The Baker and The Beauty Review: May I Have This Dance / You Can’t Always Get What You Want (Season 1 Episodes 8 and 9)
Natalie’s quinceañera sets the stage for reconciliations, realizations, and a lot of emotions on The Baker and The Beauty Season 1 Episode 8, “May I Have This Dance?” and The Baker and The Beauty Season 1 Episode 9 “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”
The 2-hour finale offers a lot to unpack from hookups and reconciliations to parties and surprising opportunities that lead to plenty of emotional moments and chances for growth for a few of the characters.
Natalie’s determination to use her birthday party throughout the first hour is adorable. Seeing how far she is willing to go to see her family happy is heartwarming, from the video she compiles to show her parents how much they love each other to getting Mateo to bring back MC Cubano to trying to get Noa and Daniel back together again.
But sometimes a party can’t resolve everything, as Daniel and Mateo find their relationship problems persist well into the second hour.
Daniel and Noa’s break up left each of them with their own set of issues to examine in the aftermath. While Noa realizes that she’s never been happier than she has been over the last few months with Daniel, Daniel comes to the realization that his life and his place is with his family in a more grounded setting.
Of course, things aren’t that simple with the pair as they realize that sometimes love is worth the risk and running isn’t the answer.
DAVID DEL RIO
Noa’s confrontation with her incessant need to run to avoid problems is one last fascinating look into her character for the season. We’ve gotten hints of that through things Lewis has said to Daniel over the season, but this full-on confrontation with herself feels like a crucial step especially for her growth.
While Daniel and Noa’s relationship is on the mend and wildly accelerated by the end of the hour, Mateo’s attempt to tell Vanessa how he feels falls short in a heartbreaking way for the younger Garcia brother.
Though their relationship caught me by surprise, I have genuinely enjoyed watching Mateo and Vanessa’s relationship develop up until this point. It’s in the believability of Mateo’s genuine feelings for Vanessa and some inkling that Vanessa feels the same that makes their final moment in the finale that much more emotional.
Seeing her listen to the song he wrote for her confirms those romantic feelings Vanessa has.
It makes me wonder where they go from where they end, with Marlowe and Vanessa handing out and Mateo walking things back.
The real estate developer arc in the second hour of the finale strikes a bit of a nerve. Given the changes the real Miami has gone through over the last 30 years, real estate developers and the concept of gentrification Miami specific locations like Little Havana is nothing new.
So, to see it become an integral part of the Garcia family’s story feels right, down to Natalie’s point of view about what her family’s bakery means to her and their neighborhood.
Though, I will say I wish there is a deeper dive into the implications of selling the family bakery and the building.
At the heart of the final 2 episodes of The Baker and the Beauty is the very thing that continues to capture my attention and appreciate the fun series: the love of family.
Through it all, the Garcia family’s story and support, fights, and make-ups has been the focal point of the show and I am happy to see it highlighted in the finale.
Random Thoughts
- Finding out that Lewis’ first name is Wilbur is just fantastic.
- Daniel and Noa’s engagement feels so wildly fast, even with how we’ve seen their relationship develop over the last 8 episodes. Am I the only one that feels this way?
- Seeing Natalie’s happiness during her quinces is just wonderful.
- Daniel and Mateo’s conversation about Vanessa and Mateo’s feelings for her is sweet to watch and honestly a relief.
What did you think of this episode of The Baker and the Beauty? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Brianna Martinez
Brianna spends her time away from briefs, legal research, and pleadings, watching TV and writing about it. She generally has a lot of feelings about TV, which you can read about here and on Twitter.