Spoilers for Fireplace Nation Season 3, Episode 9 are forward! In the event you haven’t seen it but, stream it with a Paramount+ subscription. Then, catch new episodes each Friday on CBS at 9 p.m. ET.
To place it calmly, issues have been rocky between Manny and Gabriela all through the whole first half of Fireplace Nation’s third season. Between Gabriela’s marriage ceremony exploding and Manny going again to Three Rock, they’ve each been on the verge of a breaking level, and so they lastly hit it in Episode 9 as Stephanie Arcila’s character blew up on her dad. Nonetheless, it was a “vital” second, in keeping with Manny actor Kevin Alejandro, as he instructed me why he thought it was very important that his daughter referred to as out his character.
In honor of Fireplace Nation’s mid-season premiere on the 2025 TV schedule, I spoke to Kevin Alejandro – who each stars in and directed Episode 9 – about Manny and Gabriela’s relationship. They’ve been on the fritz all season, particularly after her break up with Diego, and this installment confirmed the impression of all the strain that’s constructed over the primary eight episodes. So, Arcila’s character passionately referred to as out her father for the way he dealt with her marriage ceremony, and whereas it was robust to listen to, it was vital, because the Manny actor instructed me:
You already know, I feel all of us want that in our lives, numerous instances. We must be referred to as out as a result of, we’re so blinded by the trigger and impact of every little thing and the way it, you realize – particularly when there’s a lot happening on the earth, you get blinded generally. And so I feel it was a vital second for the 2, undoubtedly an eye-opening [moment.]
What Alejandro is referencing right here is the passionate approach Gabriela proclaimed that “nothing about the place I’m at proper now could be OK,” after they discovered secure shelter whereas trapped in an enormous wildfire. Manny was clearly confused by this blow-up and wasn’t fairly positive why his daughter wasn’t relieved on this second, as a result of they had been secure from the fireplace engulfing them.
That’s not her concern although. This scene serves as a significant breaking level for her, and he or she let loose all her emotions which were pent up since her marriage ceremony gone unsuitable. To that time, Alejandro instructed me the thought course of Manny went by means of whereas Gabriela lamented:
In the event you keep in mind the way in which he reacted, he was like, ‘What the fuck are you speaking about? I do not perceive what you are saying.’ And till she needed to go deeper and present her uncooked emotion, [he] was like, ‘Oh, shoot. I had no concept that I used to be affecting you that approach.’
Contemplating the longstanding abandonment trauma Gabriela has due to her mother and father, it 100% is smart that she referred to as her dad out for his actions, as he didn’t help her actually in any respect when her marriage ceremony fell aside. He wanted to listen to that, as a result of, as Alejandro mentioned, Manny didn’t know that his daughter was so deeply impacted by his actions and reactions.
Whereas a tough tablet to swallow for everybody concerned right here – together with the viewers – this dialog was very important for Manny and Gabriela, and I used to be hoping it’d occur within the mid-season premiere. And thank goodness it did, as a result of now, that she received every little thing off their chest, it places them ready to maneuver ahead and heal.
Total, this visceral and emotional call-out served as a beautiful turning level for Manny and Gabriela, as a result of they lastly communicated about every little thing that went unsuitable within the first half of the season. Now, I’m hopeful that as they take the subsequent steps ahead towards really therapeutic, this father-daughter duo can discover a option to help each other totally.
Their love is so deep, and it’s all the time beautiful to see them on display, nonetheless, this tough patch wanted to occur so they might tackle all their previous trauma.