Fire Country Season 3 is right around the corner, and while we wait for its premiere on the 2024 TV schedule, there are a lot of questions to consider about the characters’ futures. The biggest storylines in question center around Bode’s freedom, Gabriela’s marriage and Manny’s arrest. While we don't know much about any of them, the showrunner recently provided some insight into Manny’s story specifically, and it’s added fuel to my theory about him ending up back at Three Rock.
To recap, during the final episodes of Season 2, Kevin Alejandro’s Manny was told there was a warrant out for his arrest for “aggravated battery” and “reckless endangerment.” Then, in the finale, he was arrested after walking Gabriela down the aisle. While speaking with TV Line, showrunner Tia Napolitano addressed what’s coming for the firefighter this season, saying:
We’re really going to walk this legal process of, ‘How does this go? What are the charges, what are the potential options…?’ The law has been alerted, so he’s going to have to deal with that, and we’re going to live that with Manny.
As we’ve seen throughout the show, the Fire Country cast does what they can to protect their family and friends, so I assume everyone will be working to help Manny. Vince and Sharon already have, and considering they both have significant sway in the fire department, I could see them pulling strings to help Gabriela’s dad out. I think the most logical way to do that is to get him assigned to Three Rock as an inmate.
Plus, ever since Bode became a free man, I’ve been wondering how Three Rock will stay a big part of the show. Napolitano told me that “we’re not saying goodbye” to the camp next season, and confirmed that it will remain integral to the show.
During my interview with the showrunner, we also talked about Manny’s future following his arrest, and she presented me with some questions he’ll have to consider in Season 3. She explained:
Manny's been the heartbeat of redemption on the show. So I think making him really continue to walk the walk and be an example of someone who can make a mistake. And everyone's looking at him like ‘Well, are you going to pick yourself up and dust yourself off and do what you told other guys they can do? Or are you going to lie down?’ I think the choices he makes with his future now that he's been arrested, I think that his relationship with Gabriela and with Bode hang in the balance depending on how he handles that.
Clearly, Kevin Alejandro’s character will remain a massive part of Fire Country, and even though he’s been arrested, it sounds like he’ll at least be close to Edgewater. Not only would it be convenient to send him to Three Rock in terms of keeping Manny directly in the existing storylines, but it would also be meaningful. He has a record and he used to be the captain of the camp, to see him work his way toward redemption with Eve and the Three Rock guys would be so impactful and full circle in a way.
As you can see, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what’s going to happen to Manny. He’s one of my favorite characters, and I desperately want to see him get back into the good graces of the law. I think sending him to Three Rock is the best and most logical way to do that, and I’m crossing my fingers that my theory proves to be right in Season 3.
We’ll have to wait a few more months to find out what happens to Manny. However, you can go back and watch his story up to its most current point by streaming the first two seasons of Fire Country with a Paramount+ subscription.
