Bode Leone

**Bode Leone** (also known as **Bode Donovan**) is a young convict who had a promising future until life knocked him down following his sister's death. The soul of an artist and the rap sheet of a criminal, Bode believes Cal Fire may be his a second chance, but when the firefighting program returns him to his small Northern California hometown of Edgewater, Bode is forced to face to deal with the ghosts of his past.

## Biography

### Early life

Bode was born and raised in Edgewater. During his youth, he played baseball until he got injured and developed a drug addiction. Bode went through rehab and came out clean on the other side, just in time for his sister's birthday party, where he learned that Riley and Jake were dating until Jake broke her heart, resulting in her being upset when she died in a car accident with Bode at the wheel. After her death, their father told him to leave and never come back, which is exactly what Bode did. He left town, legally changed his last name to Donovan. However, at some point, he got caught up in a life of crime and was imprisoned for armed robbery of a liquor store.

### Return to Edgewater

After Bode is denied parole, he enlists in the Cal Fire firefighting program in hopes of early release and turning his life around. Unfortunately, in doing so, Bode is returned to his hometown of Edgewater, where he attempts to get relocated to another camp. And so, that night, he and Freddy sneak out to the main road, where they await the arrival of a truck driver in camp, who agreed to allow Bode to use his phone. However, their transaction is delayed when Gabriela's car breaks down along the road. Bode offers his assistance, during which point, he discovers that she's in a relationship with Jake, a familiar face from Bode's past.

The following day, Bode and Freddy are confronted by Manny, who discovered their hidden phone after learning of their late night outing from Gabriela. Bode takes the charge and reveals to Manny that he robbed a man at gunpoint some years ago and that this man forgave him while reading a letter during his parole hearing. Bode wanted to succeed through the program, but he couldn't do it in Edgewater, given that he grew up there. However, their conversation is cut short when they're called in to a rapid fire near Buckeye Road. After learning that Jake and Eve got trapped in Miller Canyon, Bode went to save them, freeing Jake who was trapped under a tree and protecting him from the growing flames as they shared a fire shelter. Once the fire has passed, Bode reveals his identity and punches Jake, blaming him for his sister Riley's death. The three of them are then air-lifted to the hospital, where Bode is tearfully embraced by his mother.

## Relationships

### Sharon Leone

Bode and Sharon have a close relationship, especially in comparison to his father. Unlike Vince, Sharon tends to see the best in Bode in spite of his past behavior. Despite his involvement in the crash that killed Riley, she did not blame him nor did she hate him. In fact, she was devastated when Bode left town, and even more so after learning that he did so at Vince's behest. So when he finally returned to Edgewater as prisoner, she did all in her power to ensure that he remained, going as far as revealing to Manny that she was suffering from chronic kidney disease in hopes of swaying him to keep Bode on his crew, allowing them to spend as much time together as possible while Sharon remains functional.

### Vince Leone

In comparison to with his mother, Bode has a much less loving and personal relationship with his father, who blames Bode for Riley's death, for which he openly hated him for a time. Overwhelmed with grief and tired of giving Bode chances, Vince commanded his son to leave town, which he did, leaving Sharon devastated, and their family fractured even further. And when Bode returned to Edgewater as an inmate at Three Rock Con Camp, Vince's feelings of resent and hatred returned, so much so that he essentially urged Manny and Jake to report the fight involving Bode so that he would be sent back to prison. However, at Sharon's behest, Bode stayed, forcing Vince to reluctantly interact with his son. After the car accident in No Good Deed, Vince makes peacewith Bode and with his past and recognizes him as his son again.

### Jake Crawford

Bode and Jake were childhood best friends, closer to brothers, as Bode's family welcomed Jake as one of their own. However, after Bode learned that not only were Jake and Riley secretly dating but that he also cheated on her, which directly led to the car crash that killed Riley on the night of her birthday, their relationship has been violent and hostile on both ends. Upon Bode's return to Edgewater, he saved Jake's life from a wildfire, only to punch Jake after the flames were secured. Despite initially intending to turn Jake over and have him sent back to prison, Jake was advised against doing so by Eve. Still, their friendship was long gone, and things only got worse after Jake learned that Bode and Gabriela had become "friends." Nevertheless, the two have still shown the ability to work alongside one another during life or death rescues, as was the case when two girls had fallen off a cliff. This led to both Jake and Eve extending an olive branch to Bode.

### Gabriela Perez

Bode's relationship with Gabriela remains complicated, mostly due to the fact that he's in prison and that she was in a relationship with Jake at the time of their first meeting, which occurred on the side of the road near the con camp after her car broke down and Bode offered her a hand. Further complicating their "friendship" are their mutually unspoken feelings and undeniable connection between them, which became more difficult for them to ignore over time, especially as the two of them began calling each other. When Bode realizes how much their friendship bothers Jake, he tells Gabriela they can no longer talk or meet up. In spite of this, Gabriela's feelings for Bode remained, and she didn't hesitate to rescue him after he fell into the river while rescuing a kid from a teetering car on Ledgewood Bridge.

After Gabriela breaks up with Jake, she and Bode's connection continues to grow. Eventually, they kiss for the first time, though Gabriela stops the kiss, telling Bode that they should wait until he is paroled in a year, and in the meantime they will continue to work on themselves for each other. Their relationship continues to develop, with Gabriela and Eve even visiting Bode at Three Rock to celebrate his 30th Birthday. After reconnecting with an old friend, who asks Gabriela if she's happy with her life, she goes to Three Rock where she tells Bode about the tragic turn in her day and that she will only be happy when they can be together, but is fearful of something stopping that. Bode tries to reassure her that they will be okay, but she tells him she wants to be happy now and no longer wants to wait. They kiss in the rain, and with the security keys that Gabriela took, they gain access to one of the Three Rock cabins and sleep together.

## Trivia

* Bode turned 30 during *You Know Your Dragon Best*.
* Bode's date of birth is December 2nd 1992, as seen on his drug test in *Backfire.*
* Bode has a tattoo of his sister's name, "Riley," on his right forearm.

## Appearances

### Season 1

* Pilot
* The Fresh Prince of Edgewater
* Where There's Smoke...
* Work, Don't Worry
* Get Some, Be Safe
* Like Old Times
* Happy to Help
* Bad Guy
* No Good Deed
* Get Your Hopes Up
* Mama Bear
* Two Pink Lines
* You Know Your Dragon Best
* A Fair to Remember
* False Promises
* My Kinda Leader
* A Cry for Help
* Off the Rails
* Watch Your Step
* At the End of My Rope
* Backfire
* I Know It Feels Impossible

## Behind the scenes

* Bode Leone is portrayed by Max Thieriot.

## References

1. ↑ Season 1, episode 2: ***The Fresh Prince of Edgewater***
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Season 1, episode 1: ***Pilot***