Fire Country Cast Breaks Down the Latest Tear-Jerking Twist and What Comes Next

Warning: The following contains spoilers for Friday's episode of Fire Country. Read at your own risk! 

Tragedy has befallen Fire Country. Friday's episode revealed that Cara (Sabina Gadecki-Rich) did not survive the firenado after the ambulance she was traveling in with Bode (Max Thieriot) and Diego (Rafael de la Fuente) flipped off the road. She was impaled by an apparatus in the ambulance and pulled it out when catching the keys to help Bode free himself from his handcuffs. The removal of the rod helped Cara realize her brain was bleeding internally, but they could not get an airlift or backup because of the delays caused by the firenado that sent the ambulance off the road in the first place. 

"I feel grateful that if there was a way to go, it was getting this way and I feel proud of it," Sabina Gadecki-Rich told TV Guide. "I feel proud of the work because sometimes you don't get a chance to have scenes like this. I was really excited. I couldn't wait to get to work that day."

Cara played a bigger part in Season 2 after the bombshell that she is actually Genevieve's (Alix West Lefler) mother and Bode might be her father. Until the ambulance accident, Cara was dragging her feet on connecting Bode and Gen because she felt like the 12-year-old needed more time to adjust to being Cara's daughter before adding a relationship with Bode into the mix. 

Thieriot, who is also an executive producer on Fire Country, explained that killing Cara was heartbreaking, but necessary to propel the other characters forward. 

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"So much of this season has been about Genevieve and the potential of Bode being a father, and what that looked like for the future of all these characters. Ultimately, I think it was something that the writers felt would have the biggest impact on not just Bode, but all of the characters," he explained. "It would push them in so many different directions, force them to find new paths, or leap over some huge obstacles in their lives emotionally. They felt like it was really going to resonate."

Jordan Calloway, who plays Cara's boyfriend and Bode's best friend Jake on the series, was also heartbroken to learn that Cara wasn't going to survive the ambulance accident. 

"It was absolutely sad. We didn't want that. We all were just heartbroken. Sabina has become a member of the family," Calloway explained. "I love having her on the show. She's an amazing talent. We knew it didn't have anything to do with whether the fans liked her or whether she was talented enough. It had to do with trying to break fans' hearts. That's the job."

What happens to Genevieve in the wake of Cara's death is the biggest question going into the next episodes of Fire Country. Gadecki-Rch weighed in on who she hopes Gen goes to with Cara out of the picture. 

"I say in that scene to Bode that [Gen] needs every good person she can find. That's him, Jake, and the Leannes," the actress said. "They are my family. They were my family growing up so that was my hand-off. I can let go knowing that Jake and Bode are going to be there [for Genevieve]."

Jake and Bode are both willing to step up for Genevieve, but how they do that without stepping on each other's toes is something they will have to navigate in the coming episodes. Thieriot teases how that tension will be the source of a lot of upcoming drama. 

"This is going to force Jake and Bode to have some really difficult conversations. It's going to be two guys who are very much like brothers having to do some tough things together to be a unit and look after Genevieve," Thieriot detailed. "This is a side of that relationship that neither of them has ever experienced and they never thought they would have to go through something like this. They have a big journey ahead of them to help each other's hearts heal, but ultimately to help this girl and put aside their differences." 

Calloway also commented on Jake and Bode's partnership. He teased that any tension would come from Bode, though, because Jake is focusing on how to be there for Gen and isn't thinking about Bode being with Cara when she died or any lingering resentments.

"I'm going to be there for my boy Bode and I am going to be there for this girl. I'm going to take care of her," the actor declared. "Bode has been in a period of trying to find himself, whether that is getting out of Three Rock for Genevieve's sake, for Gabriella, or for himself. Jake has come to that place of understanding you have to live for yourself. Bode may have an issue with Jake being a father figure to Gen because that's been a theme that we've seen, but it's out of character for Jake to feel the same way." 

The revelation that Genevieve is potentially Bode's daughter is also going to be a big thing for Sharon (Diane Farr) and Vince (Billy Burke). 

"It gives them, almost in a weird way, a chance to raise a daughter again. They are grandparents, but having this young girl in their house is something that hasn't happened since Riley was alive," Thierot explained. "There are a lot of emotional elements attached to it, but also fulfilling pieces as well. They have a lot of scar tissue on their hearts from everything they've gone through, and this starts to fill some holes that have never been filled."

It is going to be a hard road for everyone to heal from Cara's sudden death, but have we really seen the last of her? Gadecki-Rich says she is always willing to come back if the writers come up with a way to make it work. 

"I've never felt such a family bond on a show like this," she revealed. "I feel like there's room for [Cara to return] — further explanation, maybe flashbacks like Bode and I as kids. Maybe they flashback to how Jake and I got to the point of almost being engaged. I think it would be sweet to cover the backstory. I love flashbacks and I'd be so down."

We'd be down to see her again, too. 

Fire Country continues on Fridays at 9/8c on CBS. Episodes are also streaming on Paramount+.