Summary
And then there were three.
This recap of Netflix’s On My Block season 4, episode 1 contains spoilers.
It’s great to have On My Block back on our screens. The first few seasons provided us with laughter, some tears and allowed us to reflect on our journeys with the characters. But from the trailer of season 4, it seemed like we were going through it — Ruby and Jamal not speaking, Oscar (or Snoopy) and Cesar not speaking and the leading lady, Monse, going away for school.
On My Block season 4, episode 1 recap
The tables have turned in the first episode with Cesar being heavily involved in the gang, unlike Oscar who is an expectant father, Jamal finally getting the attention from girls in school, and much more. Not only is Jamal gaining the attention he desires, but his friendship with Ruby also is on the rocks and he makes it much worse by running for senior class president — Ruby’s dream. It stings more because when you watch the show, it’s crystal clear that Jamal and Ruby are the closest. Even Jamal’s mother has been telling him off about his agenda for the presidency, “it’s been Ruby’s dream” but Jamal doesn’t seem to care as he tells her “we’re not friends and we’ll never be friends again.” Let’s just hope that doesn’t come to fruition because their friendship was integral to the show.
The first episode mainly revolves around the trio and their separate paths. We come to learn that a body was found in LA Forest, it turns out to be Cuchilos body and Oscar tries to warn Cesar multiple times but he simply just doesn’t care about it and fails to recognize the gravity of the situation. In this instance, Cesar became annoying because his brother is just looking out for him, especially since he has been in the gang life longer than him.
As the presidential campaign begins, Jasmine leads Ruby’s campaign but despite being a supportive girlfriend, she comes across as annoying and slightly overbearing but really, I think it’s just her personality. But her messy tactics come in handy at times as since she wants to play dirty for their election, she enlists Jamal’s ex-flings to lead the campaign. But, the issue is Ruby wants to win, fair and square, and would rather have a clean campaign yet Jasmine continues to micro-manage him in a sense. She means well but needs to know when to take no for an answer.
In another scene, we find out that Cesar ends up in jail, and with the stereotypical “1 phone call” scene, he uses it to call Monse — whose number he allegedly forgot — and much to his dismay, she doesn’t pick up the call. Despite this, he was fortunate that he got let out of jail and Oscar came to pick him up. Stuck in his stubborn ways, he’s still ignoring his advice and blames him for getting invested in the gang life, which is valid because Oscar has been pushing it onto Cesar for a while.
It’s interesting to see how the ‘glue’ of the friendship has changed because at first, it was Monse keeping the crew together but now that she’s gone, the title has been given to Ruby. Ruby remains in contact with Oscar, who informs him about Cuchilos’s body and advises him to tell Jamal and Cesar. As he reveals the news to the boys, he mentions that someone needs to tell Monse. Only for Jamal to respond “it won’t be me – I don’t give a s**t about her.”
What did you think of On My Block season 4, episode 1? Comment below.
