Fire Country Boss Talks Vince's Death, Bode's Sobriety And Shawn Hatosy's Role As [Spoiler] — Grade The Premiere!

Just as "Fire Country" says goodbye to one battalion chief, Station 42 is already saying hello to another — albeit, begrudgingly.

In the Season 4 premiere of the CBS drama, the team grapples with losing Vince to the Zabel Ridge fire, and things aren't going well. Bode contemplates relapsing, while Sharon is practically catatonic, consumed by anger and guilt. Meanwhile, the entire station is left scrambling to find a battalion chief replacement. 

But refilling Vince's position is a delicate matter — the man just died! When Jake mentions possibly stepping into the role during the funeral, Bode blows up, telling him he can suck up until the cows come home. Even if Jake lands a spot at Vince's desk, Bode promises that won't be the end of it. 

"When you're sitting in my dad's chair, just remember, you're renting it," he says. "It's my birthright, and I'm coming for it."

In the wake of all that tension, Sharon ends up suspending Station 42 from active duty, saying the team is broken. After eight weeks of sitting on the sidelines, the team jumps back into action — without a battalion chief — to respond to a lumber mill fire. The rescue ends up being Gabriella's last time suiting up with 42 as she moves on to become a firefighter recruiter. (But she doesn't leave without giving #Bodiella fans something to chew on: She tells Bode she still loves him, but he says love isn't enough.)

By the end of the episode, a battalion chief finally emerges: Shawn Hatosy's Brett Richards, Vince and Sharon's supposed arch nemesis, is now lording over Station 42. 

Read on to get the scoop on all the premiere's biggest moments, from Vince's death to the new chief, in our Q&A with showrunner Tia Napolitano.

TVLINE | Let's talk about the Season 4 premiere, starting with the loss of Vince. What's it like losing such an integral member of the team? How did you get there creatively?

Napolitano | It's been challenging to move forward with the show without such a pivotal character, but it's also why he is the one we lost. We knew that the impact of such a change would be great, it would affect everyone's story, we would really have to emotionally live through it and eventually move on for every single character. 

TVLINE | We see Bode have vulnerable exchanges with both Audrey and Gabriella in the premiere. Knowing that grief can affect people in different ways, how will Bode's romantic life be impacted by this loss?

Bode will need to lean on everyone close to him in his life. He'll do that with varying degrees of success, depending on the person. When it comes to his romantic life, I think it's hard enough to be a part of a couple as it is, so it's harder to be a part of a couple, or participate in your romantic life, when you're really going through it, and so we'll really put Bode to the test — we'll put Bodie and Audrey to the test.

TVLINE | It looks like grief may also test Bode's sobriety. He tells Audrey that he flushed those pills, but we later see him toying with them in his locker. How will his recovery be impacted by Vince's loss? And will this lie he told Audrey have larger implications in their relationship?

It's interesting. Him lying to her is one thing. I think the greater problem is he's a struggling, recovering addict going through grief, and those pills that he still has, and that he would lie about them, are more than a threat to their relationship, they're an existential threat to him. And so we will be very afraid about that. Audrey will become involved. It's something that we're really gonna have Bode struggle with for a little bit.

TVLINE | Vince's loss also deeply affects Sharon, of course. She's struggling with some survivor's guilt and she's very angry with Walter for going against her authority and leaving her husband behind. Will she ever be able to forgive him?

There's more evolution in the Sharon-Walter relationship. He'll come back to the show deeper into the season to pick up that conversation where they left off, and it takes a surprising turn.

TVLINE | A surprising turn of what nature?

It will undeniably bring Sharon and Walter a step closer to each other.

TVLINE | I want to move on to Sean Hatosy's character, Brett Richards. What can you tell us about the backstory between him, Vince and Sharon? And why did Vince hate him so much?

We'll find out a little bit more, deeper into the season, but they were all in the academy together as young people. Sharon and Vince were a couple, and they just didn't like this guy. Their energies did not mesh. It was years ago, and we'll get into that as the season progresses.

TVLINE | Yeah, there's clearly bad blood there, the guy came in pretty hot!

He really splashes into the world. He's designed to shake things up. We'll hear more about his ethos, why he's here, what he plans to do here, why he came in like that, in the next few episodes. We'll really get to know him.

TVLINE | At the end of the episode, Brett reveals that he's the new battalion chief, and that he is going to reinvent the firehouse. What exactly will that entail, and how will his reinvention be received by Bode and the rest of the team?

We'll find out in the next coming episodes, but what we do know is Vincent Leone ran that fire station like it was his living room. That will not be the case with Brett Richards. You know, they don't know him, he doesn't know them, and they really will be questioning his agenda. I think a lot of people will bristle at the new energy. Any degree of change that Brett Richards brings with him is going to be hard fought.

What do you think of Station 42's new battalion chief? Will Bode be able to usurp the title in honor of his father? Grade the episode in the poll below, then hit the comments with your thoughts!