Fire Country star and creator Max Thieriot was “sad” to see Sabina Gadecki’s Cara written off the show, but her death will not be soon forgotten.
Warning: Spoilers below for Fire Country season 2, episode 5.
“Obviously, her death is going to play a really important role in the rest of the season and just sort of resonate with a lot of the characters,” Thieriot, who plays Bode on the CBS series, exclusively told Us Weekly at the 2024 CMT Awards on Sunday, April 7.
During the Friday, April 5, episode of Fire Country, Cara (Gadecki) got into an ambulance accident alongside Bode during a catastrophic fire tornado. The crash resulted in a head injury that ultimately killed Cara before she could get to the hospital.
“In this storytelling world, it’s all about finding things that are really going to resonate with the audience and they’re going to leave an impact,” Thieriot, 35, explained to Us, noting that while it was hard to let Cara die, it will push the story forward.
He teased: “We knew ultimately that it would be a really impactful thing and would really have a major outward spiral for the rest of the characters and [a] big ripple effect.”
Thieriot revealed that Cara’s passing will affect her daughter, Genevieve (Alix West Lefler), immensely, and Bode since he was told earlier this season he might be Genevieve’s father. Cara’s boyfriend, Jake (Jordan Calloway), will also face a massive change as he tries to live without her and remain a father figure for Gen.
For Bode, getting to know Gen is “what he’s been fighting for and pushing for to get out,” Thieriot told Us, noting that his longtime pal Jake is going to be left reeling. “Jake now obviously has basically his heart ripped out of his chest. So there’s a lot going on,” he added.
Thieriot promised, “We got five episodes to go, and it’s certainly crazy. It’s a crazy, crazy finish.”
Among those next few episodes will be the introduction of a new character, Sheriff Mickey, played by Morena Baccarin. “We get to see a little bit of a different part of Edgewater than we’ve seen,” Thieriot explained, noting that the sheriff gets introduced on the Friday, April 12, episode.
“I can’t wait for everybody to see the rest of the season,” he gushed. “Where we end off — it’s crazy, mind-blowing, crazy, but I think it’ll be really fulfilling for people this year.”
While Thieriot is “excited” for the future of Fire Country, he confessed saying goodbye to Gadecki and her character wasn’t easy.
“I was legit really sad personally as I am friends with Sabina and I love her,” he said. “I did not really want to see her go yet.”
Gadecki, 40, was also heartbroken to leave the series. “If I had any involvement, I would be not dead,” the actress exclusively told Us before viewers watched her character’s death unfold on screen.
While she was given a lot of notice about Cara’s death, Gadecki confessed it “guts” her to say goodbye.
“I feel grateful they honored my character in the way that they did,” she said, adding that if there’s any way to revive Cara in a flashback she’d happily return.
Gadecki continued: “I would be so honored to be a part of the flashbacks because I think there is some more to explore of the backstory and sort of Jake and [Cara’s] relationship and how we came to this place of potentially getting engaged. I think it’s a lot more to explore there. I think there’s more to explore with mine and Bode’s relationship when we were kids.”
Fire Country airs on CBS Fridays at 9 p.m. ET.
With reporting by Kayla Aldecoa
