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ABC’s Latinx drama, Promised Land, pulled viewers in with the deception and twists within the Sandoval family in the first two episodes, and it sounds like episode 3 goes even deeper. If you haven’t watched it yet, it’s time to catch up on the new ABC series on Hulu. Showbiz Cheat Sheet spoke with Promised Land cast member Tonatiuh who portrays Antonio Sandoval. He teased another twist between Antonio and his estranged father, Joe Sandoval (John Ortiz).

'Promised Land' Episode 3 cast member Tonatiuh portrays Antonio, who looks at his on-screen father, Joe Sandoval (John Ortiz)
‘Promised Land’: Tonatiuh | ABC/Scott Everett White

‘Promised Land’: What happened between Joe and Antonio?

In Promised Land Episode 1, viewers see Antonio arriving home to his family and Heritage House Vineyard. Everyone greets him happily, except his father. Joe is reserved and asks about a boyfriend. However, the patriarch can’t come up with his boyfriend’s name, and Antonio is no longer dating the guy anyway. It’s awkward and evident that Antonio and Joe haven’t spoken in a long time. Tonatiuh gave some insight into his character in a phone interview with Showbiz Cheat Sheet on Feb. 3, 2022.

“Antonio was exiled by his father, kicked out of the family, and was gone for about 10 years,” Tonatiuh told the outlet. “So we meet him as he’s entering the house for the first time in that 10-year period. You’ll have to tune in to see what exactly went down. I think he is sharp-tongued and very bright. He’s hurt and is looking to heal.”

Later in the first episode, Joe asks Antonio to come back to the company and help his sister, Veronica (Christina Ochoa). Their mother (and Joe’s ex-wife) is about to launch a hostile takeover of the company. (Scandal’s Bellamy Young stars as Margaret Honeycroft). It’s evident that Joe’s apology to Antonio isn’t enough to make up for what he did. However, viewers don’t know why Joe exiled Antonio from the family 10 years ago. 

‘Promised Land’ Episode 3 shows that Joe isn’t ready to accept Antonio back

In the same interview, Tonatiuh gave a minor spoiler about the upcoming Promised Land Episode 3. The new installment airs Monday night, Feb. 7, at 10 p.m. EST on ABC.

“I’ll give you one thing about episode 3 coming out on Monday,” Tonatiuh began. “Joe asks Antonio to hire a new general manager, and Joe ends up hiring someone else. So he just did Antonio’s job for him. You’ll have to tune in on Monday to figure out who that person is.”

The move by Joe shows that he doesn’t mean a word of what he said in the first episode. The patriarch begged his son to come back and insisted that he was proud of who he had become. However, Antonio’s hardly back a few days, and Joe’s showing he doesn’t trust him to make decisions. Although Joe insists in Promised Land Episode 2 that he and Antonio have “a lot of lost time to make up for,” his actions don’t show it.

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Who is the new general manager of the vineyard?

As Tonatiuh said, viewers don’t know who Joe hires to replace his stepson, Mateo Flores (Augusto Aguilera). However, after watching two episodes of Promised Land, it’s easy to see that Joe prefers the business to stay in the family. His eldest daughter, Veronica, is already CEO. It doesn’t seem like his youngest daughter Carmen is someone the family likes to give a chance to. The only child left is Antonio. Does Joe offer the position to his son Antonio in an even greater effort to make things right? 

Or does he pull in someone new? From the press photos for Promised Land Episode 3, it looks like Javier (Julio Macias) spends a lot of time talking to Veronica, Antonio, and Joe. Is he the newcomer who becomes general manager?

Promised Land airs Mondays at 10 p.m. EST on ABC and is available for streaming the next day on Hulu.

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