This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Aberdeen chapter.
5 reasons why you need to watch One Day at a Time
When I first heard about One Day At A Time (ODAAT) – the new but sadly underrated Netflix comedy that arrived early this year – I wasn’t that impressed. A reboot of an old American sitcom just seemed like a tired idea, but I am very happy to say that I couldn’t have been more wrong. I decided to give it a go after a friend compared the comedy style to Brooklyn Nine-Nine (one of my favourite shows) and I was hooked before the roughly 30 minute pilot was over. But if that isn’t enough to sell you, here are 5 more reasons why you need to watch One Day At A Time.
- It centres around a veteran, single, Cuban mother, Penelope, and her family. Including her feminist daughter Elena, golden boy son Alex, her old-fashioned mother Lydia – who came to America when she was a child – and their sweet but clueless landlord Schneider. The show is diverse as hell, and it’s great!
- It’s incredibly topical, and despite being a comedy, it’s light-heartedness doesn’t stop it from dealing with serious issues exceptionally well. In the first season alone, ODAAT discusses immigration and deportation, equal wage (mansplaining, and a whole host of other sexist issues), religion, coming out, PTSD, and more. And not once does it rely on any of these issues for its humour – a rarity for a comedy in my opinion.
- Which brings me on to my favourite thing about the show, it has one of the best coming out storylines I’ve ever seen. Rather than discovering that she’s gay due to falling for somebody, Elena simply goes on a journey of self-discovery. She puts herself out there with a boy to see what it’s like, and immediately realises she’s gay because she “feels more when she looks at a picture of Kristen Stewart” than she does when she kisses him. When Elena comes out to her mother, she accepts her with ease, and it’s an incredibly beautiful scene. Away from Elena, though, Penelope struggles to adjust to what this means for her daughter, and watching her strictly religious mother work through her granddaughter coming out in a matter of seconds – in a monologue I’d like to show every person who uses religion as a reason to be homophobic – leaves her feeling even more like a “monster” for not being totally okay with it. It depicts the real struggle a parent can have over the shock of their child coming out, and how sometimes all you need is a little time to adjust, while never placing any blame or guilt onto Elena.
- It proves without a doubt, that women can successfully and hilariously lead a comedy show. Justina Machado doesn’t just shine as Penelope in terms of the comedy, though, she pulls you into the show, and really makes you feel like you are a part of this family. Through her incredible performance, you will be laughing along with and rooting for Penelope, until you’ve realised you watched all 13 episodes in one night. I couldn’t possibly touch on the comedic gold of the women in this show, though, without mentioning Rita Dolores Moreno, who plays grandmother Lydia, and effortlessly becomes the star in every scene she is in.
- The entire show leads up to Elena’s quinces which takes place in the finale, but more importantly, it really drives home the message that a family doesn’t always look like the traditional nuclear idea we all hold, but that doesn’t make it any less of a family. This episode will leave you crying, laughing, and smiling all at the same time. And if you hadn’t already, the finale will undoubtedly make you fall in love with their family, I mean just look at them!