Operation Dad

"Operation Dad" is the thirteenth episode of the first season of The Casagrandes, as well as the series' first full-length episode.

Plot
Ronnie Anne tries to convince her father to move to the city while he is visiting; with the help of Sid, she devises a plan that seems too good to fail.

Act I
As Ronnie Anne and Sid ride on the subway train, Ronnie Anne gets a call from her father. After answering, Arturo attempts to tell his daughter something, but is interrupted by going through a tunnel. After jumping on Sid's back to get a better reception, Arturo reveals that he's coming to Great Lakes City to visit, since the headquarters of the organization he works with is stationed there. This news makes Ronnie Anne happy, since she hasn't seen him in a very long time. As Ronnie Anne announces the news to her family, they'll look forward to Arturo's arrival. She also intends to make his visit worth it so that way, Arturo would want to move to Great Lakes City.

At the airport, Ronnie Anne meets up with her father, and they take the taxi back home. When they arrive to the apartment, everyone but Hector greets him with warm welcomes, and Maria and Arturo have an awkward conversation just before Maria leaves for the spa. Later, as the family eats, the family attempts to have a decent conversation with Arturo, resulting in him giving off a few tidbits about his life in Peru. When nighttime comes, Ronnie Anne escorts Arturo the spare apartment so he can sleep, but he resorts to sleeping on the roof. Seeing how trying to get Arturo accustomed to his apartment didn't work, Ronnie Anne resorts to taking him around the city to convince him more.

Throughout the day, Ronnie Anne and Arturo spend time at numerous locations, having a fun time. After their adventure, Ronnie Anne asks her father if he would consider moving to Great Lakes City, but Arturo explains that as much as he would like to live here, his work in Peru has made him very reliable there, and can't ignore the people whose lives he helped.

As Ronnie Anne vents her frustrations to Sid that Arturo cares more about his patients than his family, Sid believes that Arturo doesn't think she and Bobby need help when she reminds her of some of her accomplishments like how she won a spelling bee and has good looking hair. Suddenly, Ronnie Anne comes up with the perfect plan to make Arturo stay.

Act II
Ronnie Anne explains to her cousins that the reason why Arturo likes Peru more than Great Lakes City is because of how his patients need him, so she suggests that if she pretends to throw her life away, Arturo will be convinced that she needs his help and thus, will stay. She first attempts to make it look like she's failing class with bad test scores, but Arturo recommends that he tutor her over the phone while in Peru. Seeing how that didn't work, Ronnie Anne comes up with a new plan.

Ronnie Anne's new plan involves her altering her appearance to resemble that of a trouble-making punk who hangs out with the bad kids. In an effort to make her plan more successful, she enlists the help of her friends Casey, Sameer and Nikki to help her out. Ronnie Anne lures her father to the back of a fish market, where he spots Ronnie Anne, Nikki and Casey picking on Sameer with a fake black eye. Knowing this is all staged, Arturo tells her daughter to jump into the taxi and they head back home. As they head back home, Ronnie Anne admits that she doesn't want him to go back to Peru, and Arturo, seeing how much Ronnie Anne is going through just to make him stay, decides to stay.

Upon arriving back to the apartment, Ronnie Anne unpacks her father's suitcase. As she does so, she discovers several letters have fallen out. Taking a closer look, it's revealed to be a collection of thank you letters from all of his patients, and seeing how much good Arturo does in Peru, Ronnie Anne decides to let her father leave.

The next day, the family bids their farewells to Arturo, and Ronnie Anne gives him a scrapbook so he can remember their time together. As Arturo heads to the airport, he looks through the scrapbook.

Later, as Ronnie Anne and Bobby play cards in the family room, Ronnie Anne gets a call from Arturo, who reveals that he's staying. He explains that he got a job at headquarters and a co-worker in Peru is filling in for him. Knowing that he's staying, the Casagrandes quickly engage in a group hug. At that moment, Maria arrives back from the spa and asks what she missed, where Sergio asks if he or Arturo should tell her.

Cast
Bruno has no lines in the episode.
 * Izabella Alvarez as Ronnie Anne
 * Carlos PenaVega as Bobby
 * Sumalee Montano as Maria
 * Eugenio Derbez as Arturo
 * Ruben Garfias as Hector
 * Sonia Manzano as Rosa
 * Carlos Alazraqui as Carlos / Sergio / Vito
 * Roxana Ortega as Frida
 * Alexa PenaVega as Carlota
 * Jared Kozak as CJ
 * Alex Cazares as Carl
 * Cristina Milizia as Carlitos
 * Leah Mei Gold as Sid
 * Krizia Bajos as Margarita
 * Natalie Coughlin as Nikki
 * Makana Say as Sameer
 * Christian Simon as Casey
 * Christian Lanz as Tomas / Nice Motorcycle Guy

Trivia

 * The title of this episode has two meanings:
 * Ronnie Anne has a plan that involves her father.
 * The fact that Arturo is a doctor.
 * This is the first episode where Cristina Milizia voices Carlitos.
 * The premise of this episode is extremely similar to the Season 4 premiere of The Loud House, "Friended! with the Casagrandes", as both episodes involve Ronnie Anne coming up with a plan to make someone stay with her family.
 * This episode confirms that Arturo and Maria are officially divorced. At this point, they refer to their relationship as "just being best friends".
 * It is also confirmed that Ronnie Anne and Bobby have not personally seen their father for two years after the parents' divorce.