“Fire Country” star Stephanie Arcila breaks down Roberta’s eventful visit and what’s next for Gabriela

Gabriela’s mother, Roberta, showed up in Edgewater and made quite the impression as she hashed things out with her daughter.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Fire Country season 2, episode 8, "It's Not Over."

Roberta (Paola Núñez) has entered the building.

There was a surprise guest on Fire Country as Gabriela’s (Stephanie Arcila) estranged mother unexpectedly showed up in Edgewater. While the first responders worked to reverse the decision to close Three Rock at an event for the governor, Roberta made the rounds talking to all the men in her daughter’s life.

Since Gabriela got engaged in the season premiere, fans have been waiting for Roberta to show up, and she made quite the impression. “Roberta is the perfect person to come in and spice things up,” says Fire Country star Stephanie Arcila, “Bringing all of these Latinos together in one episode brings a lot of flavor and a different tone to everything that has been happening.”

EW spoke to Arcila about Gabriela’s forced family reunion, her reasons for pivoting from firefighter to paramedic, where things stand with Bode (Max Thieriot), and more.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What was your reaction to learning we’d be meeting Gabriela’s mother this season?

STEPHANIE ARCILA: I was so excited. It’s always nice when the audience can know our characters and their families in depth — where they come from and why they are the way they are based on past traumas and their upbringing. By meeting Roberta and seeing the type of mom that [Gabriela] grew up with, they’re going to understand the choices she’s made in life. They get to see how she was brought up and understand more why she yearns [for] community so much.

This episode was set at a formal event. What was it like for everyone to get all dressed up for a change?

It was so nice. Everyone looked so beautiful. It was a little awkward because we’re in our uniforms all of the time, so we’re like, "I gotta wear this underneath this dress and gotta figure out how to mic the dress now." It was a lot of fun. We always love seeing each other dressed up.

Roberta’s appearance was a surprise because Diego (Rafael de la Fuente) invited her. What do you think that move says about their relationship?

[In] every relationship, you want to expect the best of your partner or your friends. You never want to expect the worst of them. Diego is caught in between expecting the best and knowing that this surprise puts Gabriela in a vulnerable place that she wasn’t maybe ready for.

Vince’s health issues give you and Billy Burke a few standout scenes. What was it like working with him to bring that conflict between them to life?

I always love working with Billy. He’s such an amazing actor and the emotions that he portrays are so deep. It makes it easy to act with him. Also, it’s always fun with him because he makes jokes in between takes and Billy and I get along very well.

She puts her new paramedic skills to use by saving his life, which has been a new addition this season. What do you think drove her to make this step in her career?

Gabriela has always been busy, whether it was in her Olympic career or her firefighting career. Her becoming an EMT says a lot. It’s beautiful that she’s saving lives, but also what is she running from? Why is she in this fight-or-flight mode constantly? She’s never really rested and just sat with her emotions to process. Right now she’s getting to know herself more and she does enjoy these adrenaline-like jobs. They do feed her and she loves learning and she’s helping, so it’s a mixture.

How worried should we be about Manny (Kevin Alejandro) after he hit Luke (Michael Trucco)?

People should be worried. This is an explosive outburst that was due to people triggering him like Roberta. We’re all responsible for our own actions, but we’re human and we do have triggers. This is him going back to what he used to be and it’s not him anymore, so everybody’s really concerned, including Gabriela because it ties to her feeling abandoned.

While Gabriela is helping Vince, her mom talks to all the men in her life. Which conversation of her mother's do you think she would find the most awkward: Bode, Jake, or Diego?

Bode for sure! We’re both fighting to hide our feelings from each other and trying to make the best choices in our lives individually. [Roberta] completely crossed every boundary and [her conversation with Bode] is the one that affected Gabriela the most.

Where do you think Gabi and Roberta left things? What progress did they make?

Gabriela has the choice to make whether she wants to heal, which would still be a process given who Roberta is as a person. She can also go the other way where she can set her boundaries and love her from afar. It can go either way, but I don’t know what the writers will have in store for us.

We're heading toward Gabi's wedding. Where do you think she is in terms of her feelings for Bode?

Her heart and her mind are pulling her in two different directions. She has followed her heart for a very long time and at this point, she’s trying to go with what she thinks is smartest for herself. What she thinks is healthiest for herself. Right now she’s having that inner battle of deciding and that’s life.

Fire Country airs Fridays at 9p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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