How Fire Country’s “No Good Deed” Proves That Gabriela and Bode Are Right For Each Other

Fire Country's “No Good Deed” – An internal investigation is launched after a difficult rescue went awry and a life was lost, on FIRE COUNTRY, Friday, Jan. 6 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+*.  Pictured: Stephanie Arcila as Gabriela Perez and Max Thieriot as Bode Donovan.
Photo: Sergei Bachlakov/CBS ©2022 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

If Fire Country’s Get Some, Be Safe” was the episode that set up Gabriela and Bode’s relationship, then Fire Country’s “No Good Deed” cements why they’re perfect for each other. In its entirety, Fire Country Season 1, Episode 9 is all about second chances—the idea that survival means something bigger and better is yet ahead.

Sometimes, choices are meticulous and carefully executed; other times, they’re brash and straight from the heart. What happens in the midst of a flight or fight reaction? Who do you jump into an unpredictable body of water for? Why do you do it? What does being someone’s friend truly entail? The episode answers each of these questions by subtly showing us how profoundly Gabriela and Bode care about each other, though they don’t quite realize it.

Gabriella and Bode in Fire Country's "No Good Deed"
©CBS

Now, while the two could acknowledge that they care about each other without hesitations, they don’t quite realize what’s placing emphasis on their drive. What’s got them so riled up about protecting the other under all circumstances? The progression of their relationship from strangers to friends was a beautiful thing until it wasn’t given Jake as a looming shadow over them. When the phone calls stopped, it broke Gabriela a bit because those quiet moments were the kind of escape she didn’t know just how desperately she needed. While none of this is shocking to the viewers, it’s a perfect surprise for the two.

Gabriela and Bode are each other’s safe space in every way, and Fire Country’s “No Good Deed” proves this by having them both boldly confirm that there’s no limit to the risks they’ll take for one another. Every time they choose to put the other before themselves, they walk further into the labyrinth their adoration is creating. Gabriela didn’t have to jump with a group of firefighters and Bode’s father standing on the bridge, but she chose to do so anyway. Gabriela decides to jump without a second thought because, at that moment, Bode’s life is the only thing that matters. She needs to see for herself—she has to be the one to try.

Fire Country's “No Good Deed” – An internal investigation is launched after a difficult rescue went awry and a life was lost, on FIRE COUNTRY, Friday, Jan. 6 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+*.  Pictured: Stephanie Arcila as Gabriela Perez and Max Thieriot as Bode Donovan.
Photo: Sergei Bachlakov/CBS ©2022 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

But since the beginning, their relationship has been give and take in equal measure. They bring laughter and a safe place to fall for each other, so when Gabriela collapses, the only thing Bode can think about is saving her. When he has to choose, she’s always going to be the choice he makes. If he tells the investigator as much, not realizing so much of this stems from the fact that he’s falling deeper for someone who’s his equal, it makes it clear to the audience that when they finally get together, everything will be earth-shatteringly great in their path. The loyalty between the two of them will be steadfast and perpetual. They’ll have someone in their corner making the effortless choice to protect them at all costs.

The reverence in Bode’s voice when he screams that he cannot lose her and Gabriela’s immediate first comment being his name when she wakes up are concrete proof that deep down, their hearts are expanding and pushing to move in the other’s orbit. They want more. They survived something tremendously taxing together and because of each other. That place of understanding that they’re entering after this is broader than where they were when they discussed phone calls with each other. Even if Gabriela briefly chooses Jake after they talk, there’s still no going back for her and Bode. There’s no denying that what she did for him isn’t just something she’d do for anybody. And these small details show us that without realizing it, they’re falling to the point of no return, making each other better and braver in the process. The people they’re both becoming are by virtue of the other’s belief in them. They’re going to come to a point where they can’t move past this, and the day that happens, it’ll be glorious for fans, and the series as their relationship continues to add to an already riveting series.

Fire Country’s “No Good Deed” is now streaming on Paramount Plus.

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