Wow what piece of garbage...

Yeah, I get that he didn't get help for his alcohol or even ptsd. I think the show just wanted to write the (step) father off as being an a--hole. Keep in mind the premise that Cubans (or even Hispanics) do not like seeking professional help. So why would it be any different for him?

Elena being a lesbian caught him off guard. Even the mother needed some time to digest it. And when Elena decided to change the style of her attire at the quinces, that put him on edge. That pretty much sent the message the daughter can do things however she wanted. As a guy, if I was in the father's shoes I would have been very tempted to walk away in that situation myself. The family evolved pretty quickly without him, and it was just too much.

Sadly this is another show I watched where the children have more power than the parents/guardians. I don't think it has that much to do with being liberal, as opposed to standing up for family values. The mother in this case has too much going on in life, that she needs their validation.