Cristela Season 1 Episode 11 Review: Dead Arm
Whitney Evans
at
.
Updated at
.
What do you do when you find out your child is a bully? On Cristela Season 1 Episode 11, Daniela is faced with that important question and luckily she has Cristela there to help her.
So far the kids on the show haven't had much time to shine and while they seem likable enough, we don't really know an awful lot about them. Well, we got to know Izzie a little bit better and it turns out she is a pretty observant little girl. She listens and picks up on everything her family members do and say. Literally.
And while the loudest voice of reason, that being Cristela of course, tries to steer Izzie in the right direction, she ends up causing more harm than good.
Izzie is having problems at school with another girl and it sounds like one of those elementary school problems we've all been through or witnessed. Two kids just can't get along and because they're kids, they resort to name calling and other mean tactics.
Cristela immediately condemns the teasing, while Daniela and Felix brush it off as nothing more than childish behavior. Their opinions have a lot to do with the way they grew up. Daniela and Felix were more the bullying type, while Cristela was the one being bullied.
I get that kids will be kids mentality when it comes to certain things, but bullying isn't something to be taken lightly. And it was nice to see Cristela so involved in helping Izzie and letting her know that she didn't need to stand for it.
But things took an abrupt turn when the principal sent a letter home to Daniela.
Daniela: Did you know it was Izzie who was bullying Brittany?
Cristela: I did not know that.
Yeah, it turns out Izzie punched her classmate in the arm, having watched Felix and Alberto play a game called 'dead arm' earlier.
It's possible I may be living under a rock because I didn't really know what dead arm was. But a quick Google search let me know that it's a very real thing.
Anyway, the trip to the principal's office couldn't have been any funnier. Cristela was a beloved student and it was hilarious to see the principal fawn all over her.
Yup, I was popular with faculty and administration. Man I was cool.
Cristela
When Cristela calls a house meeting to discuss the negativity plaguing the family, it becomes a blame game. Is it Natalia's fault? Is it Daniela's fault? Is it dead arm's fault?
Turns out it was Cristela's stick up for yourself talk that pushed Izzie into firing off that punch.
Bullying is a tricky subject to address, especially on a comedy. I liked how the show took Cristela, who has always been poised as the sensible, kind hearted one and showed even the best people can sometimes be guilty of making others feel bad.
In watching this first season, I'd never call Cristela a mean person. However, I do think Josh and Maddie hit it on the head when they called her out about her sarcasm hurting people's feelings. Sometimes you think you're being funny but you have no idea how someone is going to take what you said.
Just as it's wrong to name call, it's wrong to make what you perceive as a harmless joke at someone else's expense. And if you want to stick up for yourself, you can surely do that without resorting to bullying.
There were a lot of life lessons going on tonight, mixed in with some humor. It was a little lighter on the jokes for me, but when you're dealing with a heavier topic that's to be expected. One of my favorite aspects of this show is the depiction of family and this was a great family episode that brought everyone together and drove home a very important point about adults and their influence over children.
Maybe not the laugh out loud jokes we're accustomed to, but still a sold half hour of comedy.
What did you guys think? Did you like the overall message of the episode?
Leave me a comment and remember you can watch Cristela online anytime via TVFanatic.
Whitney Evans is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is a lover of all things TV. Follow her on X.
