S01.E07: Blow Out

[Trini]

Noa is blindsided when an unlikely opponent attempts to take control of her company. Meanwhile, after a series of setbacks, Daniel is surprised when an old friend comes to his rescue; and Natalie continues to defy her parents, enjoying the freedom that comes with her newfound rebellion.

Written by William Harper and directed by Mark Polish.

Airdate: May 25, 2020

[mikem]

They resolved Noa's battle with her father awfully quickly.  And he apparently has an Australian accent now. 

Plot hole:  Daniel's parents must have $1000 in the bank if they were expecting the contractor to finish the job in a week, at which time they would have had to pay him for the rest of the job.  In any event, did Daniel ask them not to get the bail money from Noa?  It would seem natural to ask her, since he's in jail for punching a photographer.  It would make more sense than Mateo selling his equipment or turning to Vanessa.

I didn't realize next week was the season finale.  I wonder if that was always the plan, or if production got shut down prematurely.  I really like the show, but it's very on the bubble in terms of getting renewed.  Its ratings are not that great, but a lot of shows are not having great ratings this spring.  Also, it's had a horrible lead-in ratings-wise, it's retained most of the preceding audience, and it's ratings have been fairly steady.  And no one is shooting pilots, so ABC doesn't have a slew of other options ready to go.  I hope that the show gets renewed.  It's a great escapist spring/summer-type of show.

[missbonnie]

Me too because I absolutely LOVE this show. 

[Trini]

So, Noa's father is horrible and I hope we never see him again. (But I'm sure we will - if there's another season.)

I feel like the framing here of Lewis as a father figure to Noa was kind of sudden. I don't think they built that up well, if that was what they were always going for. Yes, they've shown him be concerned for her but as a manager and friend, not as a father figure. But it works anyway.

I kinda skipped all the teen drama.

One of the couple was going to (temporarily) go back to their ex at some point, so I guess its Daniel, since Vanessa is a regular.

I'm so sad to be wrong about Mateo and Vanessa. 😩 Do. Not. Want.  That pairing just doesn't make sense to me.

Nooooo! 😥 Too soon for a breakup! I'm sure they'll get back together somehow, but it still hurt. Their relationship might have been a factor is some of their troubles, but I don't think it was fair for Noa to blame that for everything.

--------

I'm also surprised that this is ending so soon. Usually these summer series have 13, or at least 10 episodes.

[WendyCR72]

2 minutes ago, Trini said:

I'm also surprised that this is ending so soon. Usually these summer series have 13, or at least 10 episodes.

Yeah, next week is the finale; I hope it gets renewed, even if the ratings aren't great. Not sure if this was always meant to be the case or if the pandemic made production wrap early.

[A.Ham]

In what world is it more important to have a quince instead of bailing your son out of jail?

I was bored by the hostile takeover/corporate shenanigans....

[dungeonwriter]

Yeah, the Quince thing is pretty terrible. I am not super close to my brother, but I'd still give up my bat mitzvah money to bail him out of prison, gladly. 

I still love the show and hope it gets renewed. 

[possibilities]

RE the thousand dollars, I'm thinking the asbestos removal was expensive, plus the bakery has been closed for 6 weeks, so they've also been without income. But yes, spend the quince money; they get it back anyway when Daniel's case is over, as long as he doesn't fail to appear.

 

[tennisgurl]

So everyone has pretty much made up with everyone after last weeks long ass series of fights...except for Daniel and Noa, who broke up. On the one hand, I kind of get why Noa wants to split, that this is just so much work and so much drama while a new couple should still be in the honeymoon phase, but on the other, most of this really wasn't the fault of their relationship, it probably just brought problems that were already there to the surface. The problems with Daniels family were still there, Noa or no Noa, Noa didn't make make Daniels parents get conned by their contractor, she didn't put asbestos in their walls, Daniel didn't give Lewis cancer, nor did he make Noas awful dad make bad business choices. This was all going to happen, this might have just rushed the process a bit, which is probably a good thing in the long term. Better to know now then later. Hopefully next week they manage to make up before the season finale! 

I cant believe the season ends next week! Normally light dramedy shows like this last a bit longer, not sure if it was on purpose or if they had to delay in production. I know the ratings arent great, but they seem consistent at least, and without a good lead in, so hopefully that will be enough for a second season. Even with a few bumps, I've enjoyed this show a lot, its the kind of fun summer show that I enjoy, like the TV equivalent of a beach read. 

I so called it on Vanessa and Mateo! I dont mind it, especially now that she and Daniel are in a better place, really its a win for everyone! Sometimes it seems like Vanessa was almost more in love with the idea of being part of Daniels family than Daniel, and she and Mateo seem to work better as a couple anyway, so its a win for everyone. I really liked the talk she and Daniel had, it was really nice that Vanessa has finally accepted that their relationship is over, and that Daniel told her that he didn't regret their time together, I think thats what she has really wanted this whole time. 

Also very happy that Mari has finally come around with Natalie, and realized what her problem actually has been and why she has been overreacting to Natalie. Also glad that she is cool with her still seeing Amy, who seems like a really nice kid, and she seems to really like Natalie. 

Noa’s dad sure is...a lot. This really has been a really crappy few days for her, she has to deal with her crappy dad trying to take her company, and now she finds out that Lewis has cancer. 

Edited May 26, 2020 by tennisgurl

[Trini]

55 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

I so called it on Vanessa and Mateo! I dont mind it, especially now that she and Daniel are in a better place, really its a win for everyone!

Not for Vanessa, who is downgrading, IMHO. 👎

[WendyCR72]

Yep, in my first post, I knew something was coming with Vanessa and Mateo, so this didn't come as a huge surprise.

[Guest]

On 5/26/2020 at 1:47 AM, Trini said:

I'm so sad to be wrong about Mateo and Vanessa. 😩 Do. Not. Want.  That pairing just doesn't make sense to me.

I'm also surprised that this is ending so soon. Usually these summer series have 13, or at least 10 episodes.

They've been telegraphing the attraction between Mateo/Vanessa since at least ep 4 when he was trying to talk her down by listing all her good qualities - about halfway through the list he realized that he was into her, haha. I think Mateo always thought Vanessa was high maintenance or stuck up, but started to see her differently when she was the only one who genuinely encouraged his dreams. I get the sense Mateo is very much a forgotten middle child - we hear over and over again that he's an immature, middling fuck up, but he's expected to carry the family business while Natalie and especially Daniel gallivant around doing fuck all. And he still supports them! For Vanessa to see and appreciate him for who he is without wanting something from him has to feel good. He's presumably been single and overworked for months if not longer. It's inevitable he'd be attracted to someone who actually validates him. I'm just glad the Daniel/Vanessa subplot was about closure and not reigniting anything - there were moments where it felt like it could've gone either way.

The brother factor is cringe, but Mateo is so damn endearing that I'm rooting for him. Plus, Vanessa has been talking all season about how the Garcias are like family, so...guess that's one way to stay in the family, lol. I have a little crush on Mateo. Daniel can be pouty and self-victimizing.

Agree with commentary on past episodes that the parents seem weirdly controlling of their adult sons and gaslight them whenever they have any interests or spend any time outside the business.

Natalie and Amy are the blandest "rebellious teens" I've ever seen. Then again, I can appreciate an age appropriate portrayal of 15/16-year-olds - unlike Euphoria. 

I'm guessing the schedule was abbreviated due to COVID - Superstore had to end in the middle of their two-part America Ferrera send off, and poor Schooled had to skip the episode breaking up their main couple (revealed in a slapped-together "previously on" montage even though we never saw it) to let the main character finally make a move on her love interest, only to be cancelled. At least this show has all its plots mostly wrapped up.

I really hope this gets renewed!!! After losing both Single Parents and Schooled, my heart can't take anymore. ABC has been ruthless this season and I don't understand why. 

[Trini]

2 hours ago, SnarkEnthusiast said:

The brother factor is cringe,

It is VERY cringe; it's not a good look that she dated Daniel for 4 years, then immediately moves on to his little brother. I can see why there might be some attraction, but I don't want it to go farther than that. But the show seems to want to be kind of soapy, so I may not get my wish!

----

I haven't been able to find any info on whether this show got cut short because of the pandemic. It doesn't seem to get a lot of media attention.

[Guest]

I did not like a single thing about this episode.  It was pretty bad. 

Lewis has been a friend/manager, but now he "practically raised" Noa?  Mateo's pouty dismantling of his studio two episodes after it was such a passion his dad put it together?  Noa and Daniel break up already? 

[Angeleyes]

As much as I’ve liked the actors, they really miscast the ages of Noa, Daniel, and Lewis. 
The actress playing Noa should have been able to pass for a low to mid 20’s to truly capture that “it girl” phase. This Noa seems older and less free spirited. 
With Daniel, we’re left wondering why a guy in his 30’s still lives at home and is being bossed around by his parents. 
Lewis is supposed to be the guy who has been guiding her career since she was a young teen. He looks way younger and closer to her peer than the father figure manager he’s supposed to be. 

[EyewatchTV211]

9 hours ago, Trini said:

It is VERY cringe; it's not a good look that she dated Daniel for 4 years, then immediately moves on to his little brother. I can see why there might be some attraction, but I don't want it to go farther than that. But the show seems to want to be kind of soapy, so I may not get my wish!

----

I haven't been able to find any info on whether this show got cut short because of the pandemic. It doesn't seem to get a lot of media attention.

I recently finished watching the Israeli version of the show, and it's full blown soap. I didn't realize that going in, so I kind of regretted watching because I'm not a fan of that sort of show. While the American show has diverged significantly from the original, I'm a little fearful it will increase in soapiness as well. 

[buckboard]

When Vanessa and Daniel were eating pizza, Daniel used a knife and fork.

Really?  Is that a cultural thing or just a personal quirk of his?  

[BigDfromLA]

On 5/27/2020 at 4:44 PM, Angeleyes said:

As much as I’ve liked the actors, they really miscast the ages of Noa, Daniel, and Lewis. 

Both actors who play Noa and Daniel are the same age, born in 1984, making them 36 in 2020. Interestingly, the actress who plays Vanessa was born in 1992, making her 28 and eight years younger. While Lewis looks younger on the surface, if you look closely you can tell that he is probably early 50's.

[Angeleyes]

16 hours ago, BigDfromLA said:

Both actors who play Noa and Daniel are the same age, born in 1984, making them 36 in 2020. Interestingly, the actress who plays Vanessa was born in 1992, making her 28 and eight years younger. While Lewis looks younger on the surface, if you look closely you can tell that he is probably early 50's.

 I was aware of their ages before my post. I still believe that Noa and Daniel should have been in their twenties and that Lewis should look older so he can come across as more of a mentor and father figure. I believe this production hasn’t done enough to foster the believe that Lewis has been there since she was a young teen. The Israeli version did this by showing old photos of them together and they reminisced over the things they’ve accomplished together and how tough it was when they were starting out. Since this Noa and Daniel are in their 30’s it leaves the audience having less sympathy for them and we’re left wondering why these characters don’t have their lives more together by now. Noa should have long ago kicked her dad out of her company. Daniel should have his own place and should have figured out if he wanted to train to be the next owner of the bakery or pursue his own dreams. 

[Trini]

This may be a cultural thing, but with Daniel being single and working in the family business (which is attached to the family home), him living with his parents even at his age isn't that out of place to me. He is saving money on living expenses at the very least.

[mikem]

I don't think Daniel or his parents have ever questioned until now whether Daniel was going to take over the company someday.  It's just been assumed by all of them, without any of them figuring out whether that's actually what's best.  Daniel's been portrayed as being kind of passive in his life before he met Noa, and his parents are well-meaning but have trouble thinking of him as an independent adult.  I've seen that dynamic before with small family-owned businesses, in which the kids are recruited to help very early in life and they just keep doing it.

Noa's drawing of the mustache on her face in the pilot to irritate her father seems kind of childish in retrospect and a bit out of character.  I don't think she'll be doing those kinds of antics moving forward.

A bit off-topic, but in terms of ABC's cancellation of Schooled and Single Parents, I was surprised by that, too.  Apparently, ABC is re-thinking its schedule and de-emphasizing comedy for next season.  I think if it was planning on keeping all of its current comedy blocks, those shows would have been renewed.

Edited May 30, 2020 by mikem

[WendyCR72]

8 hours ago, mikem said:

Noa's drawing of the mustache on her face in the pilot to irritate her father seems kind of childish in retrospect and a bit out of character. 

This scene was almost an exact replica from the original Israeli version, so it was a matter of using source material.