The Cleaning Lady (S03E01) – Thony’s Loss Of Allies Gives The Series New Life
With losing all the people who empowered her in the first two seasons, Thony is nearly back where she started but being the underdog might be where she is most comfortable.
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Recap
Where Is Arman – Nadia, Thony, Eduardo, Teresa
So the plan was that Arman would use Robert’s route to Manila to get Fiona back home, remember? The problem is, Arman was going to move drugs on this trip, and a gang ambushed him. On top of that issue, Nadia gets a call about this and isn’t happy to discover a shootout in her airport hangar. She only leaves the situation with Thony, as Arman is in a firefight for his life.
Hours to a day later, there are questions about where Arman is since he hasn’t contacted Nadia or Thony, so they get desperate enough to speak to Arman’s parents, Eduardo and Teresa. Neither has seen him in over 23 years, and Eduardo is fine with never seeing his son again. After all, he has long separated himself from all the mob, cartel, whatever you want to call it, stuff that he was only a few degrees separated from.
But, while Eduardo is cold-hearted, Teresa is not, and she gives Nadia an amulet that Thony later steals, as there is hope they will find her baby boy.
Meanwhile, In The Philippines – Fiona, Jacinto, Alma, Paolo, Thony
With Thony’s plans influx, Fiona finds herself stuck in Manila longer than expected. Thankfully, her parents, Jacinto and Alma, don’t make things difficult, but her association with Thony does.
From what it appears, Gabriel and Anna-Mae snitched on Thony and Fiona, and because Thony is out of reach, Fiona is paying the price. But, as a silver lining, the man Fiona was dating before she came to America, Paolo, may joke and call her The Magician because of how she disappeared, but they seem cool enough for him to have empathy and want to help with her ordeal, which makes revealing to him that he is Chris’ dad all the more easier.
When It Rains It Pours – Chris, Jazz, Thony, Luca, Fiona, Susan, Ramona, Fiona
As you can imagine, no one is fond of Thony right now. Jazz may have her dad, but she is going to junior prom, and not having her mom there to help her get ready is frustrating for her. Chris? You know he is ready to lash out as much as he can since learning he isn’t a citizen, not knowing who his dad is, and now his mom being deported? That leads him to voluntarily go to Manila to reunite with his mom, for he can’t stand Thony.
Naturally, Fiona isn’t happy, as this complicates things further, but Thony is trying to work her magic. She looks into getting Fiona smuggled, which leads to her trying to meet up with Sin Cara and learning that Arman was the nephew of one of, if not the leader of Sin Cara, Ramona – Eduardo’s sister. They don’t have him but vow to help, and with that, it seems Thony has at least one ally.
Unfortunately for her, though, the episode ends with a woman named Susan revealing she is from Child Protective Services, and because Thony missed a mandatory medical appointment for Luca, she will be taking him.
Cast Guide
| Character’s Name | Actor’s Name |
| Chris | Sean Lew |
| Jazz | Faith Bryant |
| Thony | Elodie Yung |
| Luca | Sebastien LaSalle, Valentino LaSalle |
| Fiona | Martha Millan |
| Susan | Rekha Sharma |
| Ramona | Kate del Castillo |
| Jacinto | Alberto Isaac |
| Alma | Princess Punzalan |
| Paolo | JB Tadena |
| Nadia | Eva De Dominici |
| Eduardo | Jason Manuel Olazabal |
| Teresa | Jacqueline Obradors |
New Character Description(s)
Paolo
Paolo is Fiona’s ex-boyfriend, whom she left behind when she came to America. He is Chris’ biological father.
Eduardo
Eduardo is Arman’s father who didn’t support Arman getting into Hayak’s business, nor his sister being part of a major cartel.
Teresa
Teresa is Arman’s mother. She isn’t as cold toward her son as Eduardo, and while she hasn’t spoken to him in years either, she still loves him dearly.
Susan
Susan is a representative of Child Protective Services who is Luca’s caseworker.
- The actor is also known for their role in “Yellowjackets.”
Ramona
Ramona is Eduardo’s sister and Arman’s aunt. She is either the leader of Sin Cara or one of them.
- The actor is also known for their role in “Bad Boys For Life.”
Review
Highlights
A Question Of How Things Will Move Forward
Unfortunately, on January 8th this year, Adan Canto, who played Armando, died. From what it appears, he isn’t being recast, so that leads to the question of what will the show do? Without him, Thony has lost a love interest, one of her few allies with any sort of power, and Nadia lost one of the only things that could keep her connected with Thony and her nonsense.
But, with losing Arman does come “The Cleaning Lady” now in this space where it can’t be as predictable as it once was. Yes, Thony is likely to get into situations that would get the majority of people killed. However, now she needs to build new alliances on her own and handle the growing number of enemies she has made, and who knows, between Ramona, Nadia, the FBI, and others, how she will balance the many who are pulling her in different directions?
Plus, taking note of the movie “Kemba,” there is always the need to ask, with Arman dead and Thony involved in many of his crimes, will she be looked at as a fall person for the FBI to claim a win?
Just Enough Drama To Keep Things Interesting
Expanding beyond Thony getting deeper and deeper with organized crime, we have to look at what else is going on. Nadia just inherited a massive fortune thanks to Robert, including all the illegal activities he had going on. Luca was just snatched by Child Protective Services, and without Arman or Garrett, what means does Thony have to get the FBI, or any agency to not only help her, but not have her deported?
Then, with Fiona, she has an old flame, more issues stemming from her relationship with Thony, Chris suddenly in Manila, and Jaz now in America with only her father. Granted, as shown in season 2, he is a good guy, but he isn’t her mom.
All of this could prevent the sophomore slump seen in season 2 from extending into season 3, assuming expectations and potential are executed well.
Background Information
| Network | FOX |
| Episode Title | Arman |
| Release Date | March 5, 2024 |
| Director(s) | Timothy Busfield |
| Writer(s) | Miranda Kwok |
| Previous Episode | Season 2/ Episode 12 |
| Series Page | The Cleaning Lady |
| Character Guide | The Cleaning Lady Cast & Character Guide |
