One day at a time is a show that depicts the everyday life of a Cuban American family. The characters stumble and attempt to create their own journey.
Primarily, the story is about Penelope Alvarez who is a United States Army Nurse Corps veteran. On her return to a civilian life, numerous issues remain unresolved from her time in the army. Later, she works as a nurse under Dr. Leslie Berkowitz.
Penelope’s husband had alcoholism which was due to PTSD from his time in the army. Penelope separates from Victor taking her children, Elena and Alex, with the help of her mother Lydia who is a refugee from Cuba. Elena, resistant to have her quinces, starts dating a teenager and later (Spoiler Alert!) realizes that she is a lesbian. After struggling to tell her family about her sexuality, she finds the right time to actually come out. The TV show has two seasons and both of them are absolutely hilarious. It is a must watch because it shows the everyday life of an everyday immigrant family. The most important reasons are the characters themselves:
1. Penelope Alvarez: The War Veteran who deals with her family, work and romantic life
together. It is the story of this slightly depressed yet satisfied woman who strives to keep everything in sync.
2. Lydia Alvarez: The Cuban mother and grandmother who favours her grandson but still loves her granddaughter. She tries to forget the things she has seen in her past but is still a strong-headed and strong-willed woman.
3. Alex Alvarez: Alex, the youngest in the family tries to fit into the American culture yet remains slightly aloof from it. He helps keep the family together and has a belief that he can get his dad back into the family.
4. Elena Alvarez: The strong-headed feminist who is a proud lesbian feels she needs to bring change in her family as well as in the country. For her, the world is against everything she does or likes to do.
This show is a light-hearted show which talks about things that happen in the everyday lives of immigrant families. They address pressing issues such as immigrants in America, sexism in the workplace and racial stereotyping in a memorable way that hits home. You can watch it on Netflix and enjoy it with your family and amazing food.
Edited by Priyanka Shankar
Images curated by Viraj Malani