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Abuelita is dying, and it’s not okay!
After a rough start to the season, On My Block Season 4 Episode 3 felt like the series we know, love, and will miss like crazy. And On My Block Season 4 Episode 4 gave us a reunion of the core four, if only for a few moments.
Everything is picking up, and the emotions are all over the place. It’s rude how much they’re playing with our feelings like this, dammit!
We need to talk about Abuelita and how it’ll wreck all of Freeridge when she passes away.
On My Block has always done well capturing the ebb and flow of life and all of its changes. It explores real life, some of the grittiest, scariest, most traumatic, and upsetting parts with this tone of humor cast over it.
It’s on-brand for the series to explore the loss of a beloved character like Abuelita. It’s a natural progression of life, people are born, and then they die.
It’s up to us to pour everything we can into the time in-between. And because of Abuelita’s feistiness, she’s someone you don’t think about passing away despite the reality of aging and health issues catching up to her.
You delude yourself into believing that someone like Abuelita will somehow live forever, and when the grim reality hits, it’s as if someone has sucker-punched you in the solar plexus.
It makes sense that Jamal is the one to notice that something is wrong instantly. For one, it often takes an outsider who isn’t living with a person day in and out to see the differences, but he’s also someone who was always in tune with Abuelita.
Abuelita: What do you want, Jamal?
Jamal: You’re tired all the time. You’ve gone from tequila to Ensure. Abuelita, are you sick?
Abuelita: Don’t tell Ruby.
She appreciates his weirdness, and he understands her in a way that the others don’t.
Jamal spent some time in her bedroom, and after roughly a few weeks of being in their lives again, he figured out Abuelita was always tired. He noticed all those cases of Ensure, and he pieced together that she must’ve been sick.
You could tell the moments when it was clicking as he laid beside her on her bed and talked about all of his issues while she nodded off. The tenderness he showed when he tucked her in was enough to make you misty-eyed.
But he couldn’t let it go unacknowledged, so when he returned to her window, watching her sleep, and he asked her flat out, she conceded that she was sick. However, she didn’t say how, and now Jamal has the burden of keeping this heavy secret from Ruby.
Abuelita: Slow down, and pay attention. And when you make a mistake, which you will, don’t be discouraged. There will be times you want to give up or think things are so bad they can’t be fixed…but I promise you, with enough determination and patience, anything can be mended.
Ruby: I know what you’re doing, this isn’t a sewing lesson, it’s a life one.
It made the scenes between Ruby and Abuelita enough to elicit a lump in the throat. How long has Abuelita been doing all of these little things, teaching him lessons and spending time with him, wanting to do one final this or that?
Her sewing lesson became one about life, and when Ruby naively suggested that she’d be there to do those things she was attempting to teach him, you could see Abuelita fighting back some tears.
Ruby’s biggest flaw is how self-absorbed he can be, and he’s not piecing together that something is wrong with his grandmother.
I can understand why his parents and Abuelita are trying to protect him from the truth for however long they can, but it’ll devastate him beyond repair when he learns she’s sick and everyone kept this secret.
Perhaps with Jamal’s constant prodding, Abuelita will break and tell Ruby at some point. If anything, she could do it to protect the friendship between Ruby and Jamal that Ruby will need the time comes.
In the meantime, Ruby’s wrapped up in his relationship issues with Jasmine, and he can’t see anything outside of that.
Ruby fell into those habits where he’s laser-focused on what’s affecting him at the expense of everything and everyone else.
The Ruby and Jasmine relationship drama was a bit grating in the premiere installments. However, these episodes gave us nuance and depth, and I appreciated that so much.
Jamal: She did put me on the trajectory, but I”m the one who did the world. I had the same friends for forever, they weren’t holding me back, but because they were always around I was always in my comfort zone. I never got to branch out on my own before. When I did I discovered new interests, different parts of my personality. If I hadn’t canceled Monse I wouldn’t have evolved.
Jasmine: And you can’t evolve without conflict. I can’t get back with Ruby.
Jamal: You can’t. Plus maybe some alone time is best for him.
When you factor in Ruby’s penchant for becoming codependent and clingy, then it was for the best that he and Jasmine broke up. He does need to learn how to be alone and settle into himself as a person.
He’s such a unique individual, and all the people in his life adapt to and mold themselves around him.
Ruby needs to learn how to step outside of the security that his family and loved ones provide for him and get used to the unfamiliar and a world that doesn’t quite have Ruby Martinez figured out.
Instead of others indulging and enabling him, there are things he needs to figure out for himself. Ruby needs to learn how to consider other’s feelings instead of taking all of the people in his life for granted.
He doesn’t do it intentionally, but it happens often. He did it with Jamal, which is part of why they fell out, and he went back to doing it again when he spent more time speaking about Jasmine than hearing Jamal’s feelings about Monse.
And he’s done the same with Jasmine. As annoyed as he was by how she smothered him, he also expected her entire life to revolve around him. The second he felt it didn’t, he obsessed over it.
Everything he seemed to miss about Jasmine pertained to what she did to serve him. And even those around him supported that notion when their sole reason for reuniting the pair was so they weren’t burdened with Ruby.
But that wasn’t fair to Jasmine, and it was great that both Monse and Jamal helped Jasmine realize that.
Monse and Jasmine fell right back into their friendship with a shocking ease after both acknowledged that they could’ve called but didn’t.
Monse: Oh shit, I didn’t know you guys broke up.
Jasmine: And why would you? We’ve barely spoken in two years.
Monse: I think the phone works both ways.
Jasmine: OK, bitch, you got me. I guess we’ve both been busy.
And Monse brought the assuredness that everyone needed. Monse put into perspective why Jasmine was the way she was with Ruby and gave Jasmine the space to share what the relationship represents.
Jasmine is a caretaker, she’s been that way for ages, taking care of her father alone for some time, and Ruby was a slice of solace where she didn’t have to think about the adult-sized commitments and issues she has at home; she could be a teen who has fun with her boyfriend.
But she can never clock out of caretaking mode, and she overextended herself doing that with him, too. Monse was the first one to want Jasmine to do what was best for herself.
Monse accurately observed that Jasmine loses herself in taking care of other people, and she doesn’t apply that to her needs. She’s a dynamic character, but Jasmine still doesn’t know who she is outside of that role for people. It’s the perfect time for her to take steps toward figuring it out.
Jasmine: He doesn’t want to deal, I get it. I’m a lot.
Monse: True, but so is he. Ruby is a triple-sized serving in a bite-sized package.
Monse was the perfect person to broach that with her, especially as she has experienced what it’s like to break away from the confinements of her old life and start something new– become parts of herself she didn’t realize existed.
Ironically, Jamal shared the same sentiment. And it was darling to witness this special bond form between Jasmine and Jamal. What started as the reason Jamal felt ostracized from Ruby resulted in him forming a new bond with Jasmine.
He, too, could speak to how as angry and hurt as he was by Monse and what he assumed she did, it was a necessary turning point in his life.
Jamal wouldn’t have ever stepped outside of his comfort one, fostered new relationships, and discovered new things about himself if circumstances didn’t push him out of the nest.
The series choosing to frame the distance between the friends as a necessary life-step eases the sting of the core four falling apart. It means no one is at fault, life happens, and there are good things to this progression.
I was so naive about the whole thing. I didn’t want to think that Cesar was really changing, but he did. And when I finally saw it, I couldn’t unsee it. Thought I could save him, but all I could do was accept the situation for what it was and choose to stay with him or not. It was a choice, and I chose me.
Monse
They handled Monse’s departure and decision to stay gone well, too. Initially, it was easy to assume that she followed a similar path as her mother, left Freeridge behind it, and forgot about her friends and Cesar.
But the flashbacks gave us more backstory. Monse returned to Freeridge after she went to Mayfield, and she and Cesar were happy for a bit, but the gang life got between them.
The flashbacks showed how the sweet Cesar that Monse loved started to slip away because of his obligations to the Santos.
Monse was fine sitting in the car while Cesar collected money, but things took a horrific turn when Joker goaded him into beating up someone.
We didn’t need to see the beatdown to know how terrifying it was and how much that moment traumatized Monse. Her facial expressions told the story.
The implications that she was nothing more than a sidepiece to Cesar or a “bitch” didn’t help matters either. Cesar was more concerned about proving Joker wrong than sticking up for her.
And their breakup scene was fantastic. A strong Monse knew her worth and what she wanted and needed.
Monse drew a boundary and put herself and safety about her love for Cesar or any hope of trying to save him.
Cesar’s aggressive response to her was a sign of the changes in him. It was something she did not want to deal with and shouldn’t have.
Monse made a mature, healthy decision for herself, and I’m proud of her for taking that step. Too often, you see young girls, in particular, feel insecure and not wield their power, assertiveness, or sense of self-preservation well.
Monse didn’t attack Cesar in any way, but she let him know that his behavior was not acceptable nor something she could handle, and she bowed out.
She also rightfully turned the “ride or die” phrase on its head.
Monse: I don’t know who you are.
Cesar: I’m the same person. I’m just trying to take care of everyone. Including you, I– I love you.
Monse: Really? You love me enough to make me an accessory to assault? To put my future in jeopardy? Is that love?
Cesar: We said we were going to make this work, and now you’re deciding not to.
Monse: No, I’m not doing anything except taking care of myself. I’m not going to stand by here and watch you bring both of us down.
Cesar: Yeah, I always knew you weren’t ride or die.
Monse: No. I’m not. I’m not, Cesar, because the truth is, unlike you, I don’t wanna die.
Monse has proven that she has no qualms or issues with riding with Cesar until the wheels fall off if necessary, but she shouldn’t have to die — she didn’t want to, and she was smart enough to know that the life he’s leading would result in that.
She didn’t want to be some collateral damage. She already saw what happened when an innocent Olivia was in the crosshairs before.
Their breakup was a healthy and inevitable choice, and it wasn’t some situation where you picked sides or rooted for one person over the other.
Deep down, Cesar has to know that. The moment the two laid eyes on one another for the first time, you could see how winded they were.
Cesar instantly went back to pretending as if he didn’t care, shuffling Vero along, but that initial action doesn’t lie. He can tell Vero as much as he wants that he isn’t still in love with Monse, but it’s not the truth.
Vero: you’re really not going to spend any of it?
Cesar: No. I almost have enough to pay them back. And then I never have to think about them again.
Vero: So you still think about them then?
Cesar: No, I don’t.
Vero: Right. You’re just thinking about her.
Monse returned seasoned and more mature than ever, and she felt more grounded as a character, too.
She apologized and took accountability for some of her actions, which meant it’s believable that she wasn’t speaking about Jamal in that butt-dial. She didn’t even know what he was talking about at first.
She loves her school, and you could sense how life-changing it was for her. Therefore, the idea of her leaving it after two years and returning to Freeridge is painful.
From the perspective of wanting the Core Four (and Jasmine) together, it’s not the worst thing that could happen to Monse, but the upheaval it will cause at such a crucial time is damaging.
She’s changed and evolved so much, and after her experiences, going back would feel like a step backward and stifling. However, Monty can’t afford to send her there anymore.
You could understand her anger when her father shared that he was unemployed for months and would reach this decision. Monse is right; she could’ve gotten all sorts of scholarships and grants if only she knew ahead of time.
She doesn’t mind making the sacrifice, but it’s different when it’s a needless one, and they didn’t get the chance to exhaust all options.
As much as returning to Mayfield may be beneficial to Monse, there’s no way her stepfather offering to pay will end well. It’ll cause some tension between her father and her stepfather.
Bryan should’ve spoken to Monty directly about it before mentioning it to her. It’ll undoubtedly fall through, and this new Monse will probably have to stay at Freeridge longer than she hoped.
It means that she’ll have no choice but to mend fences with the guys, especially as the Cuchillos situation closes in on them.
The police identified Cuchillos and called the Core Four in for questioning. It doesn’t matter that they haven’t been friends with one another for two years — they worked together brilliantly and came up with a reason for why they were in the woods.
It was hilarious when they went with Bigfoot, and it speaks to the sentimentality that Cesar still harbors for his compas that he was the one to come up with that.
Jamal: You know a thank you would be nice.
Ruby: Thanks, Cesar.
Monse: yeah, sorry I said Big Foot was a bad idea.
Jamal: I wasn’t talking about Cesar. I was talking about me. You guys wouldn’t know anything about Big Foot if it weren’t for me.
It meant he thought about Jamal and all of the stupid rambling and weird obsessions he had. As much as Jamal wanted credit for them knowing so much about Bigfoot, he should’ve taken a moment to read beneath the lines.
The others easily spilling details and factoids about Bigfoot with such passion and convincingly means all the years where Jamal probably thought they weren’t paying him any attention, they were, and the things he said to them stuck.
It was enough to hold the police off for now, but that can’t be the case as it moves forward.
The more concerning aspect is Cesar and the contention he’s facing with some of the Santos. Many of them are not pleased with his leadership and how things are going.
Joker and Sad Eyez are on the verge of making a move against Cesar, and he doesn’t even see it. The news of Cuchillos’ murder has made a rocky situation more turbulent.
And Cesar isn’t listening to Oscar or Officer Hammel about the dangers he’ll face with the seismic shift in the gang and criminal world around him.
Apparently, some Prophet$ are getting out of jail, and that’s more people coming for Cesar. It’s frustrating that he isn’t taking any of this seriously.
It’s killing Oscar, and Isabele knows it. Her pep-talk to him was what he needed to hear. Oscar blames himself for dragging Cesar into this gang life.
Isabele: No one can ever say that you didn’t fight for your brother.
Oscar: So what, I should just cut my losses? This shit’s on me. If Cesar hadn’t have grown up this way — Isabele: But he did. And you know what he had that you didn’t? You. You raised a smart kid, but you have to have faith that he’s smart enough to figure it out on his own. There’s nothing else you can do.
And I appreciate that he’s taking responsibility for it, but she’s right about Cesar having something Oscar never had. Oscar wasn’t perfect, and he was still a kid himself, but he looked after and protected Cesar like the father that neither of them had.
And as a parent, he has to trust that he equipped Cesar with all the tools and values he needs to survive and make the right decisions.
We also have to hope Cesar makes these choices before it’s too late.
Joker is priming himself to take over from Cesar, and now he suspects Cesar had something to do with Cuchillos’ death. It will take nothing to rally the other Santos against Cesar.
And if that happens, God have mercy on Freeridge’s entire community. Up until this point, they’ve been able to keep things under wrap,s and the gang via Cuchillos worked with dirty cops like Hammel to instill a sense of order.
But it’ll be the Wild Wild West out here now, and Freeridge will face the same pervasive, terrifying gang-hold that other cities across the nation are facing — where it’s not about order and protection but something else.
Cesar is going to need to rely on his friends and brother when that day happens.
Over to you, On My Block Fanatics. Are you happy to have Monse back into the fold? What were your thoughts on the Cesar and Monse breakup? Are you upset about Abuelita?
Hit the comments below, and then head into the next one! You know you want to, compas!
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.