is clearly not used to.

Getting to see Eve at Three Rock is also interesting. Manny and Bode can relate to each other given what they’ve both gone through, having been incarcerated. They have gone through a lot of the same experiences and that’s the strong connection for the two of them, whereas Eve and Bode have been friends since they were kids. That changes the dynamic at Three Rock. Now he’s taking orders from one of his best friends who is also struggling with learning how to do her new job.

What do you think Bode will struggle with most now that he’s out of jail?

He will have a hard time adjusting to his new perspective. The first time around at Three Rock he was always reacting and he’d be impulsive in all these incidents because he felt like he had to save the day all the time. Now, he has a different outlook because he understands the game that has to be played. Bode really needs to walk the line if he actually wants to see this program through. 

Bode also had a much different reason to fight for his freedom now that he knows Genevieve is his daughter. That is going to be a big focus for him this season. There are a lot of decisions to be made around Genevieve and the possibility of being a father. Once it finally sets in, it’ll give him a real purpose, whereas before he was doing things for love or his family, and never doing it for himself. 

Speaking of Genevieve, what does Bode as a father look like?

We’ve gotten to see the emotional side of Bode through his mom and family in moments, but now we get to see his softer side. He’s going from prison and trying to leave behind everything he just went through. To go from the anxiety and stress and try to adjust back to life outside is really difficult. We expose a lot of the vulnerability that Bode is capable of through Genevieve.

We see in the premiere that Vince is the one wanting to help Bode while Sharon is upset with him, which is a switch from last season. What’s ahead for Bode and his mom?

Yeah, we saw the epitome of a mom being a mom and taking care of her child. She was willing to do anything, and now Sharon’s at a place where she’s had to step back, look at herself and wonder if she’s being helpful by doing all this. Bode’s life isn’t better, he went to jail, and encouraging him to change by always holding his hand wasn’t working. She’s conflicted because deep down she’s the same person, but she has to fight her nature. He knows she hasn’t visited and she’s been strong when he wasn’t there, but we get to see her crack a little when she actually sees her son.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Fire Country airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

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