4 major plots the Fire Country season 3 premiere left open before the cliffhanger ending

Fire Country season 3 premiere spoilers ahead

Fire Country's return was action-packed as expected and delightfully soapy, which is something I personally enjoy. The incident of the week in "What the Bride Said" interrupts Diego and Gabriela's wedding though her deafening silence when asked if she takes her fiancé as her husband would have made a mess of the ceremony if the crashed helicopter didn't.

The commotion caused by the wreck set everyone into motion as they raced to aid people at Smokey's which had born the brunt of the crash. In the midst of the incident, four major plots took shape, each holding the emotional weight of the episode but that didn't get resolved by the end. Let's dive into what happened before the season 3 premiere ended on a cliffhanger!

Will Bode be able to become a firefighter?

"What the Bride Said" backed up a bit and gave us the full conversation between Bode and Luke outside of the church where Gabriela and Diego were getting married. Bode wanted his uncle to pull some strings to get him into the Edgewater training program that helps former inmate join Cal Fire, but Luke was hesitant. Bode had described firefighting as a healthy addiction which didn't make his case any stronger to his uncle, but Luke considered it.

Bode being one to leap at the first chance to help also went a long way with Luke. As was stated during the incident, throwing one's self into the thick of things is rooted in the Leones' blood. They thrive in this career field, it's why they've built such a legacy and Bode wanting to be a part of that just makes sense. That's why Sharon and Luke put their heads together to discuss just how they can get Bode into the training program which has a year's long waiting list.

We're certain to learn more about the program in episode 2, "Firing Squad," as it'll introduce Leven Rambin's Audrey James, a former fire camp inmate who is now a Cal Fire cadet. She's in the exact position Bode hopes he can be in with a little help from his family.

Is Manny going to prison?

Manny was being taken down to the station when the helicopter crashed. He was involved in a car accident when the officer driving the vehicle lost control after debris cracked the windshield. While Manny was pretty banged up, the officers were knocked unconscious. One was in a touch and go situation that required continuous chest compressions to keep him tethered to life.

Vince and Sharon needed all the help they could get so Sharon uncuffed Manny since he, too, is a firefighter. His efforts, however, weren't well received by the cops that came to collect him once the incident had been handled and calmed (for the time being!). They were upset that he was the least injured of the three people in the car and were going to take him in without letting him receive medical attention.

Luke interceded, firmly reminding the officers that this was his jurisdiction and that Manny would be getting the care he was entitled to before he goes anywhere. Manny used the time he had to express to Sharon that she and Vince needed to keep Gabriela and Bode apart. He saw too much of himself and her mother Roberta in them and a romance between the two could only go wrong. Manny didn't want that for either of them.

Sharon and Vince, however, may not feel the same. If anything, and this is based on my own viewing, Bode and Gabriela are more like a hotheaded and reckless version of the two of them. But his daughter's love life should be the least of his concerns because whether Manny is going back to prison or will remain a free man is still in the air.

Did Gabriela and Diego break-up?

In all honesty, it's only a matter of time. "What the Bride Said" spends a portion of its time truly hitting home that Diego is not the man for Gabriela. First, the helicopter that crashed was the same one that had been carrying the banner congratulating the two on their nuptials. If that's not a sign, I don't know what is but the episode went further.

Gabriela couldn't say, "I do." There was a lengthy pause that had Vince and Eve believing it was about to get real spicy at the ceremony. As soon as they were all put in an emergency situation, Gabriela beat feet away from the church leaving Diego to take care of his father and the rest of their guests. After assisting an injured man at Smokey's, Gabriela decided to go help Bode put out spot fires. They argued the whole time.

Manny described what he was seeing as a lover's quarrel. To add to the soapy insanity we all bore witness to, when Bode and Gabriela went to assist the trapped helicopter pilot the Fire Country writers upped the ante. Bode injured his hand removing the glass window, Gabriela bandaged it with her veil. They needed to keep Kenji conscious so Gabriela let him believe that she and Bode were the ones getting married and that their honeymoon was going to be in Hawaii.

Diego walked up on that latter bit and was suitably upset and angry. Though he brought it into the medical care they were providing which was not okay. When it became clear that they were going to have to intubate Kenji, or risk moving him which could injure him further, Diego wanted to move him. Gabriela didn't, she was confident she could perform the procedure in the position Kenji was in.

It was Bode who supported and encouraged her not Diego. Once again Diego showed that he will always pick what he believes to be the safer route. He did the same thing with Cara, and I'll be forever bitter about how she died. Anyway, when the firefighter paramedics came to assist and congratulated Gabriela on the tricky intubation, she looked at Bode with pride.

Then, the pièce de résistance, after she wrapped Bode's hand with an actual bandage, Gabriela admitted she didn't want the happy he kept pushing her toward. She had felt more alive kissing him at the campaign fire than she had been at her own wedding. Cue Diego walking up though it's clear he didn't hear her because he makes her confess that she and Bode kissed.

Understandably distraught, Diego was trying to put together how it all turned out this way because she had told him that it was over between her and Bode. He believed her even though he saw something still simmering between them. The conversation didn't get to go too much farther because there was an explosion at the helicopter crash site.

Is Rick Gen's biological father?

The other soapy plot in "What the Bride Said" revolved around Jake, Rick, and Gen. Jake was reeling from the revelation that Rick was in town to see whether he was the father of Cara's daughter. Rick hadn't seen her before so he had no idea that the young girl he was trapped with during the incident was Genn. At least, not at first. He found out when he was trying to soothe her while she was in pain over a dislocated shoulder that he later popped back into place.

The entire time Jake was out of his mind with worry. The roof hadn't completely fallen in on them but it would only be a matter of time and there were live wires making the situation even more dangerous. He was also feeling territorial because his kid wasn't aware of who Rick is and he didn't want her to find out while she was scared, without him by her side, and before he could come to terms with it himself.

Still, he managed to put that aside to save everyone, with Eve's help, once they used a beam to pry open a crawl space for the trapped to get out. Rick was the last to clear it though Jake had to dive in to rescue him when part of the roof fell. Jake and Gen had a suitably emotional reunion once they were all safe. I truly do love their father-daughter bond.

A lot of character work was done with Rick this episode. He was shown to be good with children, mainly because he's a father of three. It's apparent that he would like to leave his past behind him and wishes those who knew him in high school would do the same. In the ambulance, as he was taken to the hospital and Jake finished making sure Gen was settled with her babysitter, he shared with Jake what had connected him and Cara.

She was incredibly nice to him. Nicer than people tended to be and she listened which isn't something he got a lot of as a teenager. His home life wasn't the best, Cara knew that and she never judged him which he appreciated.

Rick told Jake he has no intention on messing up what he has with Gen, but if she is his child then he has a duty to her. He also knows his kids to be good siblings and believes Gen deserves to know whether he's her dad or not. As such he said he wanted a paternity test. Hopefully, this "Who's the daddy?" storyline held over from season 2 will be coming to a close soon.

Fire Country season 3 got to a great start in the premiere. I can't wait to see what happens in the second part of this helicopter crash story!