A significant character in the Fire Country cast appears missing in action in Season 3. Now that Season 3 has put in seven episodes, it's evident that Fire Country missed the boat for not revisiting the character of Luke Leone (Michael Trucco). Perhaps it's due to Fire Country's short sophomore season due to the strikes, but the second season did a much better job integrating Luke into the main storyline and getting the most out of the character. Not to mention, Fire Country Season 3 ignores a major plot setup concerning what happened with Luke and Sharon in the Season 2 finale. It's time to explain why now is the appropriate time to reintegrate Luke Leone back into Fire Country.
Luke Leone Disappeared After the Season 3 Premiere
So far, Luke's only appearance in the third season occurred in the premiere episode, "What the Bride Said," which makes sense because it picks up directly from where the Season 2 finale, "I Do," left off. However, since that time, the show has generally been radio silent regarding Luke and his whereabouts. During Season 2, Luke assumed the role of Interim Division Chief of Division 1501, a position formerly held by his sister-in-law, Sharon Leone (Diane Farr). In his final scene of Season 3, Luke last appeared standing up for Manny Perez (Kevin Alejandro), who police were looking to haul off and arrest over Manny's previous assault of Luke in the second season. The last frame of reference for Luke featured the character uncharacteristically helping Manny during his difficult time. Granted, the series often depicts Luke in a negative light, even though he’s not truly the villain the show makes him out to be. It feels strange that the show has yet to check in on Luke since the premiere.
The Season 2 Finale Set Up a Potential Conflict Between Luke and Sharon
During the Season 2 finale, it looked like there was an interesting setup where Sharon would be challenging Luke for the role of Division Chief of Division 1501 in Edgewater. After returning to Edgewater in Season 2, Sharon resumed working as a rank-and-file firefighter while Luke took over her old job. Fire Country's Season 2 finale suggested that there could be some future in-fighting between the Leone family members when Sharon told Luke that he was merely "renting" her former title. During an interview with Entertainment Weekly shortly after the finale, Fire Country showrunner Tia Napolitano stated about Sharon regaining the title, "We will see the process of her getting her job back, and Cal Fire is going to take notice of these people trading jobs and positions as they see fit." Seven episodes into Season 3, there's still no sign of this subplot.
Rather than seeing Sharon undergo the process of acquiring her job back as Division Chief, the writers quietly resolved the whole angle in Season 3, Episode 3, "Welcome to the Cult." During the episode, Vince Leone (Billy Burke) comments on Sharon's uniform, referring to her as "D.C. Leone." That moment appeared to lampshade what could have been a multi-episode arc for Sharon. There could be extenuating circumstances causing Luke's current absence from the series, but the audience never received the proper payoff to the Luke and Sharon storyline. The off-screen resolution of Sharon regaining her old job does not supply some satisfying character drama.
Now Is a Good Time To Revisit Luke Leone
Image via CBS
It's a good time for Fire Country to revisit Luke Leone and share his current circumstances. Did Luke return to his previous role as Cal Fire's communications director? Is Luke cool with Vince and Sharon after Sharon took back her old job? Did Luke perhaps get a promotion to an even higher role? Additionally, would Luke's return signal conflict within the Leone family and Division 1501, or is he now on the same page with his family? Not to mention, Trucco is great in the role and has tremendous chemistry with the rest of the cast, so it would be great to see him return to the show. Hopefully, Fire Country has not seen the last of Trucco as Luke Leone.
New episodes of Fire Country Season 3 debut on Friday nights on CBS. Every episode of the series is available to stream now on Paramount+ in the U.S.
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