Fire Country’s Season 3 finale went down on the 2025 TV schedule in flames, literally and metaphorically speaking. When we left Edgewater, Three Rock and a retirement home were on fire. Vince, Sharon and Walter were stuck in a burning building. And Gabriela was left dealing with a scary stalker. Outside of the show, though, something even bigger happened, as it was announced that Stephanie Arcila, who plays Gabriela, would be leaving the show.
After news broke from Deadline that Arcila and Billy Burke, who plays Vince, would reportedly be leaving ahead of Season 4, I was shook. I was especially surprised after EPs wouldn’t confirm Burke’s departure, but did explain why the Gabriela actress was being written out of the show. However, upon reflection, this exit for Bode’s primary love interest actually makes sense.
After The Season 3 Finale, I Get Why Gabriela Would Want To Leave Edgewater
Now, Gabriela’s departure was not announced or addressed in the Season 3 finale. However, she spent the episode dealing with Finn and Audrey shooting him after he attacked them.
Gabriela has been through it this season. Her wedding was crashed (literally), her dad was arrested and then almost died, her relationship with Bode ended, and then she went through this whole stalker situation.
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She desperately needs a new start, and at this point, it seems like the only way that could happen is by literally leaving Edgewater. So, in terms of the story, I get why Arcila is leaving. For Gabriela to truly grow and heal, she needs to get out of this town.
However, an executive producer’s comments about why they decided to let Gabriela go provide even more clarity about this shocking development.
What Fire Country’s EP Said About Gabriela’s Departure
Again, when we left Gabriela, she was with Bode at the retirement home fire, and Audrey had just been taken away for shooting Finn. It wasn’t obvious that she was going to exit. However, co-creator and executive producer Tony Phelan explained why Arcila’s firefighter/EMT is leaving now, telling Deadline:
It was really a decision that came out of the dynamic between Bode and Gabriela; we felt like those two characters needed a reset. We love Stephanie, and we are committed to saying that the Bode-Gabriela story does not end here, it goes on.
This makes total sense to me. Throughout Season 3, I’ve become a Bode and Audrey shipper, and I like the idea of Max Thieriot and Stephanie Arcila’s characters fully moving on from each other. Both of them have been through too much together to be a healthy couple right now. Plus, I think they’ve been running in this circle for a while, and a hard reset was needed.
Gabriela's departure will force both characters into this “needed” “reset,” as Phelan put it, and I’m here for that. While I dislike the idea of Stephanie Arcila leaving the show, her character deserves a break, and she can get that by moving away from Edgewater.
However, have no fear, it seems like she won’t be gone forever, as the EP explained:
We’re hoping that we can bring that character back, because we think that they have such great chemistry, and the audience is really invested in the two of them. But we felt, with everything that’s happening in the finale and moving on into the next season, that it was time for that character to discover what’s next for her.
He’s right, it was time for this to happen, and you know what they say, distance makes the heart grow fonder.
So, hopefully, through this exit, both Bode and Gabriela can grow and heal. Then, maybe, someday, when Stephanie Arcila potentially returns to Fire Country, both of them can restart with a significantly healthier and loving relationship.
