*Warning: there will be spoilers in this article since it’s a review on the series On My Block. Discretion is advised. Happy reading!
Netflix has been rolling out their originals with new episodes, seasons, movies and series so much at this point it seems like the binging saga will never. One of the shows I was most excited about was “On My Block”’s second season, which is now streaming on Netflix. While on my trip to Orlando this past weekend, I got the chance to binge watch the entire season and man, do I have thoughts about it.
We left off in season 1 with the the big shooting at Olivia’s Quinceñera. Ruby and Olivia had both been shot after LaTrelle was trying to kill Cesar at the party after the whole incident in the bathroom. Monse found her mom living a new life in Brentwood and was trying to wrap her head around that while worrying about her boyfriend Cesar – which the friend group had just found out about them dating. And Jamal had fulfilled his adventure and found the hidden RollerWorld money – which was about $200,000.
Season 2 picks up a little after the Quinceñera and we found out that Ruby survived the shooting. Olivia unfortunately didn’t have the same ending. They had a memorial for her and she’s now passed away – which kind of makes sense but it doesn’t at the same time. I’m glad that they didn’t kill Ruby, though. I love him as a character and his storyline for season 2 was FANTASTIC. We see him talk about PTSD, depression and anxiety and how he feels about the gang violence and the effects on where he lives. It’s a really important topic to talk about and he’s the greatest character to tell it through.
Jamal’s had a rough time with the RollerWorld money. From having it to losing it to almost burning it because they thought it was cursed and even going through a whole lot of trouble trying to make the money clean – it’s was a whole rollercoaster. The storyline was a lot of comedic for the season, which was really heavy throughout. Towards the end it RollerWorld grew into the big drama. I just hate that we never get to see anything happen to the money. It all just went to Spooky – not cool.
Monse is still trying to wrap her head around the whole situation with her mother. As she goes back to have coffee with the “Julia” lady in Brentwood, they have a whole conversation where Julia learns all about Monse and growing up in Freeridge. At the coffee shop, Monse ends up learning that Julia is really Selena – Monse’s mom, which confirms everything she already knew. She goes and stays as far as staying at Selena’s place for a month and almost not coming back from Freeridge. But then she finds out that Selena left her and her dad when she was a baby because she didn’t look like her and she acts like that “Freeridge” but I definitely get it and I’m glad that it wasn’t pretty the way they did it. It was a harsh reality.
There were a lot of new perspectives you got to see last season that weren’t really talked about last season. We see how some of the gangs got to be where they are today and how certain things started. We get to see the parents’ perspective of all the aftermath and how they feel about the neighborhood. We understand about people’s perceptions of living in a not-so-good neighborhood and what it’s like to leave and come back to the neighborhood. It’s a lot of real life topics that are being talked about through a TV show – which is so important these days.
And lastly there’s Cesar – who just might be my favorite character. We see how he’s coping with the shooting and the death of Olivia, getting exiled from his only family, the struggle of trying to live a clean life outside of gang life and just hardcore struggles. I think that this storyline is very important especially if you take a look at these characters’ ages. They’re all sophomores in high school. Cesar is going through all of these adult life struggles at 15 years old and it’s stuff that some teens are actually going through. So to be real and raw is very significant and I’m very proud of it. I also have a big love for Diego Tinoco, so I’m very excited.
But the ending? The ending bothers me so much in the best way possible. The ending leaves us at a cliffhanger with Cesar maybe being a part of the gang again, the crew of four with no money, Monse leaving to go to boarding school and all of them being kidnapped. I have so many questions: who kidnapped them? Why? How did nobody else notice this? Now what?! And why are these season so short?!?!
All in all, I really enjoyed this season of “On My Block” and I’m really mad that I now have to wait for another season to come out. So here’s to binge-watching seasons 1 and 2 again on Netflix.