‘Vida’ Recap: ‘Episode 22’

6/1/2020

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM. YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Each and every one of us out there, are working toward some important goals in our lives. Some of us are trying to land our dream job, while others are simply trying to put their lives back together after a crisis. And some, are simply looking forward to seeing another day with a smile on their faces because life is so difficult for them at the moment. But regardless of what goal you’re striving toward, we have quite the expectation swirling about in our minds as to what should happen, when we finally cross the finish line and achieve everything we’ve been working toward, in that, it should be quite the momentous occasion when all is said and done. One that features some kind of grandiose pomp and circumstance that signals the fact that we finally made it.

Which may come about by way of a phone call to our parents to tell them we finally did the thing, or that we’re going to wake up one day and realize that we’ve survived through the worst of our problems and that every day going forward, is going to be filled with wonder and joy. But the fact of the matter is, life doesn’t work that way, and often times big changes or moments that provide us with exactly what we are looking for, simply happen and we appreciate the gravity of said moment later on down the line. Because sadly, fireworks and title cards that announce the next chapter in our lives are reserved for fantasies and all of this is relevant to today’s discussion, simply because the realism of how we achieve our goals is precisely how Vida brought about the end of its three-year journey. For everyone in this story, finally achieved the goals and dreams that they’ve been working toward and that brought about one beautiful and satisfying and surprisingly inspirational series finale.

The inspirational portion of this tale, well that came about by way of Mari’s journey. Because for some time now, she’s wanted nothing more than to get her word out to the masses and do some good in the world and she finally was able to have that opportunity. Because her ICE video caught the eye of a media company, one that wanted fresh voices telling the story of the world and they offered Mari a job. One that she was happy to accept, and it was quite wonderful to see her finally achieve her dream of becoming a voice for the people and find some peace and satisfaction with where her life is going and Mari’s ending in this tale also helps to remind the audience to stick with our passions and our dreams, because you never know when our moment will arrive. And it was also supremely realistic see her big moment just drop into her lap without any buildup, since the day we finally sign the contract for our dream job is a day just like any other, it’s just one that comes with one hell of a bonus.

But while Mari settled into her new life as a content creator, Eddy was back at the bar, finding her own special brand of peace. Because Monica was making it known that she found Eddy quite attractive, and that she was going to waste zero time in stealing Eddy’s heart by bringing her food and planning future dates. Acts that definitely brought a smile to Eddy’s face and also prompted her to realize that she needed to do something she’s been putting off for a long time, and that’s take care of herself for a change. Because Eddy really has gone the extra mile to make sure everyone else is doing okay or is happy, but she took the time here to be honest about her feelings for Vidalia, and how they haven’t faded just yet and that she needs to let her heart heal before she moves forward in life. And it was wonderful to see Eddy acknowledge that and realize that someday she will find happiness and love once again. Which is a lovely way to see her journey come to a close in this story and it too reminded the audience of how sometimes we find ourselves exactly where we want to be without any fireworks or parades to tell us that we are finally in a better place.

However, while it was wonderful to see Mari and Eddy find their peace and own respective happily ever after, it is the Hernandez sisters that have driven this story from day one and their journeys are the ones we’ve followed the closest and believe it or not, they too found their happily ever after in this tale, which was no easy task. Because their darling father decided that it was indeed high time to go after the bar after all, simply because he didn’t like what he saw the night he dropped off Lyn and also because… he truly believed it belonged to him and no one else at this point, and that brought about all kinds of tension for Emma and Lyn, because it put them at quite the crossroads. For if they didn’t just sell the joint outright, they’d be caught up in a nasty court battle with their father, one that could go on for ages and well that revelation and the urgency that comes with it, is what finally motivated these dynamic women to face their demons and push toward their happiness in the most unique way imaginable.

Because this twist with their father, more or less prompted both women to revert to their bad habits once again. For Emma retreated into her shell once more, going so far as to have Nelson prepare another offer for the building that she expected Lyn to sign, because she really thought it was time to walk away and start over fresh. And of course, Lyn was quick to retreat to Johnny’s arms and ponder upon what her life was going to look like going forward and their collective selfishness really made it seem as though this story was going to end on quite the sour note, with both of them going their separate ways to a future unknown. But Lyn was growing and changing right before our eyes in this story, for she already shoved Rudy aside since he once again expected her to be his little puppet, and she was quick to not sleep with Johnny in order to find comfort and peace, meaning that she was already in a better place than she initially believed and a quick talk with Doña Lupe, one that revealed a powerful secret about the past, motivated her to do something she’s never done before; and fight for what she wants in life.

Which brought about a powerful and moving confrontation with Emma, one where she revealed to her sister that her mother never sent her away because she was disgusted by her and her sexual orientation. No, instead she was sent away to be kept safe from her father. Because he wanted to cause her harm and Vidalia took a horrific beating for standing up for her daughter and that rattled Emma like never before. For it changed her outlook of the past, and it made all of her disdain for her mother a lie and when presented with the fact that she confronted the right monster after all, and that her sister was pleading with her for unity and togetherness and a chance to start over as a family, these sisters finally reached their respective goals. Because all Lyn ever wanted, was to prove to the world that she was more than a pretty face and that she was bold and strong, and she did that by putting together a bar that made money and by standing up for herself and Emma, well she finally found out that someone genuinely loved her, and that she had a family after all, since Lyn’s pleas were honest and genuine.

Which means that Vida will live on, since Emma opened herself up to her sister and accepted her offer, and that really is a perfect way to end this brilliant saga. Because not only does it hammer home the overall theme of how big moments often happen in the simplest of fashion, it offers up quite the lesson to the audience. In that, sometimes we will reach big milestones and moments in our lives, when we are not at our best, or when we are not ready to necessarily handle them and that is okay. Because sometimes we are a work in progress and as long as we are indeed putting in the work, things will likely turn out okay because we are striving for more. Which is precisely where we leave Emma and Lyn in this tale, since they are still working toward inner peace, but are making great progress in finding that, and that really does make this particular finale quite the happy one for certain. Because all you have is hope for the Hernandez sisters as they finally forge ahead as a family.

But while it is nice to celebrate Emma and Lyn’s true awakening at the end of this tale, let’s be honest, this finale is bittersweet for the fans. Simply because, this is it, this is the end of a magnificent story about the complexities of life. One that provided us with so many beautiful and relatable and poignant moments, and this is a story that did so much for television as well. Because it provided us with two dynamic and complex female leads, and it did a wonderful job of showcasing LGBTQ individuals and it also provided us with some much-needed Latin representation on television as well. For there are few shows out there taking us into that world right now and well, outside of offering thanks to Tanya Saracho and Mishel Prada, Melissa Barrera, Chelsea Rendon, Carlos Miranda, Ser Anzoategui and all of the cast and crew of this series for their incredible work in front of and behind the camera, there’s nothing left to say about this magnificent series. For the bar is now closed and la vida continua.

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