‘Fire Country’: Kevin Alejandro Talks the ‘Wonderful Challenge’ of Filming Midseason Premiere and Manny Having to Trust His Instincts (Exclusive)

Fire Country returned on Friday night, and star Kevin Alejandro spoke to PopCulture.com all about it.

In “On the Carpet,” the wildfire continued to rage, and Alejandro’s Manny continued to run point and make some pretty intense decisions.

The episode also took place after the events of the wildfire to try to figure out what happened. As for the cliffhangers, Bode and Tyler ended up being okay, as did Jake and Malcolm, but there were some problems later in the episode that would say otherwise. Tyler admitted to being the Zabel Ridge arsonist, and Malcolm got seriously injured after going back to rescue Jake following problems with the first rescue. Take a look at what Alejandro had to say and what fans can look forward to with the aftermath. (Interview has been edited for length and clarity.)

PopCulture: The format of this episode is really interesting. It goes back and forth between the events of the wildfire to the next day when Manny and Sharon are being questioned by Luke. What was it like filming it this way?

Kevin Alejandro: I was just saying this to somebody earlier that this was probably one of the most fun I’ve had in the Fire Country world. I mean, obviously, I love the attention and the drama and all the action that we do, but love this one so much in a different way because it was three people sitting across from each other, having a conversation, and trying to live in the honesty and defend the choices that the character made without judging that and understanding where they came from. So it was a wonderful challenge.

And I’ve purposely not seen any of this stuff because I wanna watch it with our audience, but what I’m hearing is that it’s still our show, but it was just in such a different sort of way of telling the story that was pretty compelling and that we should be proud of how it turned out.

PC: In the midseason finale, we saw Manny taking point on the fire and making some really rash decisions, especially as the feud with Drake County progressed, and that only continued in the midseason premiere. Why do you think he keeps making these kinds of decisions, such as going against orders and even taking backup from Three Rock?

Alejandro: Manny is the type of guy that leads with instinct, and I think that’s what got him into a position of power, a position of, for lack of a better word, power of what you are, just seniority with someone in charge because of an instinct. So he has nothing to trust other than his own instincts, and that’s what makes him a good leader. Like I said, the challenge is to go into those situations without judging the character and judging the choices and understanding where they come from.

PC: Obviously, with some of these decisions, a lot of people didn’t like them, especially when it came to saving Jake, who didn’t want to be rescued because he didn’t want anyone risking themselves, which put Malcolm in jeopardy. How was it playing off these complex dynamics with everyone as things just kept getting worse?

Alejandro: Just to think back of what I was saying, we gotta trust our instincts, and that’s what makes them so great. But it leads to you would question our own instincts after every outcome. I just can’t express enough how fun this episode was because of that aspect of just really being forced to sit with your decisions and understanding everything and everyone around you.

PC: Going off of that, despite the harsh interrogation, Luke says that Manny is the reason Jake is alive. What do you think that meant to him, considering all that has happened?

Alejandro: It was just a validation for his instincts. He does function one way, and whatever consequences and whatever reactions happen after that, he’s forced to deal with it. So he had success in that moment. He has to continue to trust his instincts because they’ve gotten him to where he is.

PC: How will the events from the wildfire and the outcome of it impact the series in these upcoming episodes, especially between Jake and Manny?

Alejandro: The next level of your relationship, and I think it creates a better understanding of who they are and their position, and raises the question of whether or not the two of them are able to respect the positions that have thrust upon them. It’s like, it wasn’t my choice. believe that if it was Manny’s choice, it would have been like, “F— yeah. Cage the guy. He’s young. He’s superhuman, it seems to be. He’s got the physical strength. He’s got the agility. He’s got the ability. He’s got the smarts. Of course. Why wouldn’t it be him?”

But, not to undermine Manny in any way. He’s got the experience. He’s been there. He’s dealt with the heartbreak and the hard decisions. So, it’s a true challenge for both of their perspectives of do we deserve to be where we’re at right now? Get to explore that in a few different ways.

New episodes of Fire Country air on Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS, streaming the next day on Paramount+.