One Day at a Time Review: Supermoon (Season 4 Episode 6)
Each couple has the chance to reflect on where they stand and what they want their futures to look like on One Day at a Time Season 4 Episode 6, “Supermoon.” It’s a sweet, endearing episode that really does work well as a mid-season finale.
Most of the episode takes place on the roof, which Schneider has gone through the trouble of decorating in an elaborate, romantic fashion. It seems at first he’s done all this for Avery, especially as they spend time talking about how happy they are and how much they’re looking forward to the arrival of their new baby.
It’s a little more serious, too, with Schneider referring back to some of their earlier struggles and how he’d pushed her away.
He even gets down on one knee, but there’s no way a proposal is going to happen that early on an episode like this. Instead, it’s a fake-out for the audience that provides a real laugh out loud kind of moment — he’s only bending down to pick up a piece of trash.
Maybe a proposal is in their future, but for now, this feels better. It was only on this season’s premiere that Schneider announced to Penelope that he’d asked Avery to move in, and then a few episodes later that we learn they’re pregnant. The couple seems happy — no, giddy — right where they are.
So the mystery becomes, who did Schneider set this up for? And is someone getting proposed to? It’s really a classic bit, and it’s one that works well to keep us on our toes and provide some truly funny moments.
It’s not for Elena and Syd, but the two do enjoy the roof — and talking about the science of the perigee-syzygy. They also seem happy right where they are, but they acknowledge change is coming.
They’ve decided to try to stay together when they go to college, but a discussion about their crushes and how open they can be with each other takes a turn that leaves them feeling just a little uncomfortable. It’s more realistic, though, than if they were to pretend they had blinders on to anyone else, and it’s also pretty mature.
The setup is obviously not for Alex and Nora, who show up next, though it’s cute to see them enjoy the romantic setting, and there’s something really wonderful about how well these two teens communicate.
Alex’s evolution is suddenly quite fun to watch — he was so young when the show began, and now we’ve seen him become a teenager. It’s a chance, really, to see how well his mother has raised him and how growing up in the Alvarez home has shaped him as a person.
Once Elena and Alex realize it wasn’t for either of them, they’re assumption turns to Max and their mother. Penelope says Max is coming over and he’s excited to see the moon with her on the roof, so all signs point to something special there. It’s really sweet how Elena and Alex come to terms with that idea, both focused on how they can support their mother.
As it turns out, it’s not for Max and Penelope either. The setup does lead them to discuss exactly where they stand, thanks in large part to Penelope’s resounding no before Max could get a single word in. They are also happy, right where they are. And nothing needs to change.
Max even says he’s going to continue traveling and being gone for months at the time, which for Penelope, is pretty darn perfect. She’s drawing a line. She doesn’t want to risk something that could wind up hurting her family. She’s putting herself and her family first, and Max fits in well with that equation.
That’s also not the only time Penelope’s divorce is mentioned on this episode. Alex mentions it too — er, well, he blurts it out. In his mind, sex would lead right to a divorce and a broken family, revealing that he still has some scars.
But what Alex’s wise-beyond-her-years girlfriend reminds him of, is that’s not how every couple winds up. Alex remembers the relationship his abuelos had and how much love they had for each other.
And that relationship? That’s the one that’s really being celebrated on the roof.
Schneider set all of this up for Lydia. What we learn is that when Lydia and Leslie went to Cuba, she realized Cuba was no longer home — and that meant she didn’t want to spread his ashes there after all.
It’s not that much has changed, she says, but that it just simply isn’t home anymore. This is such a significant moment for Lydia. It’s a bit heartbreaking that she returned only to find it didn’t mean the same thing to her any longer, but this is closure for her that she hasn’t had. Home, instead, is right here where her family is.
The lightness of the episode becomes somber as everyone gathers to spread Berto’s ashes in the rooftop garden. He’s been gone for as long as we’ve known this family, but this is their opportunity to come together and truly say goodbye — and it’s a tearjerker, you guys.
What’s especially sweet is that we get to see how Berto’s legacy affected all of them and that he still lives on in them.
This is it for a while, and it really does feel like a nice place-holder until the season returns. The good news is that One Day at a Time is planning an animated special that will air this spring. That will at least hold us over a bit longer until production picks back up again, and I don’t know about you, but that news lifts my spirits.
What did you think of this episode of One Day at a Time? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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One Day at a Time airs Tuesdays at 9:30/8:30c on Pop TV.
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Ashley Bissette Sumerel
Ashley Bissette Sumerel is a television and film critic living in Wilmington, North Carolina. She is editor-in-chief of Tell-Tale TV as well as Eulalie Magazine. Ashley has also written for outlets such as Rolling Stone, Paste Magazine, and Insider. Ashley has been a member of the Critics Choice Association since 2017 and is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic. In addition to her work as an editor and critic, Ashley teaches Entertainment Journalism, Composition, and Literature at the University of North Carolina Wilmington.