Some Fire Country Fans Think Manny Is A Red Herring For The Arsonist
Now that we're well into Season 1, things are heating up on "Fire Country." Even though Bode (Max Thieriot) and Gabriela (Stephanie Arcila) decided to pump the brakes on their burgeoning romance, it's easy to see that those feelings are still there. Vince (Billy Burke) and Sharon (Diane Farr) have to come up with a new plan now that Jake (Jordan Calloway) wasn't able to go through with the kidney transplant. The inmates at Three Rock Con Camp are finally settling into their role assisting Cal Fire, but there's also a deadly mystery looming overhead.
Someone is purposefully setting fires in the area and investigators are on the hunt for the arsonist. Unfortunately, it looks like a firefighter is responsible and Manny Perez (Kevin Alejandro) is high up on the suspect list. Manny might seem like an odd suspect given his current standing as a pillar of the Edgewater community, but he does have a criminal history. He's changed a lot since his incarceration, which is why Sharon was so confident about making him the fire captain at Three Rock. However, despite the character's checkered past, some viewers think that Manny becoming a suspect is an intentional misdirection.
Fire Country fans don't think Manny is the culprit
Manny has come a long way since he was one of the inmates working at Three Rock, but he's not out of the weeds completely. He's a recovering gambling addict who's deep in debt. Last week's episode, an installment titled "False Promises," showed that he's even working a second job on a fishing boat to help pay off the money he owes. On one hand, it makes sense that officials would want to clear him of all wrongdoing. On the other hand, viewers couldn't help but point out that Manny doesn't have much of a motive.
Manny values his daughter and his job more than anything, so it wouldn't make a lot of sense for him to put those things in jeopardy without some kind of payday. "I think he's a red herring for the arsonist," wrote Reddit user u/heed101. "If the investigation turned up his debt it might move the spotlight to Manny, but he doesn't stand to profit from these fires unless he was being paid; but if he's being paid, why is he working a fishing boat on his off days?" Other fans felt similarly. "Finally, Manny for the arson? As discussed here before, overtime is overtime whether there are fires or not, so he has no motive," said Reddit user u/nylanderfan.
"Fire Country" fans aren't convinced that Jake is the arsonist, either. The narrative continues to point fingers, but the suspect pool seems to be shrinking.