The season 3 opener of The Cleaning Lady features a plethora of new obstacles for Thony (Élodie Yung), one of which is the difficulty of getting Fiona (Martha Millan) back from the Philippines.
As Fiona becomes more and more vulnerable while she is stranded overseas, Thony loses Arman (the original character, played by the late actor Adan Canto), becomes involved with Ramona, the boss of a cartel (Kate del Castillo), and receives a visit from CPS, who are concerned for her son Luca’s (Sebastien and Valentino LaSalle) safety.
Showrunners Jeannine Renshaw and Miranda Kwok were interviewed by EW to discuss how the season pays tribute to Adan and Arman and how new characters Ramona and Jorge fit into the narrative.
Recap
Two days prior, Thony was at home with her son Luca (Sebastien and Valentino LaSalle); her nephew Chris (Sean Lew) was also living there, having been taken in by her when Thony’s sister-in-law, Fiona (Martha Millan), was deported back to the Philippines.
Thony has set up a private jet with Arman’s assistance so Fiona can return to Las Vegas covertly. Thony reassures Fiona that she will return safely to her son and daughter, who are staying with her father, allaying her fears about the trip’s safety.
When Nadia (Eva De Dominici), Arman’s wife, learns that their jet is being flown off without her consent, she rushes to the airport to find out more. Thony is surprised to see that narcotics are being put onboard the aircraft when she arrives.
Abruptly, not only do armed thugs arrive and open fire on Arman and the individuals loading the aircraft, but police cars also accelerate to the location. Thony gets into Nadia’s car as soon as she drives up so they can drive quickly. Neither party is certain of Arman’s exact fate.
Thony contacts Nadia later that night to ask if they can work together to search for Arman. Nadia, who has grown closer to Arman and is not a fan of Thony’s, accuses Thony of being responsible for Arman’s abduction. After Nadia has run out of options, Thony proposes that they go see his parents, with whom he hasn’t talked in over 20 years.
Without telling him she was leaving, Fiona meets up with Paolo (JB Tadena) in Manila. Paolo was the guy Fiona dated before she departed for the United States.
She not only identifies Chris as his kid, but she also says she needs his assistance in telling the local underworld that Thony is not with her and she does not distribute narcotics. This comes after criminals searching for Thony broke into her parents’ home and made threats against the three of them using a gun.
