“On my block”: great story, bad acting

Used+with+permission+from+Netflix.+

Roberto Stone

Used with permission from Netflix.

Roberto Stone, Staff Writer

The new Netflix original series “On My Block” follows four teens as they navigate their way through high school, while also dealing with the problems in their neighborhood. Throughout the show four friends, Monse, Caesar, Jamal, and Ruby continue dealing with drama surrounding Caesar and him becoming part of a gang. The series surrounds Caesar and focuses on relationships and love interests. In the first episode, the friends are divided because Caesar said he’d slept with Monse. Jamal and Ruby do not know about their relationship and assumed he was lying and didn’t want to be friends with him. During the second episode of the series the gang come up with a plan to try and get Caesar out of the gang but relying on the considered brains of the group Ruby to talk to Caesar’s brother and in a failed attempt he gets Caesar promoted to doing missions inside of the gang. Each character’s individual problems contribute the the group’s problem s a whole. Whether it be Jamal lying to his parents about football or Ruby trying to get Olivia, Monse trying to keep the group together, Caesar wants to find out what he wants from his friends. 

Although the story in the series is great the acting is not the best, the actors put forth what seems to be a great deal of effort into playing their role. Jamal, played by Brett Gray said “It was my first comedy so I don’t know how to fully balance it yet,” If you can get past the acting then you can appreciate the story and let the characters grow on you, as fast as the series moves and rapidly changes. That’s what makes it a good series it’s a different take on a group of friends and taking a more serious take on taking on challenges while also holding the comedic aspect to it. This makes it a popular series that people are going to want to see more such a popular series in fact that Netflix has decided to renew it for a second season. I established a connection with the characters and view this as such a relatable story in which teens face life changing obstacles.