Does Freddie die in Fire Country?
CBSAfter a dramatic first season, Freddie disappeared from Fire Country without a trace. But did he die, or could we see a triumphant return any day now?
Put prison volunteers and fire in the same place, and you’re bound to get a whole heap of drama. Since 2022, new TV show Fire Country has been dishing the dirt, including the serial arsonist we never saw coming.
Fast forward two years and we’re now settling into Fire Country Season 3, watching Bode continue to make a string of costly mistakes. But before he got this far, there was Freddie.
Exuding charm and charisma, Freddie was an essential ingredient in the first season. But did he die in Fire Country – and if not, why aren’t we seeing him on screen?
Freddie didn’t die, but what happened?
Fire Country co-creators Tony Phelan and Joan Rater have confirmed that Freddy isn’t dead, and is currently living with his fiancée Cookie and their baby off-screen.
But why do we think he’s dead in the first place? Cast your mind back to the Season 1 finale. He came into the binge-worthy TV show the same way as Bode – being a fellow inmate working on the Cal Fire program.
Freddie’s in jail because of a crime he didn’t commit, which is a thread of his character arc we see sown into the show from Episode 1.
It’s also thanks to Bode that Freddie was able to be freed from his sentence, passing up his own chance of parole in order to set Freddie on a new path. Freddie was about to have a drug trade pinned on him, yet Bode took the fall.
Yet fans expected to see him continue his new journey in Fire Country Season 2… and he just stayed away.
Blink and you’ll miss it, but he does briefly return in Season 2 finale ‘I Do,’ coming back for Gabriela and Diego’s wedding. Aside from some friendly banter, nothing much is said about Freddie’s character development, nor is there any explanation for his absence.
Naturally, fans then jumped to the conclusion that he’d been killed off-screen seeing as nothing had been confirmed in the aftermath of his sudden return.
Executive producer and showrunner Tia Napolitano hinted at major off-screen character changes when the Season 2 premiere aired, explaining to Us Weekly, “I felt really confident that our premiere was going to grab the audience. I think we had 22 [episodes] last year. We had such a good stretch of time to let the audience really get to know our world and our characters.
“We wanted to grab them – especially after such a long time off the air.”
We don’t know if he’ll come back to Fire Country
As it stands, the door has been “left open” for Freddie’s return, but nothing has ever been confirmed beyond what we’ve already seen in Season 1.
We’re currently four episodes into Fire Country Season 3, and there’s currently no signs of Freddie coming back. Bode has a lot on his plate at the moment – and if the show is playing things smart, he needs to sort himself out before he can be a martyr to anyone else.
That being said, look what happened in Season 2. We could very well get to the end of Season 3 and Freddie decides to pop up again out of nowhere.
Freddie has also (for all intents and purposes) been replaced. In Season 3, we’re enjoying the bromance bond between Bode and newcomer Cole, who’s essentially filled the position of right-hand man who understands the world from a harsher perspective.
It’s clear we’re not going to get any further clarification on what’s happening to Freddie off-screen, which suggests there’s no grand plan for his return… or his storyline. Just like a soap opera, the best we can hope for is for him to come back once in a blue moon, say hello, and leave.
Fire Country Season 3 is airing weekly on CBS, with Seasons 1-2 available on Paramount Plus. Check out other CBS shows such as Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage and Elsbeth Season 2.
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