‘Primo’ Recap: ‘The Ride Home’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

(Photo Courtesy of Jeff Neumann/Amazon Freevee.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Three of ‘Primo’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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Over the course of the past couple of weeks, we’ve talked at length about the sheer brilliance of the Amazon Freevee series, Primo, and rightfully so. Simply because this show has not done an amazing job of offering up proper representation regarding Latino/Latinx people, but it has also… broken down walls and removed stereotypes and tropes from stories about Latino people and their culture. But while it is wonderful to see that play out on screen at last, there is in fact, so much more that this show has to offer. Because it is a story about family, and it sometimes serves as a coming-of-age story for Rafa, one that is filled to the brim of all the struggles that a teenager goes through in the United States of America as they prepare to enter adulthood and for proof… look no further than its next episode.
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For ‘The Ride Home’ is a story that partly focuses upon… how difficult romance can be as a teenager, especially when you come from a family that meddles in your affairs and has their own ideas about how things should go and what path you should be on. And those difficulties were put on display when Rafa saw an opportunity to get to know Mya properly. Because she needed a ride on Saturday from a school event and if he provided her with that ride, well… they could talk, build upon the spark, and hopefully move toward the relationship that Rafa had in mind. But of course, to get that ride, he had to go through his uncle Ryan and that uh… that didn’t go well. Because Ryan really didn’t want him driving his fancy car, even though it was falling to pieces. But they came to an agreement on how to make this work, one that fell apart the day of.

So, Jay stepped in and offered up a ride in his amazing, manure filled van, and that in turn, led to a Jay dominated conversation, and then to Rafa and Mya working for Jay in the afternoon. Which was also a hilarious disaster, one so ugly that Rafa just went home. Wherein his uncles soon apologized for letting him down on this day and for trying to control the moment and his fate. And they also explained how this push to help him find love and find happiness their way, came from a place of love. But they understood his need to do this on own his own and the need for him to learn on his own, so, Ryan let him drive the car and at long last… Rafa was able to get to know Mya properly and well, this was brilliant. Because it really was a fine blast to the past for the majority of the audience. Since those of us from tight knit families dealt with this and received a similar talk when we finally pushed back on everyone telling us how to lead our love lives.

But since this episode was a true slice of life through and through, and because we know the characters well enough now, the episode decided to further expand upon the power of family and examine a less frustrating aspect of it. Specifically, how a tight-knit family supports one another in a time of need. For we came to learn that Mondo recently saw a doctor for an injury, and that the clinic needed to speak to him about his health further. Which pushed Drea to send Rollie and Mike to find him and bring him in, while she violated HIPAA laws to find out that his heart was of concern. Which led to a hilarious sequence where Mondo showed up at home, while Rollie and Mike wounded themselves in the woods trying to find their brother, before they were rescued by Drea and the man they were sent after. Wherein everyone learned that everyone would be okay after some additional tests were run, and after Mike and Rollie were patched up. 

However, what mattered more, is that Mike and Rollie risked life and limb, by going out there to make sure Mondo was okay, and Drea went the extra mile for him. Because this family really does one love another, and a tight knit family will indeed do what must be done to make sure everyone is okay… or on the right path and that made this… a truly delightful episode when all is said and done. One that celebrated the rites of passages we go through, the ups and downs of family life, and how even the downs have noble intentions at times… in a hilarious manner no less. Because seeing Rafa with tampons in his nose to solve a bloody nose was just amazing and this episode also deserves a round of applause for bringing forth one subtle and hysterical d*ck joke, and well… all this episode does… is compel us to continue the journey. To see what amazing life lessons and incredible adventures await us and this wondrous family. Until next time.

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