Fire Country is a family affair! Season 3, Episode 14, “Death Trap,” is the television directorial debut of filmmaker Leslie Alejandro, who is the wife of Fire Country star and frequent director Kevin Alejandro. Parade spoke to both of them about working together on Fire Country and in life.
“We’re partners in crime,” Kevin says, tongue-in-cheek.
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The origin of Leslie working on Fire Country goes all the way back to National Treasure: Edge of History, a Disney+ series that Kevin directed one episode of. That series, like Fire Country, was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Television, and Leslie says that JBTV CEO KristieAnne Reed became her champion. With Reed’s help, Leslie was able to get on set and shadow Kevin while he directed his episode. Then, after Kevin was cast on Fire Country as Manny, she shadowed director Marie Jamora during Season 1 and Kevin during Season 2. After that, she was invited to make her debut in Season 3.
“To get the news that they gave me an episode was not only one of the best news I've ever received," she says. "But it was also an honor that they believed that I could actually do this."
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Kevin and Leslie have been together for 22 years, and in addition to being spouses, they’re also creative collaborators. They have a production company and co-directed a short film called Adult Night, which stars Kevin and his Lucifer co-star Lesley-Ann Brandt. So when it came time for Leslie to direct him on Fire Country, they knew how to work together, and what each one needed from the other.
“It was nerve-wracking going into it, starting with prep," Leslie reveals. "But Kevin was so gracious that he let me just be me and do me. And if I had any questions, I would definitely ask him. But other than that, I just felt his support, of course, and the support of the whole crew and cast.”
“It also helped that the way they boarded this particular episode was they put all of my stuff on one day, on the first day,” Kevin says. “I don't know the reasons. But it actually helped, in my opinion, that I would come in, do my thing, get out of the way, and let her rely on her team.”
She was especially nervous about the weather. It had stormed both times she shadowed on the seasons prior. Luckily, it only rained once during her whole shoot, and it was a day they were filming inside anyway. Everything naturally fell into place.
“She had a moment where she was like, ‘I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. Why is everything so smooth? Why is everything running so well?’” Kevin says. “I’m like, ‘Because you're doing it!’”
Related: Will Bode Relapse on His Pill Addiction on Fire Country?
Leslie did a lot of prep before she got to set, so she felt confident that she was ready. And then the Fire Country team set her up for success.
“The crew and the team behind the scenes and on set are just incredible,” she says. “It just made it very seamless, which I appreciated. But it also kind of messed with me, because this experience was so amazing that moving forward, I'm just gonna expect all the experiences to be this good.”
“I gotta tell you, it was really cool, from a husband's perspective to see her doing this,” Kevin says. “I hope you don't mind me sharing this, but she had a moment where she was sitting in her office. And her name's on the office, and it's Fire Country, and she's shot-listing, and talking to her DP. And after he left the room, she had a moment where she kind of choked up and said out loud to herself, ‘I'm doing what I'm meant to be doing.’ And I love telling that story, because it's just from a place of honesty. And she's f–king right. She's doing what she's meant to be doing. And it's really cool to be able to sit here and witness her progression and growth, because I think she's just amazing at what she does. I'm lucky to do it, but she deserves to do it.”
Sergei Bachlakov/CBSKevin Alejandro as Manny Perez in 'Fire Country' Season 3
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In the episode, the firefighters of Station 42 respond to a call for a wellness check that turns into a house fire. Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila) forms a potential romantic connection with Finn (Blake Lee), the neighbor who made the call. Vince (Billy Burke) and Sharon (Diane Farr) face a difficult decision regarding Vince’s father Walter (Jeff Fahey), whose dementia is progressing past a point they can care for on their own. Bode (Max Thieriot) and Audrey (Leven Rambin) finally go on a date, and Bode reveals that he’s holding onto the pills that Drew gave him in the last episode. According to him, having them and not taking them makes him feel powerful and in control. And Manny and Eve (Jules Latimer) stumble upon a conspiracy at Three Rock.
In Episode 13, Three Rock resident Birch, who Manny had taken an interest in helping achieve sobriety, got sick and died. It was sudden, traumatic, and surprising, because it seemed like he just had a bad cold, not a fatal illness. And he was sweating with no fever and his hands turned blue, which are unusual symptoms.
In “Death Trap,” Eve and Manny convince Birch’s sister to order an autopsy for him, but then his body gets cremated before the autopsy is performed, which Eve thinks is very weird, especially because the Department of Corrections didn’t order it. The sister tells her that she authorized it, but that she can’t talk to Eve about it anymore. Eve suspects that a lawyer got to her, and someone is covering something up, and she decides she’s going to get to the bottom of who and why.
But then the situation takes a turn when Manny himself gets sick with the same symptoms Birch had, including sweating with no fever. The episode ends on a cliffhanger, as Manny shakes with illness in his bunk.
This mystery plot is different than anything Fire Country has done before, and it will be an important part of the last quarter of the season coming up. Kevin says that fans should “really pay attention” to this cliffhanger, “because it sets up a story that’s much bigger than it seems.”
“It shows the opportunity that Three Rock has, led by Eve, to step up, and really shows the genuine sort of camaraderie that Three Rock has. And so we go on a journey of figuring out what the hell is going on over at Three Rock, but it leads to something much bigger towards the end of this season.” The cliffhanger is “a really cool, strong way to set up what's coming next.”
Fire Country airs Fridays at 9/8c on CBS. Episodes are available to stream next day on Paramount+.
Related: 'Fire Country' Renewed for Season 4 on CBS
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