‘Lopez vs Lopez’ Recap: ‘Lopez vs Swap Meet’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

LOPEZ VS LOPEZ -- "Lopez vs Swap Meet" Episode 203 -- Pictured: (l-r) Matt Shively as Quinten, George Lopez as George -- (Photo by: Nicole Weingart/NBC)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 203 of ‘Lopez vs Lopez’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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There is an interesting belief in America, that once we hit the age of eighteen our relationship with our family should immediately change. Where we move out of the house and get our life started and keep our family at bay once we settle into our next chapter. Yes, we still interact with them, make sure to swing by for the holidays, but the idea is that we have learned all we need to learn from them, and we should forge our path and impart that knowledge onto the next generation and well, this is a supremely weird belief. Because it doesn’t apply to everyone, in fact, it barely applies to anyone. For family is forever, and sometimes they are around us in adulthood and in our homes, and we still will learn from them at all the right times because family life, is supportive in nature.

If anything, that more realistic look at family life is top of mind today, simply because it was showcased during last night’s two-episode block of Lopez vs Lopez on NBC. A feat that ‘Lopez vs Swap Meet’ accomplished by having Quinten deal with quite the struggle. In that, he was turned down for a management position. Something he wanted badly. In part, because of the financial freedom it would afford the family, but also… because he wanted to grow in his career and be more and well, that gave George a chance to help Quinten find his inner manager, in the wildest way possible. For the family television was on the fritz and now seemed like the perfect time to head down to the swap meet and have Quinten negotiate a good deal on one.

Because the swap meet was a ruthless place, where hot deals came and went on the fly, and this brought about quite the hilarious sequence for certain. One where Quinten did indeed attend the George Lopez School of Negotiation and took its crash course and well… at first it seemed this was going nowhere. Because Quinten didn’t see the value in asking people to take less for what they (or their products) were worth, or to go through the theatrics of wearing a shirt that reads ‘That Bitch’ to seal the deal. But that was the point. George wanted him to understand the importance of finding his worth and finding the strength to defend that worth, so he would stand up for himself and embrace his potential. Which he did, and he got the job he wanted. 

All of which spoke to the central theme and how we can still learn from family in unique and impactful ways at any given point in our lives. Because we should always be learning and lean on family to help us see the light because they know us best, and oddly enough, this was further reinforced through Mayan’s journey in this tale. Because she was struggling with keeping the flashy clothes and gear that her mother bought her, in fact, she opened a booth at the swap meet to sell it and hurt her mother’s feelings in the process because she really wanted Mayan to embrace her beauty in new ways. And well… that was a learning moment for both of them. In that, there should have been honesty between them as to what they thought about fashion and looks, so that compromise could be made. 

Which made for a powerful lesson as well, one that truly did reinforce the theme and truly reminded us of how close we are to family in adulthood and how integral they are to maintaining a healthy adult life. Since they do indeed help us see things in ourselves and about ourselves, we don’t, and that’s why that other perspective is pure silliness. Because we need our family, and of course… while some might say that not every family is as close as this to make that happen, well that’s just not true. Yes, there are some exceptions to the rule, and what we see here is a bit more indicative of how Latin American family’s function. But we do spend lots of time with our family in some form or fashion, and we should embrace that and cherish it. For you only get one, and we can learn so much from them and find strength from them… for family is everything. Until next time.

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