Bode’s newfound freedom is at the center of Fire Country season 3, and it prompted a change in look in Fire Country season 3, episode 2, resulting in Bode’s signature long hair being cut. While Fire Country season 3’s premiere focused on the immediate aftermath of Gabriela and Diego’s wedding being interrupted by the helicopter crash, Fire Country season 3, episode 2 finally kickstarted the season’s key storylines. This included Bode’s journey to become a firefighter, whose beginning was confirmed by Vince’s news that he was accepted into the training pending the test Jake would have administered the next day.
Bode’s goal to become a Cal Fire firefighter was established in Fire Country season 2 after he received an extraordinary conduct credit that earned him his freedom and understood what he wanted from life now that he wasn’t behind bars anymore. Bode would have never gotten the chance to try out becoming a phase two cadet had he not pestered his uncle Luke to pull strings to make his test a reality, and even then, only Sharon convinced Luke that it was worth helping Bode. However, Fire Country season 3, episode 2 finally marked the beginning of Bode’s new journey.
Bode Finally Cut His Hair In Fire Country Season 3, Episode 2
Bode’s Look Change Is A Consequence Of His New Path
Bode changed his look only after he knew for sure he had a chance as a prospective Cal Fire cadet in Edgewater’s training program. Indeed, Bode sported his new haircut arriving at Station 42’s firehouse for his test, just before Jake explained how his evaluation would have worked, involving the incident postmortem of the helicopter explosion fire. Bode slightly dismissed Jake’s compliment about the new look, explaining his reasons and revealing how Bode had cut his hair to comply with the regulations for a firefighter, but it was evident what the haircut signified and how important the new beginning was.
Bode’s Haircut Signifies The Beginning Of His New Life As A Free Man & Firefighter
Bode’s New Look Has Practical & Symbolic Connotations
Bode’s haircut is the first major look change ever since his return to Edgewater in Fire Country season 1. While Bode struggled to accept his placement at Three Rock and not another fire camp, his path in Fire Country season 1 led him to thrive under Manny’s leadership and find camaraderie among the inmates, enough to call Edgewater his home again. With Bode’s sentence officially coming to an end thanks to the extraordinary conduct credit, he could think about what he wanted to do with his life as a free man, and he finally realized he wished to fight fires.
Bode cutting his hair before the test signaled his readiness for the next phase of his life as a free man, working toward claiming his legacy as a Leone.
While the realization could have been enough to mark the start of a new chapter, it’s Cal Fire’s willingness to evaluate Bode as a prospective cadet that officially marked the beginning of his new life in Fire Country season 3. Bode cutting his hair before the test signaled his readiness for the next phase of his life as a free man, one where he wouldn’t only work toward becoming a firefighter, which gave him meaning in the last months of his incarceration, but also toward claiming his legacy as a Leone. This turned Bode’s haircut into a big symbolic moment.
Bode’s Short Hair Has A Special Meaning With The Leones’ Painful History
Bode Always Had Long Hair In Fire Country’s Main Timeline
Although the time before Bode’s return to Edgewater was rarely mentioned in Fire Country except for season 1, Bode is shown as having short hair before he departed from Edgewater. Bode’s escape from his hometown, well before his incarceration, had everything to do with Vince’s request that he leave home indefinitely, as Vince blamed Bode for Riley’s death. The only time Bode was seen with short hair in Fire Country was in his flashbacks to Riley’s birthday party, which was also the night of their car crash, connecting that hairstyle to the most painful moment in the Leone family history.
With Riley’s being the most consequential and the one causing more hurt among the Fire Country deaths, Bode’s hair change is even more impressive, as it also means how the Leones are finally processing Riley’s death. Indeed, if Vince still lashed out at Bode in Fire Country season 1, they now have a wonderful bond. Even Vince and Sharon’s comments about Bode, Eve and Jake singing like 2009’s spring break showed their better handling of their biggest tragedy. Coupled with Bode’s hair just like when Riley died, his look change can hint at the Leones finally healing in Fire Country.