Cristela - General Discussion

[Kromm]

What I do want to see at some point is the bubble burst on the minority vs. white people situation the show milks most of its humor from. What do I mean?

It's true, especially in the setting the show is in (it's Texas, isn't it? Despite the total lack of accents?), that there's old white money and vast groups of Mexicans who are the underclass and companies aplenty with the one token Mexican doing more than cleaning the toilets or being a receptionist. But what we aren't seeing acknowledged on this show, and it would be interesting to see it, is the (admittedly comparatively small) class of wealthy Mexicans also in the same area, who might have their OWN lawfirms, their own box seats at that theater, etc.

Just to use a real world example, take Eva Longoria. She's from Texas, and she's not rich simply because she's a showbusiness success, but because her family has been rich for several generations (she was profiled on one of those genealogy shows and her family actually was rich in Mexico, LOST all their money due to a civil war there, and got a lot of it back years later). Her family is not unique in this. So it would be interesting to have Cristela, the fictional character, fall into some scenario where she has to help her rich clueless white boss deal with a wealth brown person (the comedy coming maybe from her own inability to identify properly with such a person--although of course we have to distinguish the fictional Cristela here from the real one a bit, possibly).

[leighdear]

Excellent potential scenario, Kromm.  I lived in Dallas for several years, and you're absolutely right about the variety of wealthy groups and where they came from. 

[Kromm]

Excellent potential scenario, Kromm.  I lived in Dallas for several years, and you're absolutely right about the variety of wealthy groups and where they came from. 

I know even to this day there are plenty of all white country clubs, and such, but there's certainly also a parallel culture of wealthy minorities as well.  In a way it makes the racism aspect even more interesting, because it's not simply rich vs. poor going on.

[quetzal]

This last episode is the hardest I've laughed at any of them to date. The coughing while you open a soda can? Her reaction to Daniela before she spelled out her "system?" Being "the one" that gets sought out for school/company/organization publications for diversity's sake? Daniela and Cristela's performance? Loved it, mostly because I can relate. I sense improvement. 

 

The total viewership is slowly increasing though I'm concerned how much steam they may lose with the holiday breaks.

Edited November 23, 2014 by quetzal

[SmithW6079]

I did love the "do you have the receipt" line.  It brought that fancy bag subplot out of it's own bit of cliche.

 

In that episode, I was disappointed with the pocketbook resolution. I thought the niece was going to say that she had returned the bag to get an iPad after all, which is what Cristela had chipped in for.

 

We're used to Felix being wrong, of course, but this was just inside the box overweening pride and stupidity, even with the turnaround at the end of the episode.

 

Why was he wrong to be proud? He wants to be able to provide for his family, and he was afraid Henry would see how much they didn't have and be resentful. I was actually glad that was Felix's motive, and not that he didn't want his son to see a musical because that wouldn't be macho. 

 

I know people rave about box seats, but I'd much rather be in center fifth-row orchestra than off to the side.

 

I was bothered that Cristela brought snacks to the theater. Movies are one thing, but not live theater.

 

I know they keep saying they're poor, but that looks like a pretty nice house to me. And isn't Felix a general contractor? He runs his own business and has at least one employee (Alberto), so he is probably doing OK.

 

The law firm using Cristela in all their diversity photos is going to bite them in the ass.  

Edited November 25, 2014 by SmithW6079

[Irlandesa]

The total viewership is slowly increasing though I'm concerned how much steam they may lose with the holiday breaks.

ABC ordered the back 9 today (I'll post a link to the article in the media thread) so we know it'll at least get a full season to try to pick up steam.

[aradia22]

I'm still on episode 5. That is, I've finished watching up to episode 5. I think the show is funny, largely due to Cristela's own charm though I don't mind the rest of the cast. Did they replace Daniela's children? In typical sitcom fashion it's not moving forward especially quickly. I think that would be my drawback. Newer sitcoms aren't as afraid of plot but while the humor is fresh, the show is in the same mold that makes these things easy to watch out of context in syndication. They keep retreading the same ground making it a hard show to be invested in week to week.

[DB in CMH]

This show has gotten substantially better since the pilot, and the last two episodes have been great. I really think, in many ways, there going for a Roseanne vibe, which is great to emulation. There are places to improve - the office characters need far more depth, as well as the Cristela/Felix relationship. Cristela is a big reason for the laughs - she is infectious and has great delivery. She looks like she's having a great time. She needs to laugh less at her own jokes, but she'll get there.

 

I think the show could be something really great - Roseanne was kinda meh in its first season. I like how they mentioned Felix struggling with work, and they're obviously working class. I'd like to see the money struggle a bit more. They talk about it, but don't really show it. That could really add an edge that the show lacks right now. I know the show thinks it has an edge now with the blatant racism/stereotyping, but it's groan worthy because its as subtle as a sledgehammer. 

Edited December 6, 2014 by DB in CMH

[pookat]

Speaking of Roseanne, the promo for the January 9 episode shows her guest starring. I was never a huge fan of Roseanne's show, but I know how much Cristela admires her and was influenced by her, so I'm thrilled for her sake. I also think Roseanne has gotten more interesting with age and I love that she's willing to support a fellow comedienne and trailblazer.

Tonight's episode was so sweet without being schmaltzy. Really enjoyed the fact that Josh, the outsider, saw the unspoken family dynamic. This episode was a major win.

[readster]

  The Christmas episode was great. The wife and I were laughing tons of times. I'm really happy they are starting to flesh out the office characters more. "I'm taking an Elfie!" I was on the floor with that one. 

[imjagain]

Such a great episode. Just fantastic. Every thing worked on it.

Very excited that Rosanne will be guest starring.

Edited December 13, 2014 by imjagain

[Irlandesa]

Josh and Cristela liked seeing each other outside of work--and I did too.  As with last week, I think it's a good idea to start mixing both sides of the show. 

[DB in CMH]

The promo with Roseanne blew me away after my posting here! Talk about prescient. I found the end of the Christmas episode a little too precious for my tastes, but it's all going in the right direction.

[SmithW6079]

I'm a sucker for a Christmas episode, and this one was so nice. Once again, a Jew offers words of wisdom and saves people.

[DB in CMH]

After watching tonight's show, I'm convinced that Cristela needs a better vehicle. I know she created it, but she is far and away the best thing about it to the point where it completely deflates when she's not on camera. Roseanne was amazingly awful, over delivering everything. A few weeks break wasnt kind to my perception of the show.

[readster]

 I agree, Christela is the show and while I'm enjoying the play up of the other characters. She does make this show and she works great with all the other characters. Even with Roseanne that was really great between the two. 

[SmithW6079]

Roseanne was amazingly awful, over delivering everything.

 

But that's pretty much her style of comedy, isn't it? I was amazed at how she looks. Definitely not the Roseanne from "Roseanne" days.

 

One thing bothered me, why was she's Troy's wife? I could have bought her as his first wife, but not his third, since presumably a man like him would be on 20-year-old trophy wives by now. 

 

One of the surprises, for me, has been the daughter (Maddie?). Originally I figured she was supposed to be the idiot airhead, but occasionally, they give her lines that show there's more than air between her ears.

 

They were kind of comparing apples and oranges, I thought. Roseanne offers Cristela a job, one that pays. At Troy's firm, she's still an unpaid intern. I understand loyalty, but without an offer of employment guaranteed, it's kind of a no-brainer, especially since it seems like Roseanne's law firm would be the type of firm Cristela would prefer to work for.

Edited January 12, 2015 by SmithW6079

[possibilities]

Yeah, I was really disappointed that she didn't ask for a salary before agreeing to return to the firm. What the hell is that about? They were having hurt feelings over whether she stayed or left? Is this a romance or a career? That loyalty message was really weird given the nature of the situation. Men are supposed to pursue their ambitions. Women are supposed to pursue the affections of their boss?

[Kromm]

After watching tonight's show, I'm convinced that Cristela needs a better vehicle. I know she created it, but she is far and away the best thing about it to the point where it completely deflates when she's not on camera. Roseanne was amazingly awful, over delivering everything. A few weeks break wasnt kind to my perception of the show.

It's true she's the best thing by far on the show, but the structure of the show works for her comedy. The supporting players aren't BAD either. They're just very firmly and definitely supporting players. This is a single star show, not an ensemble, and I think we've had ensemble shows for so long we've kind of forgotten about this kind of show.

The good side of this style show is that you don't get that whole A plot, B plot (and often C plot) structure, which can often leave a show feeling rushed. They're almost always entirely A plot only (or if there's a B plot it still surrounds the star, just interacting with a different set of supporting characters).

[imjagain]

I was disappointed, Roseanne was awful.

Roseanne was pretty bad when her show first started. But there were some great seasons in the middle. Rosanne's acting improved a lot. Towards the end of the Rosanne Show you got a lot of over enunciated words and her way of speaking was halting. And that is what I saw on Cristela.

I still hope the show keeps improving.

[Irlandesa]

I didn't like that episode but overall, I do like this as a vehicle for Cristela.  It's not a complicated show.  It's a bit of a throwback but it's the perfect Friday night show for me.  Cristela's comedy feels a bit broad which fits this better than a single camera show. 

 

Its ratings last tied its debut ratings which I found kind of interesting. 

[JAYJAY1979]

I think that was due to the roseanne guest stint.

She seemed to overact quite.a bit but its been years since roseanne has done a sitcom so was probably rusty.

I think cristelas co worker...the step daughter also has natural comic timing..and I like the brief glimpses of intelligence that she displays

[momtoall]

One of the surprises, for me, has been the daughter (Maddie?). Originally I figured she was supposed to be the idiot airhead, but occasionally, they give her lines that show there's more than air between her ears.

 

I think in the beginning they were headed in the direction of "dizzy blonde" with the daughter but change their minds after a couple of episodes.  I'm glad they changed course because she has some pretty good lines.

 

Roseanne was amazingly awful, over delivering everything.

 

I've always thought she was awful and she hasn't improved with time.

[readster]

 I was on the floor with the Irish Dance joke. I'm also happy how they have handled the timeline on the show. Knowing one semester and the bar and she will be a lawyer but I also like it how they have set it up. Doesn't mean Cristela will move out of the house right away either. 

[Kromm]

What a fantastic episode that last one (the bullying episode) was. It handled the issue with amazing dexterity--not skimping for even a moment on the complexities of such issues.  But it also never stopped being funny.  If this is what the show can do at it's best, then bravo.

 

A ton of other things (besides the bullying plot and how it was handled) to like in that episodes as well.  

 

1.) Alberto was geared back.  They didn't totally take away his annoying crush/borderline harassment of Cristela, but they had about half the number of jokes about it--and that seemed about right if they really want to stick to that.  Enough to remind us he's inappropriate, but it's less in our face.

 

2.) They continue to hit a homerun with the Mother character.  

 

3.) The boss' daughter continues to be the surprise of the show.  I love that they've stopped falling back on her simply being stupid or lazy or spoiled and shown that she's actually quite astute... when she wants to be.  I actually look forward to her being on screen rather than cringing now (like I still do occasionally with Alberto).

 

4.) I REALLY love how they've evolved the idea of how Cristela is an oddball, even (maybe even especially) relative to her own culture.  From the beginning we've heard her be really open with non-Hispanic culture references, but what I really love is that they've really represented the idea that she (like presumably the real life Cristela Alonzo) is a hardcore Sci-Fi geek.  Which may not be unknown with Hispanics, but which isn't usually represented in mass media (and TV shows) as something we'd associate with them.  It's delightful on this show, and creates a real sense that Cristela Hernandez is a three dimensional character and not just a series of tropes and cliches.  

 

Bravo, show.

[readster]

Another great episode. Felix sold the scene on the bed, especially when they were they were hugging on top of him. His face was priceless. They really have brought the law firm cast to life, I really enjoyed it.

[Kromm]

Another great episode. Felix sold the scene on the bed, especially when they were they were hugging on top of him. His face was priceless. They really have brought the law firm cast to life, I really enjoyed it.

Yeah, they've been bringing it big time with the character of the blonde daughter, but they also gave an interesting wrinkle to the guy there. He'd been getting boring simply being a kind of non-romantic friend for Cristela, where they continued to tease the possibility of more but didn't go there.  I mean the bad side is that his actions this past episode seemed a little inconsistent with his previous ones, but at the same time it's not like they were pulling the trigger on a romance anyway. So in an odd way this tied back to the plot with the sister and her analyzing Cristela's weight issue from a romantic standpoint.

[Irlandesa]

I thought the story between Cristela and Daniela was really strong thematically.  It went places I didn't expect and yet it was real all the way.

 

Josh and the daughter were funny.  It was a solid B plot.

[JAYJAY1979]

The daughter had natural comic timing.. even though this is a star vehicle, you need strong comic support to succeed.

[DB in CMH]

Great episode. Ratings have pulled up from where they ended in the fall - it hasn't sunk below a 1.1 yet this month. That is good news. Even if the show does not make it to a second season, I think Cristela will quickly be scooped up - she is a gem. I compare her quite a bit to Roseanne, and did earlier in this thread. It's obvious she sees herself in that vein. Roseanne took TWO seasons to get to the acting place that Cristela Alonso has gotten to in 12 episodes. That's great.

[Expat]

Felix really endeared himself to me when he told Cristela that there was nothing wrong with the way she looked. He's always taking digs at her (and she gives it right back, so I'm not really complaining about that), but when it comes down to it, he's not actually a cruel guy. It was a nice surprise when he didn't just automatically agree with Daniela.

 

I really enjoy the law office crew. It was hilarious the way Maddie played Josh like that and had her dad in on it. I didn't see it coming (though maybe I should have) when boss man was in on her ruse at the end.

 

I love Natalia. She may be just one big caricature, but she makes me laugh so, so what?

[Kromm]

I love Natalia. She may be just one big caricature, but she makes me laugh so, so what?

The show is allowed one, since most of the other characters don't fit in their boxes really well (and that's a compliment, not a dig).  Cristela herself being the best example of all, since she's shown with all kinds of character notes (like I mentioned in a previous post) that have little to do with stereotypical "Latino stuff".  So that actually creates an interesting situation where they can ramp that stuff up with the mother.

 

The one sour note in the scenario for me (because they just make it seem like an alien mindset) is how every Latino on the show OTHER than Cristela seems to think the idea of one of them succeeding outside their normal economic/social box is ridiculous and strange.  I brought this up way upthread and the show is still running with this idea--using it as a fairly huge plotpoint this past episode with how its unthinkable that she doesn't get married.  It's just bizarre to me.  The show is set in Texas, where there are tons of rich, successful Mexican-descended businesswomen and professionals.  I know even there you've probably got a divide between those who's families have maybe always been rich (who came from Mexico rich) and those who came over as poor (maybe even illegally), but if the show really wants to show Cristela and her family as this way, they need to show the contrast and better explain that its more than just her being Mexican... it's also a class thing as well even beyond that.  It would be a perfect opportunity, as I said upthread, to stunt-cast someone like Eva Longoria and have a snooty rich Mexican-American as a contrasting portrayal.  The show just keeps missing the boat on this ONE issue.  They've gone complex on so much, the fact that they're missing this one thing is a real thorn.

Edited February 1, 2015 by Kromm

[imjagain]

Great episode.

I love that Maddie did that for Cristela. The actress was really good.

Big props to CA she could have easily left Maddie as a very light flighty character. I really like the friendship.

Felix was wonderful. No fluffy and I'm fine with him being on some episodes not all.

Edited February 1, 2015 by imjagain

[DB in CMH]

The show is allowed one, since most of the other characters don't fit in their boxes really well (and that's a compliment, not a dig).  Cristela herself being the best example of all, since she's shown with all kinds of character notes (like I mentioned in a previous post) that have little to do with stereotypical "Latino stuff".  So that actually creates an interesting situation where they can ramp that stuff up with the mother.

 

The one sour note in the scenario for me (because they just make it seem like an alien mindset) is how every Latino on the show OTHER than Cristela seems to think the idea of one of them succeeding outside their normal economic/social box is ridiculous and strange.  I brought this up way upthread and the show is still running with this idea--using it as a fairly huge plotpoint this past episode with how its unthinkable that she doesn't get married.  It's just bizarre to me.  The show is set in Texas, where there are tons of rich, successful Mexican-descended businesswomen and professionals.  I know even there you've probably got a divide between those who's families have maybe always been rich (who came from Mexico rich) and those who came over as poor (maybe even illegally), but if the show really wants to show Cristela and her family as this way, they need to show the contrast and better explain that its more than just her being Mexican... it's also a class thing as well even beyond that.  It would be a perfect opportunity, as I said upthread, to stunt-cast someone like Eva Longoria and have a snooty rich Mexican-American as a contrasting portrayal.  The show just keeps missing the boat on this ONE issue.  They've gone complex on so much, the fact that they're missing this one thing is a real thorn.

 

They scrape by class issues on the show, but seem timid to really dive right into it. It could really make the show very distinctive in a way that it isn't now. There's lots of material there to mine.

[Perfect Xero]

I really enjoy the law office crew. It was hilarious the way Maddie played Josh like that and had her dad in on it. I didn't see it coming (though maybe I should have) when boss man was in on her ruse at the end.

It really bugged me, she sexually harassed him to teach him a lesson. It wasn't even like he was harassing someone and she was doing it to show him what it was like to be on the receiving end.

 

I can't imagine that scene ever being allowed to play out as a joke with the gender roles reversed. The boss's son forces a kiss on a female intern and then basically lays on top of her at her desk the next day while she's clearly very uncomfortable about what is happening, and his boss father is going to be really mad at her for "leading him on", cue laugh track?

[DB in CMH]

It really bugged me, she sexually harassed him to teach him a lesson. It wasn't even like he was harassing someone and she was doing it to show him what it was like to be on the receiving end.

 

I can't imagine that scene ever being allowed to play out as a joke with the gender roles reversed. The boss's son forces a kiss on a female intern and then basically lays on top of her at her desk the next day while she's clearly very uncomfortable about what is happening, and his boss father is going to be really mad at her for "leading him on", cue laugh track?

 

I really, really dislike the work crew. It's too 90s workplace sitcom for me. The home scenes have veered away from that 90s sitcom vibe (for the better), which is why I find the work scenes jarring. The Middle got better when it more or less eliminated the work-place scenes in season 2, and I hope Cristela does the same if given the chance. 

 

BTW ABC, why not give Cristela an episode post Modern Family like you did with FOTB? 

[imjagain]

Lol, my sweet mother loved Stephen Segal and Jean Claude Van Damme movies and we(her children could never figure out why, still don't know,lol).

So Cristel's mom fanning out over Jackie Chan made me laugh.

I loved this episode.

I agree that this show needs both home and work scenes.

Edited February 7, 2015 by imjagain

[readster]

Another great episode. So, that is why Cristela didn't finish law school earlier and ended up living with the sister. It all makes sense now. 

[Kromm]

I really, really dislike the work crew. It's too 90s workplace sitcom for me. The home scenes have veered away from that 90s sitcom vibe (for the better), which is why I find the work scenes jarring. The Middle got better when it more or less eliminated the work-place scenes in season 2, and I hope Cristela does the same if given the chance. 

 

BTW ABC, why not give Cristela an episode post Modern Family like you did with FOTB? 

There's nothing wrong with 90s workplace sitcoms.  Those shows are classics for a reason, and the genre still a workable one for a reason.  Cristela becoming a lawyer seems to be essential to her character, so I don't think you could just ditch that anyway.  And for every show like The Middle, where it got better for ditching a workplace, there's probably two where a show probably would have benefited from ditching the HOME plots and just showing the workplace.   But I actually think this show does the rare job of having a good balance of the two.  The structural problem is mainly that it's hard to mix the two--they had to really jump through hoops to get Felix to meet the office crew for example--but really it's not so bad having Cristela be the only real link.  Why?  Because this is not an ensemble (one of the reasons it's NOT a 90s workplace comedy, despite a few superficial commonalities).  This show has a distinct sole protagonist, and main star, which is why showing different environments works.  The plots all still come back to her, regardless of the setting. 

[possibilities]

This show has grown on me week to week and now I actually love it. It's been dialing back the things I didn't like, and ramping up the ones I do-- I don't think that's ever happened on any show before, so I'm not only enjoying it but also having my mind blown a little bit.

 

The sisters fighting was great-- and then finally stopping pulling punches and just bluntly calling mom on being scared was great-- all through the episode there was a surprising balance between humor and pain. This show is honing that particular skill to a perfect point.

 

I like the home and work settings equally. I'd be very upset if they took her out of the law office and just had her... what? Snarking at the dinner table?

[DB in CMH]

There's nothing wrong with 90s workplace sitcoms.  Those shows are classics for a reason, and the genre still a workable one for a reason.  Cristela becoming a lawyer seems to be essential to her character, so I don't think you could just ditch that anyway.  And for every show like The Middle, where it got better for ditching a workplace, there's probably two where a show probably would have benefited from ditching the HOME plots and just showing the workplace.   But I actually think this show does the rare job of having a good balance of the two.  The structural problem is mainly that it's hard to mix the two--they had to really jump through hoops to get Felix to meet the office crew for example--but really it's not so bad having Cristela be the only real link.  Why?  Because this is not an ensemble (one of the reasons it's NOT a 90s workplace comedy, despite a few superficial commonalities).  This show has a distinct sole protagonist, and main star, which is why showing different environments works.  The plots all still come back to her, regardless of the setting. 

 

It's not a workplace comedy, but the workplace scenes embody, for me, the worst qualities of that genre. Unremarkable, interchangeable characters, stereotypes and wooden scripts. The boss is the single worst character on the show who hasn't been fleshed out beyond having an ex-wife and the utter inability to not be vaguely/overtly racist. Josh is the lame sycophant that's not as funny as the show believes that he is, and Maddie is a dimwit who coasts on looks and connections. It's like watching Less Than Perfect, but with far less chemistry. Cristela is the highlight of those scenes by a mile. I just think the show can do better.

 

For me they're in stark contrast to the home scenes, which have gotten far, far better since the shaky pilot, although mom does need to STOP saying "back in my village..." You're right, the show is not an ensemble, so doing something like The Middle did would not work here as much. But I would like to see Cristela get a new workplace, even if it was at the law firm that Roseanne was running. I understand they really wanted to highlight the "culture clash" of Chicana meets white law firm, but it's really dragging on the show for me. The home characters are all distinct and different from what we've typically seen on TV, whereas the law firm characters are variants of things that should have been left in 1999. 

 

Ratings are up, which is good. I'm really hoping this gets a second season.

[SmithW6079]

Maddie is a dimwit who coasts on looks and connections

 

Actually, I think the show has gone out of its way to show that Maddie is not a dimwit who coasts on looks and connections.

 

although mom does need to STOP saying "back in my village..."

 

I hope she doesn't, because it's hilarious, especially when the girls (Daniella in particular) mimic her.

 

This one seemed a little off, only in overreaction to Natalia's missed doctor appointment. They've never indicated what she had before that was so bad that Cristela had to drop out of law school. She must have made a complete recovery because as the actress portrays her, Amma comes across as strong as an ox, who'll bury all her enemies before giving up the ghost.

 

Did Felix genuinely not get that "message" and "massage" were different things? And that it was Daniella joking with him when he said he had a message (because she wanted a massage)?

 

Cristela getting hysterical over the plot of "Steel Magnolias" and Daniella's ignorance of it was a riot, especially when she mouths "She dies!" regarding the Julia Roberts character (which is the best part of the movie). 

 

I thought Josh was spot on when he called Cristela's stepping in as the boss's assistant a demotion. She's a law school intern, not an assistant, and I'm glad she turned him down at the end.

[SmithW6079]

No comments on the latest "Cristela"?

Roseanne was once again strident and unpleasant and awful. They wasted too much time on her and Mr. Culpepper. The actors have zero chemistry -- who would believe they were ever in love or wanted to be married? And I still maintain that if anything, Roseanne would have been his first "starter" wife, not his third.

At least we got to see a B story with Daniella and Felix, and a few scenes with Amma. I have to say, though, that Cristela had no concept of boundaries with her sister and brother-in-law. When she saw them getting close, she should have left, not stayed to watch and interject herself.

[Expat]

Last night's eppie had waaaaayyyyy too much of the Culpeppers. I thought it was pretty boring overall.

 

I liked the small scene with Maddie, but that was really about it.

[momtoall]

Roseanne was once again strident and unpleasant and awful. They wasted too much time on her and Mr. Culpepper.

 

Yeah .... I don't think Roseanne is the draw that TPTB think she is for the show.  Cristela and the rest of the cast do just fine without her.

[possibilities]

This was my least favorite episode, but it still had its moments. For the first time, though, most of them were not moments with Cristela. It was really more about her sister and Felix, and a little about her mom.

 

I didn't like the degree to which Cristela was meddling with her boss's divorce and it just seemed weirdly inappropriate. I did like that there seems to be a genuine warming between her and Felix, though. I noticed it in the episode before, when he said she looked fine as she is. Ever since then, it's like there's no longer this on-going issue of he wants her out and she annoys him. They seem to have made peace and I like than better than when it as a snipe-fest. I hope it lasts.

[imjagain]

I'd be fine with no more Rosanne. She really is not a good fit. It was a boring episode. Liked Maddie. Was Josh there?

The Daniella and Felix story was good. I can't help but love Felix.

Edited February 22, 2015 by imjagain

[Kromm]

Okay, the show finally lost me a bit.

They've taken the character of the mother too far. In the past we've gotten not only the mother, but the whole family not only accepting their lower rung in society, but insisting it's "their place". It's been a kind of ugly subplot all along. So not only did they bring that back this last episode, but ramped it up with the mother actually proving to have sabotaged Cristela in her childhood, based on this bizarre logic that potentially being made fun of is somehow worse than having your opportunities at better paying jobs removed.

It's the same puzzle with them all somehow not computing that even a lower rung legal job would probably pay better than anything they're doing, and Cristela is seemingly on track to do much better than a lower rung job.

I think the show needs to start next season with Cris actually returning to the firm she's at as a paid associate. They need to put this subtheme to bed already. They can still do the aspects of her family thinking she's getting too "fancy" or forgetting her roots. But the whole "it's bad to achieve" plotline? It was always sketchy and is one of the few things on this show just getting worse and worse.

Edited February 28, 2015 by Kromm

[possibilities]

Ama did come around, though. At the end, she was supporting the kid and Cristela in preparing for the re-test.

[Kromm]

Ama did come around, though. At the end, she was supporting the kid and Cristela in preparing for the re-test.

That doesn't undo the large impact of her original action. And the show returning time and again to this weird philosophy the family seems to have about achievement isn't any less strange.