EXCLUSIVE: CBSFire Countryjust delivered another suspenseful, emotional finale ending in a major cliffhanger.
Separately, Manny decided to go for the 42 captain position that was being vacated by Jake.
PHELAN: No, no, no idea at all.
‘Fire Country’: Max Thieriot as Bode LeoneSergei Bachlakov/CBS
PHELAN: Joan and I, having come fromGreys Anatomy, were used to killing people.
Shaking up the cast:Why?And why now?
Same group, no additions, no departures.
(L-R) Stephanie Arcila and Billy Burke in ‘Fire Country’James Minchin/CBS
NAPOLITANO: Especially in the beginning, we felt like we had lightning in a bottle.
It just was magic, the chemistry with this cast.
Again, coming from a show likeGreys Anatomyfor years and years, thats how it works with character-driven dramas.
Were really leaning into that aspect of the show as well as honoring the authenticity.
RATER: It really just comes down to whats the best creatively.
We dont do anything lightly, we talk, we talk, we talk.
So thats where were coming from at all times.
So the audience never knows whats coming next.
And when did you tell her about it?
NAPOLITANO: It wasnt decided earlier in the season.
DEADLINE:What about Billy?
And when did you make a decision that it would be Billy?
NAPOLITANO: We are not going to confirm who were losing.
There will definitely be a devastating loss for everyone that remains in our family.
No, shooting the finale, none of the actors knew.
I heard they banded together, and ultimately their episodes were not reduced.
Is the cast member departure in any way, shape or form, connected to that?
RATER: No, its really coming out of us wanting to be exciting storytellers.
Open-ended finale with no goodbyes
DEADLINE:How did you decide to leave the finale open-ended?
I mentioned9-1-1, their character died onscreen.
You went for a big cliffhanger with three people in danger.
RATER:Tia had this beautiful image about how she wanted to end the season.
Tia, can you talk about it, the lions roaring at each other?
It wasnt quite blocked that way, but emotionally Jake, the ferocity of him protecting his friend.
They were best friends.
Theyve gone through some stuff.
What happens in there?
Whats the fallout for Bode?
Theres going to be huge emotional ramifications.
So that image has always been a mainstay of what the finale was going to be.
RATER: I wanted to leave it like that without leaving a moment to settle.
I remember onGreys, we would have these finales that we felt, Oh my god.
How are we going to solve this next season?
We have written ourselves into a corner.
But thats where the best creative ideas come from.
PHELAN: There are different ways you might do it.
And I think, depending on how youve chosen to wrap things up, both are really valid choices.
Or was that a development that came later?
The Edgewater community and Station 42 are about to be rocked.
DEADLINE:Did you discuss potentially not killing anyone off?
NAPOLITANO: Yeah, we get into it in that writers room.
What is the show like if we do this?
What opportunities are there if we exit this person or keep this person.
NAPOLITANO:This stems from authenticity.
Will we play the time deeper into the episode?
Perhaps, were still figuring out the most exciting premiere.
DEADLINE:Are you going to be beefing up the cast in light of the departures?
Will there be new additions for next season?
RATER: We havent started in earnest talking about next season.
He already has struggled with addiction and the death of his sister.
How much more grief can one person take on before they break?
How will he handle it?
Could he relapse again?
We want to explore that.
So we look forward to finding the new way to tell that story.
RATER: And by the way, theres a lot of humor to be mined.
How did that come about?
RATER: Oh, I cant remember, but I dont think so.
We love her too much.
NAPOLITANO: Its important to echo to what Tony said earlier, it isnt goodbye.
So I wouldnt say that her story is ending with a stalker story.
Its part of long-arc, character-driven storytelling.
We love her, and were all excited to see her on screen again.
PHELAN: We think of her in the same way that people loved George Clooney and Juliana Margulies onER.
She has a reason to pop in to visit him from time to time.
RATER & PHELAN: Thats right.
DEADLINE:What did you think of fans reaction to the stalker storyline?
I think it was pretty divisive, no?
So I thought it was fun to read the fan reactions.
DEADLINE:Will we ever see Gabriela in a healthy relationship?
RAITER: (laughs) I hope so.
Vince finding closure
DEADLINE:Can you talk about the Vince-Walter storyline this season?
And then they get hit with, oh my God.
Now Vinces father is declining, and we need to deal with that.
RATER: And the legacy, also, of 42.
From the writers point of view, we wanted to grow up the youngsters.
IsJake leaving 42?
DEADLINE:You mentioned Jake.
Knowing what I know, Jakes two-week notice feels like a red herring.
But I have to ask, Is Jake leaving 42; is Jordan leaving the show?
NAPOLITANO: We definitely want our fans leaning in to the possibility that anybody could leave at any time.
DEADLINE:I have it all figured out.
RATER(laughs): You could come to the writers room and be a writer.
DEADLINE:You said Jake was chomping at the bit and Bode was heir apparent.
RATER: Youre allowing your characters to grow the way we all do.
Theyre having a little bit of fun even though theyre working.
Jeff Fahey, when he smashes that window, he really smashed the window in the door.
You just see that these Leones are all cut from the same cloth.
Bode and Walter had gone in.
Yep, were going in.
Four Leones in the building, no surprise there.
So I think that was very heroic.
DEADLINE:What about the tragic twist?
Walter was so lucid and on his game, he saved so many lives by spotting the wind shift.
RAITER: Well, you just said it, its really complex.
RATER: Yeah, hes really one of our favorite characters.
Hes got this sort of complex, but quiet, decent guy.
wants to do the right thing with a lot of difficulties coming at him.
But yeah, he is a character that we think is just so compelling.
And Kevin Alejandro is a an actor who brings a lot to that role.
RATER: And I think the audience understands its always coming from a good place.
Hes a good man.
It worked somehow, and he was still living and breathing at the end of the finale.
RATER: Sadly, thats one of those that we dont have the answers for you.
DEADLINE:What about Audrey?
RATER: As as have the writers.
We really love the actress and we love the character, and we dont know.
PHELAN: She finds herself in a really interesting dilemma.
RATER: And also it goes to the authenticity.
They too had gone through a lot, most recently the well contamination and Birchs death.
What will the fallout be, and will the camp be rebuilt?
Its so important to us to be telling their stories and stories of redemption.
So we are going to figure it out.
PHELAN: But I think that Eves big arc in Season 4 is how to reconstitute it.
What does it look like?
What does she have control over versus what does she not have control over?
You felt like she was the leader of these guys.
And then her commitment, it remains clear.
So how is she gonna reconstitute it?
Thats an exciting story.
So I look forward to finding more stories for her.
NAPOLITANO: And just to go back to Three Rocks.
Was there a possibility for him to die?
He came close a couple of times.
RATER: We are not monsters!
NAPOLITANO: Weve had a graduation every finale.
We had Bode, and now we had Cole.
Art mirroring life during L.A. fires
DEADLINE:You mentioned the L.A. fires.
How did the fires impact you, your writers room, your cast and crew?
And has the experience influenced the way you crafted the finale and how you continue to tell these stories?
RATER: How could it not impact us?
And how we want to continue to tell the stories is truthfully, authentically and honoring these people.
In fact, I got a story for you.
Seeing Jakes girlfriend Violet watching it on the news, being scared for him.
We sprinkle those in when we can.
PHELAN: It was very disconcerting.
And Joan just says, You guys, I have to go.
I see fire out my window.
NAPOLITANO: Not yet, we will.
DEADLINE:Is the Oxalta storyline now completed or could there be more?
PHELAN: We dont know.
We havent started the writers room.
DEADLINE:Is there a chance for Jared Padalecki to come back next season?
RATER:We dont know yet, its too early.
Itll still be the show that everybody loves.
Its just only gonna get more interesting.
