The Art Show
Gentefied has been quite the interesting and controversial drama that has recently dropped on Netflix. It manages to keep a consistent pace and tone throughout with some decent characterization while tackling some pressing issues surrounding gentrification. There is a strong family vibe during its run time with each member very different but each bringing something new to the table as they are determined to improve their lives without forgetting where they are from. While the show does end with a cliffhanger, it still delivers a good finale with more powerful moments as the episode ends in a bittersweet way. The season finale of Gentefied starts as Erik takes Lidia to hospital. She is scared but Erik reassures her, promising to be there for her the whole time. At the same time, Ana looks at her art in the gallery and speaks to Tim who mentions that she still needs to give him her statement piece. She then promises she will have it in the morning. In Mama Fina, the shop is still thriving as Casimiro receives a call from Rob’s people, claiming that the rent has not been received yet. He tells them that he just sent it while Pancho also arrives in hospital to see his daughter. Chris has a surprise for his grandad and shows him that he has managed to get him his beloved truck back. This makes him very happy as he gets it started. Chris then heads back in the shop and talks to Norma about his difficult relationship with his father. Erik arrives to get some food for Lidia and speaks to Chris about Lidia asking him to follow her in Stanford. Meanwhile, Ana struggles to find a piece for the gallery and learns that her friends are not coming to see her exposition. She then decides to start painting but is unable to come up with anything. Casimiro arrives to comfort her and suggests she uses the beautiful painting she made of Delfina. The art show starts and Tim presents her as a queer latinx artist and is not afraid to use all the hardship she has gone through to make her sound more controversial and interesting. Casimiro and Chris are there too to support her while in hospital, Lidia speaks to Chris about what she sees for them in the future. Unfortunately, the baby’s heartbeat is slowing down so the doctor decides that she needs a cesarean. Beatriz manages to make it to the show too and is quite surprised to see what her daughter has achieved. Ana tells her she did it all for her as she knows how much she has been doing over the years. Tim takes Ana aside to introduce her to one of his friends, who asks her to paint a mural in a place she just bought. Only it turns out that the place is Mama Fina. This prompts Ana to rebel and she starts writing “Raza not for sale” across a poster of herself before leaving to meet her new niece. On his way to the hospital, Casimiro gets arrested by the police for an unpaid fine while in hospital, Erik starts to freak out about being a father. Both his cousins reassure him and tell him he will be a good father for his daughter. Chris then gets a call from his dad who, after seeing what happened with the protesters, decides to finally offer him money for cooking school. The family unite to meet Lidia and Erik’s new baby whom they have decided to call Delfina. The episode ends as we see ICE taking Casimiro away and as they pull out, we see a building site where a big block of flats will be built soon. Gentefied gives us quite the shocking finale with poor Casimiro taken away by ICE while his grandchild becomes a father. As I mentioned earlier, this is quite the bittersweet ending with the family, blissfully unaware that their grandad is in a lot of trouble. The drama definitely leaves things open for a second season with quite a few unresolved plot points. Erik considers leaving to live with Lidia in Stanford while Chris’ father finally wants to help him pursue his dream to become a Michelin star chef. If a second second season is greenlit, it’ll be interesting to see what decisions they will make but I do imagine that they will first rally to help their pop. Mama Fina also seems in trouble after we find out that it has been sold to a “gentrifier”. Will they manage to get their family restaurant back? Let’s hope Netflix decides to give us another season to get answers to those questions. In the meantime, Gentefied has been quite the refreshing series to binge watch and for anyone looking for a decent familial drama, this one is well worth a watch.
