‘Lopez vs Lopez’ Recap: ‘Lopez vs Anxiety’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

LOPEZ VS. LOPEZ -- "Lopez vs Anxiety" Episode 102 -- Pictured: (l-r) Mayan Lopez as Mayan, George Lopez as George -- (Photo by: Elizabeth Morris/NBC)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Two of ‘Lopez vs Lopez’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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Society has made some incredible strides when it comes to understanding mental health. For it wasn’t that long ago that such disorders as PTSD or bipolar disorder were seen as the same thing and were to be treated in a harrowing and scary manner, by locking folks that suffered from either one up, wherein they would be medicated and forgotten. But science has helped us to understand the uniqueness of our mental health and that we respond quite differently to stress and trauma, and that, brain chemistry can vastly differ from one person to another, and that has led to some revolutionary care. To the point where there are now specific drugs to treat specific disorders ranging from anxiety to schizophrenia.
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But what’s fascinating about this medical revolution, is that it has run into severe resistance. For there are people out there who cite big pharma and profits as the reason behind such diagnoses and disorders, and they are of course, wrong. And there are of course others… who see mental health issues and disorders and illness, as nothing more than figments of imagination. Where somehow quiet time and/or busy time will cure what ails a person when so many know that this is not the case. Which are surprising stances for certain since we are so reliant upon science and technology in our everyday lives, ergo, we should be embracing all it has to offer. That of course, begs the question… what is it leading to this split between people that embrace what medicine has to offer and those who deny it and science?

Well as it turns out, the next episode of Lopez vs Lopez on NBC, explored such matters in a dynamic and uplifting fashion. A feat that ‘Lopez vs Anxiety’ accomplished, by informing us that Mayan suffered from anxiety and understandably so. For there were a rash of break ins in her neighborhood and of course, some unresolved trauma from her childhood created that as well. Which meant she needed to take medication for such matters and that did not sit well with George. Who firmly believed this was nothing more than an ‘in your head’ type scenario and that with a little love and a lot of shenanigans, such as rigging the house with a security system of his own devising, Mayan would feel just fine. But that wasn’t the case, because anxiety is quite real, and it took George getting to experience it firsthand to help him understand its reality.

Which was… the perfect way to explore the divide and how two key elements go into this strange denial. In part it relates to the generational gap in America, since there are entire generations of people who were told to ‘suck it up’ and push forward when their mental health faltered. That means they didn’t have the knowledge or understanding needed to just, take a beat and seek help or do what must be done to heal mentally, and that means education is really the other factor that goes into such matters. Because without it, people fear what they don’t understand and make rash judgments and statements, and decisions and until we fix both issues, this kind of nonsense will continue. And a round of applause is in order to the producers and writers and cast for addressing this in a compelling and lighthearted manner so the lesson stuck in our minds, and for also tying this into the Latinx experience as well.

Because the pride and machismo we mentioned in our last recap was present here again in a different manner. For it isn’t acceptable in Latino and Latinx culture for men to be perceived as weak or unable to fight against anything that life throws about. Which the show expressed through George’s actions and wanton sniping of Quenten and his value as a family protector, and that was definitely some hardcore commentary on machismo and how Latino males process fear and how they too believe in forging ahead through adversity because that is what the culture demands. But thankfully, rather than just say it is all bad and nothing can be done, the advice present here was applicable to George and undoubtedly to others. Making this another powerful and poignant tale, one that really did a phenomenal job of presenting a key issue in our world in a manner that isn’t polarizing and once again, this compels one to continue the journey, to see what other fascinating commentary awaits us courtesy of this brilliant new series. Until next time.

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