The Disappointing Final Season of the Netflix Series 'On My Block'

If you haven't watched the series all the way through, this reflection contains spoilers, so please come back after you've watched the series. 😊

The synopsis of The Netflix series "On My Block" is: A coming-of-age story about four bright, street-savvy friends navigating their way through high school in the gritty South Central Los Angeles, trying to get their friend out of a gang, and having friendship turn into something more.  The Huz and I were hooked on the story and cast of characters from the first few episodes and throughout the series going all the way to Season 3.  So when the final season, Season 4, was announced, I was excited to dive back into the series and revisit the kids that I felt invested in.  

The series itself is essentially a comedy, but it has several dark moments due to the inner city aspect of the overall arc of the story. It never dwells too much on the tragedies and for the most part, the series did a great job allowing heart and emotion to exist while keeping it lighthearted.  Season 4 was intended to wrap up the stories of the 4 main characters--Cesar, Monse, Ruby, & Jamal--what they are currently up to and how their future could be. 

From the first episode of Season 4 I already felt much disappointment.  Several episodes later, it still focused too much on a fifth character--Jasmine and her (in my opinion) not believable acceptance into the group. In the previous seasons she was simply the annoying side character and she was tolerable as that. But in Season 4, she seems to have been undeservedly upgraded to the star of the show--she was in almost every scene, taking up most of the screen time and dominating the script. This new season didn't feel like an adequate continuation of the show I was hooked on and it certainly didn't seem like an appropriate way to end the series as a whole. Instead it felt like a set-up to a spin-off starring Jasmine--which it if happens, I will certainly not be viewing (not sorry about it). 

For shock value, they killed off a character that was moving towards a positive trajectory in his life.  It was a character that was always predictably one that would be killed--certainly so--especially with the lifestyle he led. The Huz and I were always on edge that he would be killed.  So, because it was predictable, I was hoping the writers would allow him to live--to ride off into the sunset and have a great life. Yes, there's tragedy and death in the inner city, but there are triumphs and it would have been nice to see it for this particular character.  But the writers chose differently--which for me as a viewer, wasn't satisfying. 

I also felt like they changed Jamal's character so drastically it just wasn't believable--he went from a quirky humorously dorky person to some over-the-top player playboy that can have any girl he wants and apparently does so....insinuations of a parade of nameless girls that he blatantly disrespects and disregards.  Ruby became a prop character for Jasmine.  And Cesar and Monse began doing a sort of "romantic dance" that pretty much involved Monse giving up all her dignity and feminism membership card to play second fiddle to Cesar's other girlfriend. The blatant misogyny made it beyond difficult to root for a relationship that previously gave me the feels.  Instead, I was rooting for Monse to move on from Cesar even though they alluded to them possibly having a future.  As a fan and viewer, I didn't want that.  And that's simply just sad. 

And whoever decided that the 4th AND final season was going to be heavily focused on Jasmine, I just want to say, you've highly disappointed me as a fan of this show. She is not who I wanted to see the most of as the show came to a close.  I wanted to see Cesar struggle with his place in the world. I wanted to see Monse grow into her femininity, confidence and strength. I wanted to see Ruby figure out that you can't always win everything but you can still be winning. And I wanted Jamal to believe in the loyalty of his friends and be comfortable in who he is without trying to impress others.  And I wanted to see all this with the same humor, lightheartedness and heart the other seasons were able to exhibit.  

But I did not. 

Farewell, "On My Block". 

**All my opinions are mine & mine alone.**

Pro and Con Your Favorite City: Sharing some California Love

This post can be found on Haley's page on Facebook

When I saw this list from vlogger Haley Dasovich, I went through a personal reflection of sorts. Never before have I felt so much negativity and vitriol about living in California and more specifically Los Angeles. I've lived in LA County for about 40 years and have raised my sons here and have never even considered moving anywhere else. And it isn't because it's some kind of utopian place with no negative aspects.  There are some valid points that I've heard people make that may make living on this side of the West Coast unappealing.  But I'm still a pretty solid Californian and specifically a pretty content Southern Californian. 

Big pros: There are so many things to do here.  Many activities like hiking, shopping, dining and sightseeing. We have theme parks. We have mild weather--never unbearably cold or warm. We have diversity in cultures, political beliefs and many religious denominations. We have dense super populated cities, less so, and quiet sleepy towns. We have beaches and mountains. 

Some cons: Just like anywhere, there are drawbacks.  The most glaring of these negatives is the high cost of living. It's very expensive to live here, from housing to gas prices to just general everyday products. We do have public transportation but the most convenient mode of getting around is with a car.  The freeways are often congested.  We have smog and all the things associated with big cities. 

But once you're accustomed to the vibe of the city, it's home. Every area has its own personality and many feel pride in what their city or cities stand for or accomplish. It's a hustle and bustle, but it's also serene and peaceful--it all depends on how YOU want to do it. It's easy to get on the negative mindset and hate on a city (some people spend too much time focusing on their dislike of cities they don't even live in), but if you love something, don't let that get you down. Even when I hear the most hateful things about California (and maybe sometimes agree with certain points-of-view), I'm still thankful to be living here.  I guess that's what matters the most.  

As usual, sending light & love out to you and the city you live in. 😉😘

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