Season 1 |
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Episode Guide
Yes, You Can Change The World
The Tooth Fairy
The Value of a Like
Cockfight
Wolves, Sheep, Pigs and Magicians
Stolen Triumphs
Twisted Arm
What’s Meant for You Won’t Pass You by
Wrangled
Changing the World
The Manny is a Mexican romantic comedy-drama about the love story between an executive, Jimena, and her male nanny, Gabriel. Jimena is determined to take over her father’s company as the new president, but she has to contend for the position with her cousin Rogelio. Her father and cousin look down on her since she is a woman, separated from her husband, and they think she is not good enough.
She, therefore, has to hire a nanny to look after her three children, Sofia, Santiago, and Leo, and concentrate on her work at the Lemus agency. However, her children are unruly, and the nannies quit as soon as they are hired since they cannot take the pressure. That is when Gabriel, a cowboy-turned-nanny with a hidden agenda, appears. He immediately takes control of the situation at her house, which amazes Jimena, and the children immediately like him. Jimena decides to hire Gabriel as the new many.
From the first episode and the title, the series has a predictable plot and does not deliver anything above what a viewer can predict. Therefore, the script is not creative enough to keep an audience interested in the series since the writers color between the lines without going overboard. However, its simplicity makes it an easy watch since it premiers during the holidays without so much melodramatic twists.
The series delves into themes of love, career, divorce, and its effects on families, especially children. The themes of personal development and making deliberate choices to be the change that one desires take the spotlight. The Manny takes audiences on an amazing cultural and linguistic experience into the Latina cowboy culture and authentic immersion into the Spanish language.
The one thing that stands out is that the characters are written as real and complicated people with enough depth to support the story. Every character, including the children, are written beautifully and thoughtfully, a unique element of The Manny. The series has a diverse ensemble of talented characters, with Jimena perfectly portraying women juggling family and career struggles. Jimena’s love interest and many Gabriel exudes charm and laughter. He is an excellent nanny who understands the needs of the children and helps improve their relationship.
Each support character has complexities to overcome, injecting authenticity into the plot. Sofia is a caring sister who stands with and helps her brother even when she knows his decisions are a mistake. She gives him a chance to learn as she stays by his side through it all, making her the amazing big sister the audience desires. She has struggles to overcome, especially regarding her parents’ divorce and her father’s new relationship. Regardless, she undergoes immense growth and development while keeping the audience glued to her realistic teen girl tantrums.
Santiago is the voice of reason who keeps his big sister in check, being there for her when she is struggling and wise enough to inform their parents when they need to intervene. He is always calm, realistic, and understanding. The youngest, Leo’s character, is in a whole mood. He acts like he has an old soul and perfectly portrays the reasonable younger brother. How he handles issues like bullying and the fights in the family makes the audience fall in love with his mature, cute, and mesmerising character every time he is on the scene.
Even though one might want to hate Joaquin for finding new love and leaving Jimena to take care of the kids, when he comes into the picture, he is an amazing father who would drop anything, including leaving in the middle of a meeting when his children need him. He teaches father figures that being a father does not end after divorce; the children will always want their father around, and fathers must show up. Other support casts, including Brenda, Martha, Romina, and Rogelio, mesh perfectly to support the plot.
Overall, The Manny is an easy-going series with little creativity in its plot to keep viewers interested. However, its redeeming feature stems from the characters and the talented cast who bring the story to life and pull in the audience who invest in their personal stories and development through the episodes.
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Verdict - 6/10
6/10