‘Lopez vs Lopez’ Recap: ‘Lopez vs Dog Quinces’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

LOPEZ VS LOPEZ -- "Lopez vs Dog Quinces" Episode 117 -- Pictured: Mayan Lopez as Mayan -- (Photo by: Nicole Weingart/NBC)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Seventeen of ‘Lopez vs Lopez’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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Each and every one of us, are familiar with a particular rite of passage that exists within our culture. Simply because our parents taught us about it when we were young and quite a few of us, went through it when our time came. For these rites of passage are incredibly important to certain members of our family and those same family members, have great faith in what they can do for a person through the memories they create and what they stand for. But not everyone observes them in this modern day and some folks, are aware of them but don’t get to take part in them for various reasons. Which leaves one to wonder, if by chance it is possible to revisit them later on down the line and perhaps go through them well beyond the moment they are intended for.
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Simply because they might not have the same meaning at thirty-five as they would have at fifteen, since life provides us with different perspective as we grow. But… under the right circumstances, there is a chance that going through a rite of passage when we are older, could have merit and value, as evidenced by the next episode of Lopez vs Lopez. An exploration that ‘Lopez vs Dog Quinces’ brought forth by offering up quite the revelation to Mayan. For she came to learn during Churro’s annual checkup, that she wasn’t seven years old, but fifteen… and that gave Mayan one heck of an idea. Wherein she could showcase the long-standing Latin/Latinx tradition of the Quinceañera on TikTok in a unique and helpful manner. By having Churro undergo this rite of passage, one normally reserved for Latinx women, who use it to celebrate their transition to womanhood when they turn fifteen years of age, all while raising awareness for the clinic and to potentially see some dogs in need of good homes become adopted.

Which simply seemed like another creative moment of inspiration for Mayan. One that really would accomplish several wonderful goals, and she quickly set out to bring it to life and worked hard to assemble the perfect Quinces for her beloved puppy. But as the work grew and Rosie and George slowed things down with their trademark battles, it became apparent that this was more than just a chance to do something creative and wondrous, and educational. In fact, we came to learn that Mayan wanted to have a Quinceañera back in the day but opted to skip it because of the fact that her parents were in the midst of a divorce and hosting this rite of passage, seemingly would have brought about more strife and more heartbreak. So having it now, through the guise of her dog, would finally allow for her to share in a rich tradition that she deemed important and would help her feel complete.

But with her parents fighting once again, she began to wonder if it was worth it and quickly leaned toward it being a giant waste of time. Which gave Rosie and George great pause. Because they had no idea their usual bickering had caused so much trouble, or that the collapse of their love did as well. So… they buckled down and worked together to give Churro… er… Mayan… the Quinceañera she always wanted. Which made for a magical evening. One that hammered home that there is value to be found in going through important rites of passage in our later years. Especially if we believed it would give us value and bring us joy and fulfillment as it did for Mayan in this tale, and well… this whole journey made for one incredible episode. For reasons that went far beyond Mayan’s fulfillment, and the wonder of Oscar dating a woman named Georgina… that looked and acted just like George.

For this… was that rare opportunity to showcase an important Latino/Latinx tradition. One that so many Latino families cherish and treasure. That makes this… a poignant and important episode from a cultural education standpoint, and it was quite impressive how smoothly this story brought forth that education. So that the uninitiated could easily understand why this tradition is so important to Latinx culture and truly appreciate its wonder and beauty. Plus, it also doesn’t hurt that this story undoubtedly brought back memories of Quinceañeras gone by, that all the Latino viewers attended back in the day, this writer included and well… all of this just serves to remind us why this show is important and why it needs to be on television right now. Since it is one of the few mainstream shows out there, putting the richness of Latinx culture on display, and it will be interesting to see what other educational moments await us as season one of this dynamic series continues along. Until next time.   

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