‘The Night Agent’: Genesis Rodriguez Breaks Down Isabel’s Father Reveal 

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for The Night Agent Season 3.]

Isabel (Genesis Rodriguez) had no idea how complicated the story she was chasing would become in The Night Agent Season 3. What started as the journalist meeting with a treasury agent (Suraj Sharma) led to her learning just what her father — estranged — was up to and her getting mixed up in Peter’s (Gabriel Basso) world.

The journalist and the night agent ended up tackling the same mission in Season 3, which ultimately saw the right people, powerful people, exposed, thanks to the former’s reporting and determination. But she also lost her father, who turned out to be broker Jacob Monroe (Louis Herthum), the same person who had been blackmailing Peter since the end of Season 2. He was killed by Adam (David Lyons), Peter’s partner, on the president’s (Ward Horton) orders.

Below, Genesis Rodriguez unpacks the father-daughter reveal and much more.

The big reveal about Isabel being Jacob’s daughter — when did you learn about that? Was that something you knew from when you signed on?

Genesis Rodriguez: No, I found out kind of as you guys did. I found out, I think, in Episode 3. It was just really interesting because I think it doesn’t really matter that I didn’t know because there was no real father-daughter relationship there, and there was more of an interest to know what CorePoint Dynamics was. There was more of an interest of getting to the bottom of this corporation, where it’s getting its money. She’s such a just person and she has such high integrity that it just made it so easy. When I found out, I was like, “No! The audience is going to lose their mind because you’d never expect it.”

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How complicated and mixed were her feelings about her dad throughout the season then, especially at the end, after he’d been killed? Because, like you just said, there wasn’t a relationship there, but then it’s like what could have been?

That’s the thing. I feel that every relationship, every parent-child dynamic, no matter how flawed it is, I think there’s always this hope that it could be different and there’s always this underlying, but you’re still my parent love there, and I think both things can exist. I think that she can separate in a way that this person is not a good person and is doing very bad things, but they’re also my father and I still want love and validation from them. I think someone with an abandonment wound is always going to want to repair that, so even though when he passes, I think what she’s mourning more so is the relationship that could have been.

And then when she and Jay are using that cipher, at one point they try Isabel and it doesn’t work, but part of her wanted it to, right?

She wanted it so bad, she wanted it so bad to be her, and I think it was actually kind of great that it was their first date, her mom and his first date because at least she had some closure about that, he did love them, that he didn’t abandon them, and at least she had that, and yeah, I think that that never fails. Even though there are abandonment wounds, you kind of want to hear, you’re always waiting for that moment for someone to be like, I messed up. I love you, and I want to change for you. It’s just that little grain of hope.

So it’s not immediate, but Isabel does end up trusting Peter. Why?

I think because they’re both after the same thing. I think she recognizes that he’s out for the truth and he’s there to do the right thing, and always when people, I feel like, are put in danger together, it just brings them closer immediately. And he was so quick to protect her that she immediately just fell in, and I feel like she didn’t — even though she had him close in the beginning, she agreed to work with him, but on her conditions and her terms. So, she wasn’t like this aloof person being like, I trust you. No. She was like, no, it’s going to be like this and there’s going to be boundaries, and I’m going to publish this whole thing. So, I really like that, though, because she’s such a strong woman and such an intelligent woman, and it was just so refreshing to read that off the page and to be able to play her like that.

It also says a lot about her that she’s willing to risk her life over and over again to expose the story, even leading up to and including confronting Freya in her home. What is it about her that she’s willing to put her life on the line like that?

I mean, what’s beautiful about journalists, which should be protected at all costs right now, is that they’re willing to go through all of these types of circumstances for the truth. I think it’s so honorable and so dangerous and so brave, and I think their need to bring that truth to people, it doesn’t even cross their mind. They’re serving the people in their way, and I feel like it’s such an amazing thing. She wouldn’t even think about it twice, putting her life in danger. She’s like, if I don’t risk my life doing this, then what’s the point?

Christopher Saunders/Netflix

Isabel talks to Peter at the end about finding balance in her life between business and pleasure. So, what do you think is next for her going forward? Because I mean, after something as exciting as this, it’s kind of like, how do you go back to just reporting a normal story?

I mean, first of all, if she doesn’t win some sort of Pulitzer, right? [Laughs] No, but she’s definitely with a cocktail in Barcelona for a bit. I would hope she’s enjoying her life in Spain for a little bit. But these types of people, they can’t sit by and watch injustices happen, so I am pretty sure she would be. Immediately after maybe two weeks, she gets antsy and she’s like, I need to go back to work.

If Jacob had lived, could they ever have had any semblance of a father-daughter relationship?

That’s the question, right? I think that if he would’ve come clean with everything and would’ve admitted to all of his mistakes, both in his personal life, but also with her, I think there would’ve been a chance. I really do feel like people are always seeking that repair in the relationship when it comes to father-daughter dynamics or mother-son, whatever, but the parent-child dynamic is always hoping for repair.

Should we see you again, what would you want to explore with Isabel?

Oh my goodness. First of all, I would love for us to see Isabel again, and I just really liked the dynamic between her and Peter. It’s really refreshing to me to see that kind of dynamic on screen because it always lends itself to romantic, and a female and a male can be just partners and not have that, and really lean on each other in a solid, trustworthy friendship, and I would love to see what other kind of missions they’d go on. It certainly makes sense. She’s really good at research, and she could investigate anybody, so I can see that happening.

I feel like she could really see him. So, does she think that Peter can find that balance that she’s looking for between business and pleasure?

It’s more difficult for him. The guy can’t let loose. He’s always on the job, but I think that if it were, it would be a friend to be like, “Hey, hey, come on, relax a little bit. Have some ice cream, or let’s go play some pool.” She was that girl that kind of checked him into reality.

The Night Agent, Seasons 1-3, Streaming Now, Netflix