This new
Netflix spin on an old series was quite the pleasant surprise for me. While it’s a sitcom that could be described
as “aggressively four-camera,” it has both humor and heart in spades, served up
by its host of entertaining, engaging characters. Color me impressed.
Penelope: newly-single mom, nurse, Cuban-American,
Afghan war vet. After separating from
her husband, she’s been in the process of starting a new life for herself, her
two kids, and her mother, balancing work, family, and a private life amid her
feelings about the recent upheaval. She
does her best to bring up 14-year-old Elena and 12-year-old Alex with a lot of
(not always strictly wanted) help
from her forceful, dramatic mother Lydia, trying hard to both protect her
children and prepare them for what life will throw at them.
There are
some cheesy jokes. The acting veers into
mugging at times. The laugh track can be
overbearing. This is all true, and it
might very well turn people off if they decide to check it out. However, I encourage folks to give it a more
thorough chance, because despite a less-than-shining first impression, this is
a damn good show. The majority of the
jokes are sharp and funny, well-delivered by actors with a knack for comedy. Yes, the four-camera nature of the show can
make the reality sometimes feel heightened, but a) a number of these
characters, especially Lydia, are meant to be larger than life, and b) that
just makes it all the more effective when they bring it back to earth for the
more serious, grounded moments.
This is
definitely a “four laughs, one tear” type of sitcom, with usually at least one
“touching” sequence per episode in its first season. But for me, the serious moments never really
feel manufactured or disingenuous, and even though it has a penchant for
addressing “issues” – in 13 episodes, the show touches on depression/mental
health, immigration (including deportation,) sexism, sexual orientation, and
the state of the VA system, among others – it comes across as heartfelt rather
than afterschool-specially. It’s a
series with worthwhile things to say about big subjects, and it doesn’t shy
away from letting things be complicated and resisting the urge to wrap them up
with a neat bow.
For the
most part, I like the portrayal of a Cuban-American family. There’s definitely a stereotypical-humor
aspect with Lydia, but it gets more interesting when the show has
hyper-socially-conscious Elena comment on that very fact – because is Lydia not
allowed to be if she “acts like a stereotype?”
If her life and actions are valid to her, doesn’t that mean they should
be valid for everyone else? I like the
cultural nods and references throughout, from the small (the morning café cubano) to the large (the ongoing
plotline of Elena’s upcoming quinceañera,)
and I like the Spanish mixed into the dialogue, although for my sake, I wish
more of it was subtitled.
The great
Rita Moreno is the biggest name here, and she doesn’t waste a second of her
time as Lydia, and newcomers Isabella Gomez and Marcel Ruiz both acquit themselves
well in the roles of Elena and Alex. But
the real revelation for me is Justina Machado as Penelope. She’s most recognizable to me as Vanessa from
Six Feet Under, and I’ve always
remembered my first encounter with her as a guest star on Angel, but this is an absolute role
for her. She’s funny, badass, heartbreaking,
uplifting, and grounded, often within the bounds of a single episode, and she
does it all perfectly. Just a terrific
performance here of a really great character.
Warnings
Language,
sexual references, drinking, and thematic elements.
No comments:
Post a Comment