Summary
“Dame Un Beso” gives insight into how Selena and her family seized opportunities in a chapter that offers significant advice to those who dare to dream.
This recap of Netflix’s Selena: The Series season 1, episode 2, “Dame Un Beso” contains significant spoilers.
We recapped every episode — check out the archive.
The opening
At the start of “Dame Un Beso”, a married couple enquires about the band. Abraham snaps their hand at the opportunity. After a performance, Abraham tells Selena that they were “fine”. He’s clearly still not easily impressed. Outside of a venue, a young girl offers Selena flowers which demonstrates the impact she had early on. On the way home, AB is concerned about finances, but Abraham insists everything is fine. AB wants new songs, so Abraham tells him to find some. “Dame Un Beso” is all about taking opportunities and never giving up.
Finances are an issue again
At school, a friend invites Selena to Hands Across America. But band life means she’s struggling to say yes to it. Selena also has a crush on a student named Kevin. Meanwhile, the band van has broken; Abraham and his wife Marcella argue about finances — Abraham assures her that they will find a new record and find a label. Abraham has so much belief behind what they are doing that he’s sacrificed everything.
Not taking no for an answer
The family attends the Tejano Music Awards. AB tries to get the attention of Luis Silva to see if he can write a few songs for them. Meanwhile, Abraham is trying to secure a record deal with record producer Manny Guerra and gives a pitch that Selena is a star. Both men manage to convince Luis and Manny to work with them — they have songs agreed and a record deal. These scenes demonstrate characters taking an opportunity rather than waiting for it.
School problems
At school, Selena’s parents are told by the headmaster that they have concerns about Selena because she’s too busy touring. Abraham takes Selena out of school. Afterward, AB plays the songs Luis Silva gave to them — Abraham likes them.
Withdrawal of songs
Selena asks her father if she can attend Hands Across America now that she’s no longer at school so she can see her friends — she’s missing out on a teenage life due to being too busy for music. And then they are hit with bad news: Luis Silva tells AB they can no longer use the songs. AB feels defeated, but Selena privately encourages him, and the family leaves him alone to dwell. However, Abraham is not about the defeatist attitude and wants his son to stop moping.
The ending
AB is worried about his life; no songs, no job, no girlfriend, and no car. He feels he has failed and let the family down. Abraham tells AB to write a song and be a songwriter. AB gets to work and enlists the help of a man named Ricky, who is a pianist.
The band tries out a new song, “Dame Un Beso”, in the recording studio. It then shows Selena singing their song on stage to a crowd. They chant her name. When AB gets excited hearing the song on the radio, his father tells him that lots of bands get one hit and asks him to find the next one. I found Abraham’s reaction here fascinating; because he knew that Selena would be a star, for him, it wasn’t about celebrating the first hit. It was about creating many hits.
Selena: The Series season 1, episode 2 gives insight into how Selena and her family seized opportunities in a chapter that offers significant advice to those who dare to dream.
Additional points
- Suzette catches Selena practicing kissing and mocks her.
