“Fire Country” is ostensibly about second chances and redemption. However, over the past three seasons, it’s also been about love: This firehouse has seen a surprisingly high number of romances spark up. While “Fire Country” might not be based on a true story, it definitely stirs up real emotions for its fans. In three seasons alone, we’ve had a tragic love story, a destined-to-be couple, and a long-established romance. There’s a lot going on for viewers who like their drama spiced with some romance, but which couple is the best? It’s about time to rank these couples in order of how enjoyable they are to watch and how compatible they are romantically.
For this list, we’re covering all the couples that have shared romantic screen time together across more than one episode. This means that, as of this writing, Bode Leone (Max Thieriot) and Audrey James (Leven Rambin) don’t have the bona fides to earn a berth. You also won’t see anything about Gabriela Perez’s (Stephanie Arcila) parents, Eve Edwards’ (Jules Latimer) reunion with her ex-girlfriend, or anything involving Bode’s late sister Riley Leone (Jade Pettyjohn) — Riley’s romance with Jake Crawford (Jordan Calloway) only takes place in three brief Season 1 flashbacks, so there’s just not enough to judge them on.
So, without further delay, here are all of the couples in “Fire Country,” ranked from worst to best.
Gabriela and Diego
Poor Diego Moreno (Rafael de la Fuente). He genuinely comes across as a nice guy during Season 2 and Season 3, when he finds himself faced with the unenviable task of squiring Gabriela after her break-up with Jake and her explosive attraction to Bode flames out thanks to Bode’s rejection. The end result is a coupling that’s sweet but staid. What can he do when their interrupted wedding turns into a literal disaster, followed directly by the revelation that Bode and Gabriela still care for each other and even kissed just before Gabriela walked down the aisle? To be frank, Gabriela’s lucky she only has to pay for the ruined wedding and not psychological damages to her ex.
Yet, while they’re together, one can see why Gabriela picked Diego and agreed to marry him. He’s not as dashing or rakish as Bode, but he’s kind, he’s hardworking, and he’s caring. However, while these are all solid traits, Gabriela is the kind of person who needs adventure in her life. Maybe in some other lifetime they would’ve worked out, but not in this one.
Gabriela and Bode
We know what you’re thinking, but trust us, Gabriela and Bode deserve to be ranked this low. The show may insist that they are made for each other — that they help each other be better people, that their chemistry is undeniable — but the toxic push and pull between them has started to really annoy audiences. There’s a reason why fans think they’re an insufferable couple that must stay dead. Is there passion? Of course. Chemistry? Definitely. But even though they care about each other, they keep pushing each other away, leading them both to spiral into ugly and negative behavior.
In Bode’s case, it’s always been about his belief that Gabriela deserves better than him, which is why he rejects her in Season 1 after she leaves Jake to wait for Bode’s release. Gabriela gets together with Diego in Season 2, only to give up the promise of a nice life with him to be with Bode at the start of Season 3. But they barely manage to do more than finally consummate their passion before Bode decides he wants more than to just hook up with Gabriela, a notion she roundly rejects.
We know exactly what the writers and producers of “Fire Country” are trying to do — set them up as star-crossed lovers on the long road to true love. But the more they interact with other people, the clearer it becomes that Gabriela and Bode are not likely to make it work in the long run. Perhaps “Fire Country” will prove us wrong, but until then, we can’t rank these two any higher on the list.
Jake and Gabriela
Jake and Gabriela have one thing that Bode and Gabriela don’t — the ability to be honest with one another, and to help each other out when things go sideways. That wasn’t enough to ensure that their relationship would last for more than a season, but it was good while it lasted, with Jake being a much more reasonable alternative to Bode’s dramatics. Unfortunately for Jake, he’s always been in Bode’s shadow, and after what happened with Riley, he’s always been in Bode’s personal doghouse.
Dating Gabriela — whom Bode develops a thing for throughout Season 1 — spells trouble for Jake’s friendship with Bode. The two men rival one another over Gabriela, who ultimately chooses Bode. It’s a choice that doesn’t really pan out for her (and which leads to Jake and Gabriela hooking up in the back of Jake’s car during a drunken evening when they’re both licking their wounds under a torrent of personal problems). Maybe this is a sign that “Fire Country” Season 3 is fumbling the show’s biggest storylines, with the writers pretty much doing everything we didn’t want them to. Or, it might be a sign Jake and Gabriela should give each other one more chance.
