Diksha Sundriyal
‘On My Block’ is a teen drama set in the inner-city LA neighbourhood, focusing on the lives of four teenagers. The show is one of the most popular teen-shows of Netflix and has received critical acclaim for the realistic treatment of its story and characters. The ten-episode first season sets the stage and advances the story to the point where we become attached to the characters. You can catch the show on Netflix if you haven’t yet seen it, or you can go through the main events that take place in it before continuing with the next season.
Cesar and the Santos
While his friends have a relatively simpler life, Cesar is in a continuous tussle between enjoying his teenage years and becoming a member of his brother’s gang. With Oscar in prison, Cesar thought he could turn around his life, in the meantime, and get out of Freeridge by the time his brother returned. But his plans are laid to waste when Oscar comes back early and starts pulling Cesar towards his own world. His friends try to come up with all sorts of plans to get him out of this; Ruby even tries to talk to Oscar, but nothing works in their favour. They all eventually accept what Cesar had made peace with the day his brother came back.
In between this, Cesar and Monse get close to each other, though they hide their relationship status from Jamal and Ruby because they don’t want to break up the group. On Halloween, Cesar kisses Olivia, Ruby’s not-related-by-blood cousin on whom he has a crush. This creates tension in the group and he and Monse break up. Problem stirs when Cesar gets in a fight with Latrelle, a former classmate who is now a member of the Prophet, Santos’ rival gang. Oscar presents all the options to Cesar. He can either go in hiding or he can kill Latrelle before he kills him. Cesar tries to resist it but eventually has to pull a gun on Latrelle. However, he lets him run away, asking him to never come back.
Jamal and RollerWorld
While his friends are caught up in complicated love triangles, Jamal busies himself with a hidden treasure. A story about RollerWorld catches his fancy and he is obsessed with uncovering its secret. His friends don’t take him seriously, but Ruby’s grandmother nudges him in the right direction, and with every step, he becomes more and more convinced of the story’s truth.
He knocks on the doors of strangers, visits a grave and works for a weird man who has a creepy fixation on gnomes. Eventually, he finds out a map that leads him on a treasure hunt. The promise of the riches brings Monse into the fray and they plan to use the money to help Cesar escape so that he doesn’t have to kill Latrelle. However, it turns out to be a fool’s errand, which leads another fall out in the group. On the night of Olivia’s quinceañera, he goes back to the first piece of the puzzle and embarks on the second round of his quest.
Monse’s Mother
Monse’s mother had left her when she was just two. She has lived with her father, always wondering where her mother might be. On Halloween, when she and Jamal are at Rosé’s, she sees her mother. She stalks her on social media and babysits for her once. In the end, she believes that the woman is not actually her mother. However, it is revealed to the audience that Monse was right before, and now, Julia knows about the daughter she had abandoned.
The Ending
It is the day of Olivia’s quinceañera. Ruby is freaking out over the minor things that didn’t go as planned, Monse is worrying over Cesar, and Jamal has decided to sit out the event. Cesar gets a new haircut after he tells Oscar that he killed Latrelle, while he actually didn’t. Seeing Monse and Cesar together, Olivia realises that her relationship with Cesar is not meant to be. She breaks up with him and kisses Ruby, who tried his best to make the day magical for her. Monse decides to seize the day and she and Cesar accept their feelings for each other. Meanwhile, Jamal goes over the clues that he had missed the last time. This leads him to the football field and he digs for the treasure.
At the quince, Latrelle, who should have run away after Cesar decided to not kill him, shows up with a gun. He shoots at Cesar but Ruby and Olivia come in the way. As they are taken to the hospital, we see Jamal riding away in his bike with a bag full of cash.
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