S01.E05: Honeymoon's Over

[Trini]

When Noa and Daniel's relationship goes public, the extra attention proves to be more intense than they had anticipated and tensions begin to build. To make matters worse, Lewis makes Vanessa an intriguing proposition which leads to a conflict between Daniel and Noa. Meanwhile, as Rafael strives to be more supportive of Mateo's dreams, Mari feels helpless and worries that she won't be able to protect Natalie from the opinions of the outside world.

Airdate: May 11, 2020

[WendyCR72]

I did like Mari coming to Natalie's defense with the ignorant saleswoman. And...I do find it believable that Mari would struggle privately. I felt for Natalie, but as Mateo told his sister, I think Mari will eventually adjust. I like it is more about worry about protecting her from the prejudice of others than outright bigotry. Granted, Natalie is who she is and that should not change, but I actually think - all things considered - her parents are taking it better than perhaps some would think.

Speaking of which, Mateo and his dad [the dad is the only one whose name I blank on] were also great. I liked Mateo standing up for himself and that his father took that to heart and did his best to make up for that and support him with the studio.

Mateo/Natalie continue to have a sweet, supportive brother/sister relationship. Like how they each listened, and Mateo told Natalie about how their dad stepped up and gave her hope that Mari will, too, regarding accepting Natalie's sexuality. Also did not miss how she was calling Daniel beforehand and he was not around. No doubt to set up for the fireworks seen in the preview.

Speaking of which? Yeah. Things are getting messy now. Accusations of forgetting about family (which I DO get, even as a part of me thinks Daniel is also an adult and also has the right to his own life - even if that life is part of a whirlwind.) But it says a lot I understand both points of view.

I knew Vanessa would not exit from the Daniel/Noa sphere so cleanly. Oh, boy. As the crooked magician loved to say in Frosty the Snowman, "Messy, messy, messy."

I see this series will run into early June, so it will be nice to have the ongoing distraction. Between the family and the leads, I find this show charming and frothy with just enough depth. But I do wonder just how long this premise can be sustained realistically.

Still, if this is not meant as a limited thing, I do hope ABC will renew it.

On to next week.

[possibilities]

Mari needs to go to a PFLAG meeting. Right now, the only person her daughter needs protection from is Mari herself.

Also, did Lewis et al never consider that offering to buy people's silence is in itself bad optics? That some people will be more likely to turn on you if you insult them?

I like Mateo more than I did at first. But giving Vanessa goodies he got from the Noa publicity is a bad idea and will probably blow back on him if she ever figures it out.

[Trini]

Well, the title is accurate! 😥

I hope Daniel can bring Noa a bit down to earth, and make her understand that he can't just up and visit another country for months at a time. I'd prefer that they try and make it work long-distance, but I know that's not the show.

I don't know if the writers setting up long-term plans, but it seems to me that they are setting Daniel up to do some type of show eventually.

It's looking that way, but I hope they don't make Vanessa the 'villain' of this show. I actually still like her.

I'm not as invested in the Garcia family dramas; but I did like that we learned a bit more about Mateo. It was sweet that his dad made him the recording space.

Edited May 12, 2020 by Trini
grammar!

[tennisgurl]

Looks like that sweet simple honeymoon period really is coming to a close, and the real world is crashing down into their couple bubble. Things are getting messy now that everyone knows about Noa/Daniel, even without Vanessa causing problems. They might be in a good place, but they are very, very different and from very different worlds, and yeah thats going to cause problems. For Noa, dropping everything to work in Morocco for a few months is no big deal, but for Daniel, thats a long time to be away from his home and his family business, its not so easy to just run off at the drop of a hat. 

I figured that Vanessa would be causing problems soon, but looks like she is about to go full scorched earth. Of course Vanessa will look for any excuse to justify that Daniel didnt just reject her proposal just because he didn't want to marry her and their relationship was clearly on its last breath, it was because Noa cruelly and maliciously seduced him with money and soup! I dont think that Vanessa will be a full bad guy, but I see her becoming kind of a soap opera bad girl who causes lots of trouble with her wild drama, but is still somewhat sympathetic. But oh yeah, this will be a hot mess now that she is on the war path. 

Mari telling that sales lady off was awesome, but I guess making Mari totally get on board with Natalie's sexuality wouldn't be quite that easy considering she is still trying to get her head around this. It is good that it seems to be less bigotry or more a combination of lack of understanding and not wanting Natalie to struggle in life more than what she already has to, and that Mari cant protect her all the time from ignorant stupid people. I dont think that she has fully grasped that this isn't something Mari is choosing, this is just who she is, and her pretending to be someone that she isn't will do more harm than good. Its understandable that she doesn't want Natalie to have to face prejudiced that she cant protect her from, but hopefully she can eventually see that being LGBTQ doesn't have to be all misery and snooty cashiers. I do agree with Mateo though, I think that she will come around. She should probably try and do some research or go to some LGBTQ book shops or something, a lot of her problem seems to be a lack of knowledge. 

The plot with Mateo and Rafael was really nice, and while Mateo and his DJ dreams are often played for laughs, he does seem to be legitimately passionate about music in his way, and I did feel bad when it was clear that his dad saw his dream as just some silly hobby. The homemade studio was a great way for Rafael to show him support, and it tied nicely into the Mari and Natalie plot. Both of the parents are trying to support their kids, even if they always understand them, and hopefully Mari will have her own DIY studio moment soon. 

The talk with Mateo and Natalie was another really nice brother/sister moment, Mateo really is a good and supportive brother to her, which is especially good now that Daniel is gone more often and things are kind of awkward with her parents, especially Mari. 

This show really makes me want to bake something. 

[Guest]

Noa is getting to be a little too good to be true to me. She's super supportive, always kind, and all that.  I don't want her to be evil, but a little bit spoiled would be more realistic to me.

[WendyCR72]

8 hours ago, deaja said:

Noa is getting to be a little too good to be true to me. She's super supportive, always kind, and all that.  I don't want her to be evil, but a little bit spoiled would be more realistic to me.

I think she did show that, though, in the last episode. She just wants Daniel to drop his life with his family and go with her to Morocco for 3 months and can't understand why it is such a big deal to him.

I do like it is more subtle than the usual tantrums/pouts or whatever.

[possibilities]

She's oblivious and self-pitying, and they showed that she didn't expect to be asked to adapt at all, thinking she could just pull Daniel into her lifestyle, that she was kind of elevating him, and that he doesn't have anything to offer from his own point of view. I like that she's not a villain, but she's not perfect at all.