Manny’s downfall in Fire Country season 3 had been already

decided in the season 2 storyline about Three Rock’s closure,

but its latest development can bring forth Manny’s best future.

Talks about closing Three Rock were floated throughout Fire Country season 2, and those closest to the inmate fire camp did their best not to despair and convince Edgewater’s residents of the importance of Three Rock. Its impending closure destroyed Manny, but learning that Luke Leone had campaigned for Three Rock’s closure at the Firefighter Ball enraged Manny, which resulted in his punching Luke in front of the governor.

Luke understanding why Manny reacted as he did, considering that he knew his history and how being an inmate firefighter at Three Rock saved him, didn’t change how Manny was wanted by the police by Fire Country season 2, episode 9’s ending. Wanting to be there for Gabriela’s wedding meant Manny was arrested in season 2’s finale, dooming his Fire Country season 3 storyline to be about serving his sentence, whatever would that be. The firefighters’ involvement in Fire Country season 3, episode 2 ensured Manny wouldn’t overpay for his mistakes, landing him in Three Rock as an inmate.

Fire Country Season 3, Episode 3 Shows Manny Belongs In Three Rock
Manny & The Inmates’ Camaraderie Was Something He Never Had At Station 42

Manny’s return to Three Rock in Fire Country season 3, episode 3 made how loved he was there particularly evident. From the king-like welcome he received from the other inmates to how eager he was in his tasks, to the point that his intervention when the other inmate fell proved lifesaving, Fire Country season 3, episode 3 showed that Three Rock was the place where Manny felt most comfortable, even if he returned there an inmate. Indeed, Manny never had that type of camaraderie at Station 42.

[Despite] his fellow firefighters welcoming him back in season 2 after he was dismissed as captain of Three Rock, Manny never felt part of the group.

Even if his fellow firefighters, whose help was indispensable in securing him a fair sentence in Fire Country season 3, episode 3, welcomed him back in season 2 after he was dismissed as captain of Three Rock, Manny never felt as part of the group. This was all the more evident after Eve had become captain at Three Rock and tried to find ways to be accepted as such, while the inmates looked at Manny as family and Manny didn’t know how to help her, because he missed being part of that group too.

Manny’s Three Rock Return Sets Up His Best Future In Fire Country
Manny’s Legacy Was Always Being A Captain At Three Rock, His Return Can Make It Happen

Losing Three Rock as a consequence of the events of Fire Country season 1’s ending that landed Bode back in prison was devastating for Manny. Knowing first-hand how inmate fire camps could save an inmate’s life by teaching them something, providing them with a tight-knit group and leaving them with experience that could lead to their employment in the same field after their sentence ended made it especially difficult for Manny to leave. This made Manny’s return to Three Rock a joyful occasion, even as an inmate, because it meant he was returning where he felt most at home

Although Eve proved herself a capable and just captain for Three Rock, that inmate fire camp was always Manny’s legacy. Manny had to be punished after Bode’s drug test returned positive in season 1, but this shouldn’t preclude him from returning to lead an inmate fire camp in the future. Returning to Three Rock thus brings Manny’s story closer to the fire camp in Fire Country season 3, hinting at his future possibly involving being its captain again, especially if Eve’s Fire Country season 3 neighborhood education storyline leads her away from the camp.