S01.E06: Side Effects

[Trini]

Noa and Daniel's worlds are turned upside down when Vanessa ignites a scandal. As Noa works overtime to salvage the reputation of her company and ease tensions with her board of directors, Daniel tries to smooth things over with his family. Meanwhile, Piper learns that Lewis has been keeping a devastating secret.

Written by Christina Quintana and Michael V. Ross, and directed by Steve Pearlman.

Airdate: May 18, 2020

[Angeleyes]

So does Noa’s large company just rent a room off of a bar and put her name and poster up to let everyone know that room is off limits? Seems legit. 
The industry guy that Matteo met with felt weird too. If his goal was to size up Vanessa then she should have been at the meeting too. It seems stupid to meet with Matteo if he knew that he had no intention of going further. There’s no way someone established in the business would want someone to be his manager whose resume up until then was solely as a real estate agent. 
Daniel’s parents were wrong to blame Noa for their problems. I think they were just frustrated and looking for a scapegoat. 
I like this show, but I’m missing the humor and was hoping this version would also deal with racial and ethnic issues head on. I feel this version has been more timid with that. 
Also, since this Noa comes across as older than early 20’s and therefore more mature, her poor little rich girl schtick wears thin. It’s hard to understand why this Noa would have taken money from her dad and kept him on her board. It seems she would have been more independent and self sufficient. 

[KaveDweller]

For some reason I disliked almost everyone in this episode. I feel like they were all making really bad choices.

 

[Trini]

39 minutes ago, KaveDweller said:

For some reason I disliked almost everyone in this episode. I feel like they were all making really bad choices.

 

Well, this episode was definitely more the 'drama' part of this dramedy. Not a dealbreaker yet; but I did get into this for the rom-com fluff, and there's been less of that lately. Agreed that this was an episode of bad choices.

So did that website/reporter guy have a microphone in the bathroom or something? It probably doesn't matter, but they didn't say how he knew about Noa and Daniel's bathroom chat.

Even though I've watched enough TV to know that Mateo will be back to deejaying soon enough, it was silly to have him give up just on the word of one producer.

It's true that dating Noa has put a spotlight on Daniel's family, but it's unfair to blame her for everything, and accuse Daniel of "forgetting" everyone.

Maybe they're setting it up for later on, but yes, Noa should try to build a company without her father.

Noa and Daniel still seem solid, so that's good. Still don't think it's a good idea for him to go to Morocco, though.

[HerkyJerky]

While that asbestos really sucks for the Garcias, I feel no pity for them losing their deposit to that shady contractor.  A couple years back, my friend wanted to remodel her bathroom.  She found somebody at the local home show and while the contractor didn't abscond with her money, my friend had a real hard time getting ahold of him initially and it took him MONTHS to finish the project.  When I asked her if she had checked him out on line or got any references, she looked at me like I had two heads...

[BigDfromLA]

I wonder who they will get to play Noa's father? I think Hugh Laurie would be an interesting choice!!

I think Daniel's parents are extremely selfish and aren't letting their kids live their own lives. Noa is not to blame for their problems, their selfishness is.

It looks like Vanessa and Mateo will end up as a couple very soon. That would solve everything. All four of them should be happy with that.

[tennisgurl]

Vanessa saying that Daniel is a narcissist because he accused Vanessa of doing the interview to hurt him is a real laugh. I mean, yeah it was probably more complicated for her and it sucks that this is affecting her business, but she did really throw him and his family under the bus, and she knew that, so its understandable why he is pissed. But eventually when she gets together with Mateo, it will all presumably be water under the bridge. 

Definitely more heavy on the drama this week (with even freaking cancer!) and while I prefer the show as being fluffy and sweet like bakery sweets, I guess we need some drama to really enjoy the fun parts and keep some stakes up. I really feel like everyone is making really rash decisions and getting really angry about stuff they dont need to be angry about. Or at least, as angry as they are getting. This interview and scandal with Vanessa seems to be a bit much for several companies to drop Noa as a sponsor, or for her board to try and kick her out of her company. I mean, its not like she killed someone in a hit and run or got drunk and went on a racist tirade while kicking a kitten, I feel like this wouldn't be such an enormous deal. I also feel like everyone is getting mad at Daniel for things that arent really his fault, and his parents are pretty conveniently forgetting that they are getting all of this new business so they can expand because of his relationship with Noa. Yeah its more complicated now and some things are getting harder, but blaming everything on Noa for existing and Daniel for "forgetting" them seems really unfair. I dont think that Daniel going to Morocco for months is the best idea ever either, especially with the expansion, but its something to talk about, its not some massive betrayal of the family. They all need to really talk, not yell. 

Speaking of overreactions, Mari telling Natalie she cant hang out with her kind of girlfriend seems like another huge overreaction. She had nothing to do with Natalie getting into a fight because she was being bullied, and if the worst thing the person your teen is dating has done is toilet paper something, I would say thats pretty good. It kind of comes off like Mari is looking for an excuse to keep them apart because she is still processing Natalie being gay. 

At least Daniel and Noa are still doing well, but I think that the inevitable third act break up will end up being him feeling like he has to choose between her and his family, even if it will turn out he doesn't have to. 

[BuckeyeLou]

I agree that I think the writers are cooking up a romance between Vanessa & Matteo.  Matteo was annoying in the 1st couple of episodes but he is less of a jerk now & is a good brother & son(I liked that he gave up his recording chance to help his Father).  Lewis having cancer seems like an un-necessary plot-point for me.  On a superficial note, I did not like Natalie's choice for a Quincinera dress and Mari is a really beautiful woman. 

[mikem]

Although a lot of the conflict seemed a bit contrived, I think the show was a bit too lovey-dovey in its first episodes, so I was glad to see some conflict.

I'm also unclear how anyone knew the details of Noa and Daniel's conversation in the bathroom. No one was else was there, and I don't think we've seen them tell anyone else about that encounter.  But no one in the show seems to think it's strange, so presumably either Noa or Daniel (or both) have told a bunch of people off-screen.

Carlos said that Mateo and Daniel were teenagers when Natalie was not yet born, which means Mateo and Daniel are both around 30 (at least).  But Carlos still treats them like they're teenagers.  I've seen this dynamic IRL when the kids work for the small family business, where the father orders the kids around way past when he should be, so that part rings true for me.

Speaking of ages, I think Noa's father is the guy playing golf in his office, who is played by Grant Bowler.  I recognize him from the last season of Ugly Betty.  He also grew up in Australia, so it's weird that he's putting on an American accent when Nathalie Kelley is not.  He seems too young to be playing her father.  IRL he's 51 and she's 35, and he seems less than 20 years older than her on screen to me.  But maybe there's a story there about the circumstances surrounding how Noa's parents met and when she was born.

 

Edited May 19, 2020 by mikem

[Trini]

I'm not seeing any potential romance between Mateo and Vanessa. It would have to be WAY down the line for me, because she's way out of his league right now.

[Guest]

I didn't like that Daniel asked his parents if it was a bad time and when they said yes, he kept going anyway.  And then of course, they blew up.  

But the father is becoming unlikable.  Last week, he forced Mateo to work because of Daniel not working because of Noa. Now Mateo is the role model and Daniel is the bad one. 

The mom's speech was so over the top. Noa isn't to blame for any of their problems. They loved it when Noa got them publicity, Mateo loved it when his music got exposure.  But now it's all Noa's fault?  

[buckboard]

Lots of "I don't gets" about this episode:

1.  ...why such a big deal is being made out of Noa and Daniel meeting "before" his breakup with Vanessa.  It's not as if Noa and Daniel had been dating beforehand.  They had a brief conversation when they bumped into each other in the restroom.  She suggested he eat the soup, not move in with her.  This is a reason to kick her out of her own company?
2. ...why it was so hard to determine that Natalie (and her girlfriend) only acted in self-defense after the nasty girl graffitied her locker and sucker punched her?  Natalie had been walking away.
3.  ...why is Vanessa not the focus of everyone's anger instead of Noa?
4.  ...why can't someone as experienced as Noa easily respond to the interviewer's questions?  Surely she's had to deal with difficult questions before.
 

[Court]

26 minutes ago, buckboard said:

Lots of "I don't gets" about this episode:

1.  ...why such a big deal is being made out of Noa and Daniel meeting "before" his breakup with Vanessa.  It's not as if Noa and Daniel had been dating beforehand.  They had a brief conversation when they bumped into each other in the restroom.  She suggested he eat the soup, not move in with her.  This is a reason to kick her out of her own company?
2. ...why it was so hard to determine that Natalie (and her girlfriend) only acted in self-defense after the nasty girl graffitied her locker and sucker punched her?  Natalie had been walking away.
3.  ...why is Vanessa not the focus of everyone's anger instead of Noa?
4.  ...why can't someone as experienced as Noa easily respond to the interviewer's questions?  Surely she's had to deal with difficult questions before.
 

Agreed. They didn't bang in the bathroom. It doesn't seem like a big deal to me. Daniel was going to say no to Vanessa anyways. It just seems like something that would be a tiny blip in the news. 

To me, it looks like Vanessa is looking for the easy payday and exposure. 

[Guest]

In real life, Vanessa would unquestionably be the villain in the situation, but I think they are keeping her around for drama.  As @buckboard said, Vanessa caused the problems overall for something that was a non-issue- they literally met for 30 seconds in a bathroom. And then her viewing of Daniel as a narcissist for thinking she was trying to hurt him? She's irritating.

[Simba122504]

20 hours ago, BigDfromLA said:

I wonder who they will get to play Noa's father? I think Hugh Laurie would be an interesting choice!!

I think Daniel's parents are extremely selfish and aren't letting their kids live their own lives. Noa is not to blame for their problems, their selfishness is.

It looks like Vanessa and Mateo will end up as a couple very soon. That would solve everything. All four of them should be happy with that.

Daniel was right.  Noa's celebrity privilege helped them!  His parents would still be struggling without her influence.  Mateo would still be a struggling DJ without her influence.  They enjoyed what her celebrity did for them. Don't switch up now. 

[redpencil]

22 hours ago, HerkyJerky said:

While that asbestos really sucks for the Garcias, I feel no pity for them losing their deposit to that shady contractor.  A couple years back, my friend wanted to remodel her bathroom.  She found somebody at the local home show and while the contractor didn't abscond with her money, my friend had a real hard time getting ahold of him initially and it took him MONTHS to finish the project.  When I asked her if she had checked him out on line or got any references, she looked at me like I had two heads...

It sounded to me like they did find a legit contractor (and probably did research), but the scammer spoofed the real company's phone number, and then had them calling the "contractor" directly after that. So they thought they were dealing with one outfit, while it was really a scammer pretending to be that business the whole time.

I also agree with others that the whole scandal is stupid. All they need to do is say yeah, we exchanged like two sentences in the bathroom, she suggested the soup, that's it. Then we coincidentally ran into each other later. The end.

Edited May 20, 2020 by redpencil

[mikem]

Quote

Lots of "I don't gets" about this episode:

1.  ...why such a big deal is being made out of Noa and Daniel meeting "before" his breakup with Vanessa.  It's not as if Noa and Daniel had been dating beforehand.  They had a brief conversation when they bumped into each other in the restroom.  She suggested he eat the soup, not move in with her.  This is a reason to kick her out of her own company?
2. ...why it was so hard to determine that Natalie (and her girlfriend) only acted in self-defense after the nasty girl graffitied her locker and sucker punched her?  Natalie had been walking away.
3.  ...why is Vanessa not the focus of everyone's anger instead of Noa?
4.  ...why can't someone as experienced as Noa easily respond to the interviewer's questions?  Surely she's had to deal with difficult questions before.

All very legit questions.  My guess as to what the show is going for:

1. I think that the gossipers are trying to imply that Noa purposely influenced Daniel to break up with Vanessa in their bathroom encounter, presumably because she wanted to date Daniel herself.  That's a major stretch in my mind, but I think that's what the show wants us to think the uproar is about.  And if the public thinks Noa is a selfish relationship-wrecker, that hurts her public image and therefore her brand.

2. I imagine that the other girls lied about who threw the first punch, so the school is in a she said/she said situation.  I don't think there were any impartial observers present.

3. The people who know the truth are mad at Vanessa, but the public apparently is being swayed by the scenario presented above.

4. Noa actually handled the question okay in the opening IMO.  She said something like, "You have me at a disadvantage, because this is the first I'm hearing that Vanessa was interviewed."  Then she watched the footage without commenting.  She may have watched longer than she should have, but she didn't know what Vanessa said, so she may have wanted to see what she said before responding.  She was getting rattled, but she may be used to Lewis intervening by now.  She might have eventually said something eloquent and killed the issue, but Daniel pulled the fire alarm so Noa never had a chance to respond. 

It seemed like Lewis fell down on the job a little bit here.  I didn't get the impression that the interviewer was trying to ambush Noa; it seemed like the interviewer genuinely thought that Noa knew about Vanessa's interview.  (Yes, it's 9:30 in the morning, so when exactly did Vanessa do this interview, but I guess she could have done it on Good Morning America or something.)  Lewis should have a network of contacts to alert him that Vanessa was interviewed, and he shouldn't have left Noa's interview to talk to his doctor.  Maybe one of his contacts texted or called while he was on the phone with his doctor.  I think that part of the reason why Lewis was so angry with Daniel was displaced anger at himself for not having been there.

[Suzysite]

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I absolutely can't stand Natalie.  Whether it's the character or the actress, I don't know, but I just mute the TV or ff when she's on.  Bratty teens are not my favorite in any show, no matter the circumstances.  

[Guest]

I really don't want Mateo and Vanessa to get together, and it seems the show is heading that way. She dated his brother for four years, and the family didn't like her at all. Then she does an interview slamming Daniel that leads to all these problems. But she's a love interest for his brother? 

I get this is a soap opera in a lot of ways but that's ridiculous.

[Trini]

1 hour ago, deaja said:

But she's a love interest for his brother? 

I don't think she is, though. In my opinion. I think the relationship with Mateo (as his manager) is mainly there to round her out so she's not just the 'jealous ex-girlfriend'.

[KaveDweller]

17 hours ago, mikem said:

All very legit questions.  My guess as to what the show is going for:

1. I think that the gossipers are trying to imply that Noa purposely influenced Daniel to break up with Vanessa in their bathroom encounter, presumably because she wanted to date Daniel herself.  That's a major stretch in my mind, but I think that's what the show wants us to think the uproar is about.  And if the public thinks Noa is a selfish relationship-wrecker, that hurts her public image and therefore her brand.

That's what I thought too, but I still felt like they were over reacting. In real life people have outright affairs and people don't care that much. If anything Daniel looks bad because he looks like he dumped his nice long-term girlfriend because he had a shot with a celebrity. But Noa did nothing wrong.

But I think what's really going on is her father wanted to steal her company and took advantage of a slightly negative story. Lewis said he was surprised the story didn't go away after 24 hours, so maybe her father was fanning the flames somehow.

[possibilities]

On 5/19/2020 at 12:14 PM, tennisgurl said:

It kind of comes off like Mari is looking for an excuse to keep them apart because she is still processing Natalie being gay. 

I think that's exactly what it is. She's not listening to any of her kids, either. They are way too old to not have any choices, and even if they were much younger, you have to listen at least once to their version of events before you decide what you think happened. It's not like Natalie has been giving them trouble for a long time and Mari finally lost patience. Natalie has been a model citizen until now, you'd think her mother would have a few more questions before rushing to judgment.

On 5/20/2020 at 8:45 AM, Suzysite said:

Bratty teens are not my favorite in any show,

Can you say what she's done that seemed bratty to you? I was really surprised to see her categorized that way. Obviously, I like her and don't see her as bratty, but I'm curious why others might.

I think the music guy wanted to meet Vanessa for personal reasons, not to hire her. He used the meeting with Mateo as bait. She was going to be there, but she didn't go after Mateo fired her.

I agree nearly everyone is handling everything badly, blaming the wrong people, etc. I have seen people act that way when they are upset, but it's a bit much that they're ALL acting that way. I think it's meant to show us that the situation is really tough, which I kind of appreciate because the usual set up would be that it's a fairy tale, until someone becomes an addict. Now, we have a bunch of people who are generally pretty reasonable and competent and decent, and they're all sober, and they're in chaos. I don't mind it for one episode, people are adjusting to a lot of change really fast and that's exactly when they tend to get overwhelmed and behave stupidly. But I hope it won't be like this all the time.

A balance between too sweet and too dysfunctional, please!

Daniel could give an interview smearing Vanessa, saying that they had problems and he was going to say no anyway, and in fact that's what he told Noa, and it wasn't Noa's fault. He could totally paint Vanessa as the crazy ex if he wanted to.

I'm not saying it's a good idea. They don't want to escalate, and it's also cruel. But the way he feels so helpless is annoying me.

He DID tell her (after the fact) that he wasn't feeling it and it wasn't Noa's fault. If her goal is to rehabilitate her image so she's not the crazy ex, the two of them should present a united front. If they both look sane, respectful, and friendly with each other, tell the same story, and defend each other to the media, the whole thing goes away. Noa can also be part of the united front. They all just need to say nice things about each other and the "scandal" disappears.

 

 

 

[littlefingers116]

I'm confused...

When the girl who confronted Natalie in the hallway said that Daniel left a beautiful Latina for a White girl I was very confused.  Frankly, I thought Noa's character was biracial. Initially, I thought that Noa's mother would be Spainish and her father White...but then they showed her mother and I thought she was White (just looked on IMDB.com and the actress playing Noa's mother is also Latin).  So then I thought, hmm, her father must be Spainish...but then they showed him and he's Australian.  I thought to myself WTF???  Now, I'm thinking that maybe either Noa is adopted or the mother had an affair and that's why Noa's father seems to have such animosity towards her.

Regardless of whether Noa is White or Latina it's Daniel's business who he decides to date.😠

Vanessa called Daniel a narcissist but doesn't seem to realize that her talking to that sleazy reporter would have a negative effect on Daniel's family too.  Did she think that ONLY Daniel would be hurt??😞  Or maybe she did want to get back at the parents because she feels that they didn't give her a chance because they thought Daniel could do better? Either way, that was a crappy move on her part.

While I agree that Daniel shouldn't leave his family in a lurch for 3 months to go with Noa to Morroco, I DON'T agree that Noa is the one responsible for what the family is going through.  As others have said his parents were perfectly fine with all the attention and money that was coming in but now she's the cause of ALL their problems???  Honestly, I think the mother is still angry that Noa figured out that Natalie was gay when she didn't have a clue.

 I also don't like how the father expects Daniel and Mateo to just follow in his footsteps where the Bakery is concerned.  Just because you grew up in a bakery doesn't mean that you want to take over the family business.  On the other hand, I do agree with the father that Daniel doesn't need to go to another continent to film various people in the cooking industry, he can do that right there where he lives. Later on as interest grows in his product so-to-speak, then maybe he could branch out and travel a little further to learn about other types of cooking from around the country etc.

I think the mother is using the fight at school as a way to keep Natalie away from Amy.  I think that she thinks that if she keeps Natalie away from Amy, that maybe Natalie will revert back to being straight...as if that were possible.  It's 2020 and some people still seem to think that being gay is something that can be changed i.e. wished away.  While I'm not gay, I personally think that being gay is much like being born a certain ethnicity...you are what you are.  I think Natalie is going to go into depression or she's going to run away and neither of those are good.