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With “Party of Five” honing in on the immigration crisis and giving it a face, it reminds you of the damage separating families will have and may bring you to tears.
| Created By | Amy Lippman, Christopher Keyser | |
| Directed By | Rodrigo Garcia | |
| Written By | Amy Lippman, Christopher Keyser, Michal Zebede | |
| Aired (Hulu – On Demand | FreeForm) | 1/1/2020 | |
| Genre(s) | Drama | |
| Introduced This Episode | ||
| Javier | Bruno Bichir | |
| Gloria | Fernanda Urrejola | |
| Emilio | Brandon Larracuente | |
| Lucia | Emily Tosta | |
| Beto | Niko Guardado | |
| Valentina | Elle Paris Legaspi | |
Plot Overview
For over 23 years, after crossing the border, Javier and Gloria have raised a family, run a business, and were upstanding citizens. However, one day ICE sweeps through the area and takes them away. Thus leaving an 18-year business in the hands of children who range from their mid-20s to 12, not counting a baby who may not even be a year old.
And with their absence comes the realization the family unit, comprised of Javier and Gloria, then Emilio, the twins Lucia and Beto, Valentina, and the newest child Rafa, weren’t just reliant on Javier and Gloria financially, but in a multitude of ways. For as Luce begins to stray away from being the golden child, Beto forced to step up, Valentina torn between school, the family restaurant, and trying to keep the family together, it all becomes too much. Add in Emilio, Milo to some, initially not wanting to take on the responsibilities of being the oldest, it shows how much Javier and Gloria kept the family together and how, without them, it could split apart.
Review
Highlights
The Amount Of Tears You’ll Shed
In many ways, “Party of Five” feels like Diane Guerrero’s book “In The Country We Love (My Family Divided)” brought to a series. At least in the form of understanding the emotion of what happens when your family is ripped apart, and you have no means to rectify the situation. Be it in the form of Emilio’s perspective, as a DACA status citizen who knows his predicament is precarious and while he speaks Spanish, he knows nothing of Mexico to his youngest sister Valentina who saw her parents arrested in front of her.
Witnessing that trauma and being reminded how many are ripped from their parents who are not only law-abiding citizens but pay taxes and are employers, shakes you to your core. Which isn’t to imply I’m not aware they broke the law by coming to the United States without filing paperwork, but there is something about our immigration laws that makes it so you can’t see things in Black and white. You have to allow some form of grey for while I’ve never been through the process, I have worked adjacent to departments which handle immigrant documents and if you ever truly listen to what it takes to come to America, your jaw would drop. Especially for those who aren’t coming here on student visas or work visas, but are those who believe in the kind of America that natural-born citizens, especially of younger generations, question the existence of.
It’s Timely
With stories like Guerrero’s, that of children in cages, and people dying due to deportation or being held at deportation centers, “Party of Five” feels timely. In fact, it reminds me of the start of “The Fosters” with a focus on one topic rather than trying to hit every topic it can conceivably can. Making it so it feels distinct about the experience of immigrants or first-generation Americans and the struggle to reconcile with the idea that the land of opportunity comes with limitations for certain people. And no matter how much value you present to your community, one thing, one event, can snatch it all from you, and there will be no defending yourself.
While Many Tropes Are Used, Because of The Situation & The Characters Being Latinx, They Seem Almost New
If you look too hard at “Party of Five,” you’ll realize most of the characters are pretty basic. You have the twins, Beto and Lucia, aka Luce, who are total opposites in that she is really smart, he is dumb, he has social skills, and while she may have friends, she is portrayed as a square. This changes as you watch the episode, but at their core, they fit that usual sibling dynamic. Then you have Valentina, who is the kind of sassy kid that, until life knocks them on their behind, is a bit too much like a peacock as she moves about.
But Emilio, who goes by Milo, might be the one who breaks the mold. For while it takes an episode for his siblings to be more than what you see on most sitcoms, with him, you see various issues in play. Be it him Americanizing his name to Milo, us often seeing him with white girls, and him not wanting to be like his parents, there is the need to question if some form of self-hate is in play.
Also, with him coming to America as a child, and representing the Dreamers, what was life for him like growing up? For as much as you can write him off as the spoiled oldest who doesn’t want any form of responsibility, as with his siblings, once he is reminded he and his family are seen as “Other,” they lose being seen as just American. Thus leading to them having to use a prefix and a dash, and realizing the kind of hardship their parents, mostly, tried to shield them from.
On The Fence
The Desire To Question Can “Party of Five” Grow Beyond The Topic of Immigration & Citizenship?
One of the issues I have found with FreeForm shows is that while they start off strong, usually, they sputter once they have tapped the well of the initial hook. Thus leading them from compelling and provoking storytelling to still being on the pulse of what drives American culture and consciousness, yet doing so in such a way the message could be lost in the theatrics.
So considering Lucia seemingly wants to be a bad girl, Emilio will likely be torn between his band and his newfound responsibilities, and Valentina going through puberty, and so much more, can this show go the distance? Can it balance showing these kids as different stages of teens or young adults without becoming lost in the pursuit of critical praise and the ratings that drama brings?
Overall
First Impression: Optimistic
While it is hard to say if “Party of Five” can evolve beyond its initial hook and not become shaky, what feels very clear is that it will have a strong and very emotional first season. One which will serialize the stories of many a family who fear deportation of either their person or loved ones in a system that has put their lives on the back burner due to politics.
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