In its fourth and final season, On My Block farewells all the characters and narratives we’ve followed since the very beginning in a fun, dramatic and entertaining return to form. After a 2-year time jump, the gang we know and love find themselves juggling even more relationships, life-altering decisions, threats and mysteries.
Season 3 of On My Block seemed to lose the blend of serious dramatic elements and silly comedic beats that worked so well in the seasons prior. Instead, it went further down that road of campy narratives that just lacked impact. This season rectifies that by bringing back that balance of emotionally heavy dramatic beats and the fun-filled silliness we love. The core focus of this entire season is tying up any loose ends, completing character arcs and bringing everything full circle. It’s a celebration of everything that’s come before it, and it never loses sight of that through the entire season. Almost every main player, supporting character and lingering side plot that we’ve seen factors into this season, which really does make it feel like the “graduation” of the show.
The comedic timing is on point across the board and the delivery of the silly, witty and at times ridiculous humour is fantastic. No stone is left unturned when it comes to every character contributing to the comedy in their own ways. There’s even a great variety of jokes, with some more serious than others, and of course the running jokes that have existed through multiple episodes and seasons.
The best thing this season had going for it is the 2-year time jump. It placed every single one of our main characters in new positions in life that contrast with what we’ve seen of them up to this point. It created a platform for inventive and original narratives that made the season feel very fresh, giving us a whole bunch of new and exciting character dynamics. The most obvious flip being the relationship between Cesar (Diego Tinoco) and Oscar (Julio Macias), whose roles are almost completely reversed when the season begins. An amazing thing that I can say is that I enjoyed almost every subplot and core relationship that’s highlighted through this entire season. It’s not often that you can say that about a series with so many moving parts, but this final season really does bring everything to an effectively satisfying conclusion.
In terms of taking each of our characters in a new direction, seeing them explore new territory in life, I thought every narrative decision really fit the personalities of the respective characters. Well, all except one. The bubbly personality of Jasmine (Jessica Marie Garcia), with her iconic one-liners, has been one of the highlights of seasons prior. However, the writing of her character in the first 3-4 episodes makes her come across as frustrating and annoying. It’s clear what they were trying to do with her character, and she’s very well redeemed after that, but that start made it harder to get back on her side. That’s the only character who I feel is somewhat misused – everyone else is just as great to watch as before.
Ruby’s Abuelita (Peggy Blow) has always been the shining light of the series. It’s her snappy one-liners, no-bullshit attitude and infectious playfulness that makes her integral to the enjoyment of the series. She’s as fun to watch here as she ever has been, and her back and forth dynamic with Jamal (Brett Gray) makes for some brilliant comedic and emotional moments throughout.
When it comes to the actual performances, the chemistry within this main ensemble is something truly special. They really do feel like a tight-knit group of friends, and each one brings life to their respective characters – making them all very fun to watch. Because of the position of Monse at the beginning of this season, Sierra Capri has what feels like a slightly different role this time around. The gang never really felt like it had a dedicated leader, but Sierra always seemed like the unannounced ring-leader. This time however, the leader status feels a little more spread amongst the group as a whole, which is nice to see. Along with Sierra contributing to some of the emotionally heavy moments, Diego Tinoco, Julio Macias, Peggy Blow and more also really pull their weight when it comes to the more heartfelt content. Performance-wise, there’s absolutely no complaints to be had here.
In the end, On My Block delivers a fourth and final season that reminds everyone why they fell in love with this series in the first place. It’s a fun, adventurous, exciting and emotional season that has much to love in every episode. On top of that, it’s consistently funny, dramatic and emotional, nailing the unique tone that makes it so loveable. The cleverly executed time jump is what makes the narratives this time around feel so fresh. It gives us something new to enjoy from almost every character, and results in a very fitting sendoff for everyone in here. Fans of the show are sure to love saying goodbye to these characters, but not this neighbourhood, as we will return to Freeridge in the upcoming spinoff series.
7.8/10
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