On My Block

Over the pass two days between my classes, work, and meetings I have binge watched the first season of On My Block. I will admittedly say that I wasn't sure that I would fall in love with the show in the first couple of episodes-the acting and comedy seemed a little strained. However, I continued on and I am SO GLAD! This show is very entertaining involving both themes of comedy and drama. I think we can all relate to some of the awkward and enduring highschool/teenage scenes which is what brought me in. What kept me was the real ness and truth of the characters and their lives. Yes there are many light hearted scenes but there are many more that show the hard reality of many teenagers. It shows family drama, gang life, fitting in, and problems with friends and at home. I'm really excited about season 2 and would definitely recommend this show to everyone.

First season was crazy good but the second season wasn't the best but overall plot 10/10 but the acting 4/10 and that's me being being nice. like i love the idea and how the show flows and the soundtrack but wow no one in this show can act without it being cringy

I watched On My Block in one go, which is always a good sign. Overall, I liked the story. Four teenagers have been friends for years and are now facing numerous challenges that come with first love and growing up which threaten their friendship. The main characters are all people of color who live in a poor neighborhood which is a nice change to your usually very white middle class coming of age setting. There have been quite a few more diverse TV shows lately which I think is really great.

However, there are some problems with this show (hence the seven star rating). The acting is mediocre at times. Especially the actor who plays Cesar (a teenage boy who follows in his brother's footsteps and joins the local gang) was not convincing to me. He didn't really portray much emotions which is a bad thing if you play a character who has such a serious storyline. Some scenes, especially in the first few episodes, felt awkward. I can't exactly point out why that was. I blame it on the acting and maybe also the camera work. I also haven't made up my mind about wether or not I like the characters. Sometimes they are real assholes and/or don't feel like realistic, complex human beings. Other times I really liked them. I'd say that the girl,Monse, is my favourite and gives the most consistent (good) performance. There were some sexist tropes that bothered me but I won't go into it here. It would have been cool if the creators had realized this and deconstrucetd it in the same way the deconstructed other elements / tropes but you can't have everything and it's probably only a minor detail for most viewers.

In conclusion, I enjoyed the show and might even watch it a second time. It made me laugh out loud on several occasions even if the humour wasn't always my taste. It's not a master piece, it doesn't stand out but it's also better (I feel) than your average TV show and offers an original take on an old concept.

Season One: 5.5/10

Themes: Drama, Crime, Gangs, Friendship, High School, Treasure Hunt, Rough Neighborhood, Coming-of-Age, Latin Culture, Drugs, Violence, Guns, Humour & Relationships.

Top five characters: 1) Ruby Martinez, 2) Olivia, 3) Monse Finnie, 4) Jamal Turner and 5) Oscar 'Spooky' Diaz.

I don't love this show, but I don't hate it either. But Its easy to follow and overall decently enjoyable. The show is listed as a comedy and while there was quite few times I did cackle. A good percentage of time the show isn't funny or the jokes just fall extremely flat. It honestly plays more of as drama then anything. But one mainly aimed at teens to young adults. I can't see anyone older finding anything else redeeming here.

I did however feel that episodes not being long by any means was a positive. As well as some of the characters were enjoyable to watch. Would I recommend the show? Depends on kind of person you are.

If you're someone whos burned through everything else on netflix have go at it. But if you're looking for show to binge and haven't seen any really of what netflix has to offer, then avoid this at all costs.