It looks like Fire Country is about to welcome an old face back later this season that may have big ramifications for the series!
Fire Country is riding high in season 4 as Bode (Max Thieriot) is overcoming the death of his father, Vince (Billy Burke), in the tragic season 3 finale. He’s now working his way up as a regular Cal Fire recruit while still aiding the Three Rock gang on their adventures.
The series has seen a few cast shifts over the years, but Matt Webb Mitovich’s Inside Line has revealed that an upcoming season 4 episode will have former regular Tye White returning as Cole Rodman. It’ll be a nice return for the character who was last seen in Season 3’s “Eyes and Ears Everywhere.”
Introduced in the second season premiere, Cole was Bode’s cellmate when Bode was sent back to prison after being framed for drug possession. After he proved his innocence, Bode was returned to Three Rock with Cole joining him as a firefighter.
Cole’s was a former MMA fighter who had killed a man, which had the victim’s family protesting his place at Three Rock. He got some good material, such as a visit from his teenage son, who was wrestling with coming out, only for Cole to be quite accepting of it. He also had to step up as “first axe” of the squad and proved himself a capable leader.
When last seen in the season 3 finale, Cole had finally earned his parole. He did put it off to help with the roaring wildfire that almost wiped out Three Rock but ended up being set free. That was believed to be his farewell, but it sounds like he’s making a nice return!
What brings Cole back to Fire Country?
There’s no word on when Cole returns or what brings him back to the series. It may be he’s just making a brief visit to Edgewater to check up on Bode and give an update on how his life is going. Hopefully, he’s doing well, reconnected with his family, made peace with his past, and moved into a new job and life.
There’s a sad chance that things are rough for Cole. He may have somehow run afoul of the law again and returning as a convict worker. Or it may be a tragic case of bad luck with Cole coming back to Edgewater only to be caught in some disaster and needing Bode’s help getting out of it.
It sounds like this is just a one-off appearance, yet it’d be interesting if Cole is coming back to join Bode in Cal Fire. The two had a great bond and helped each other out of several jams. At least, Cole will likely be able to help Bode handle his guilt over his father’s death and be a reminder of the good man Bode is.
Either way, having Cole back is a reminder of how far Bode has come on Fire Country and it’s always great to see a past character making a grand return to Edgewater.
Fire Country season 4 returns Friday, April 3 at 8/7c on CBS.