nida chowdhry

I need to write this review while the tears are fresh in my eyes from the season finale of Gloria Calderón Kellett’s masterful series, “With Love.”

My goodness, ya’ll.

This is RICH!

I knew I wanted to check the series out. I love GCK’s “One Day At A Time” reboot. But let me tell you, “With Love” is a testament that she was just warming up with ODAAT (and she has been around the block and back with her experience before this, so). She has fully rolled up her sleeves and slapped the sh*t out of us with her storytelling abilities through her latest series.

It’s no wonder that after I finished watching “With Love”, I read that GCK is working on a whole slate of projects with Amazon Studios. They’ve certainly HOARDED GCK the way Netflix has hoarded Shonda content… these women know how to tell genuine, riveting stories, and they are the money-makers, the quality content-creators.

I love that Season 1 of “With Love” is defined through a series of holidays. It makes for charm and warmth and turning points, and just enough time to have passed to dip back into our beloved character’s lives to see where they’re at. Who’s arms are they in? Who’s who and who’s with who and oooooo, tell me more!

The show has a similar setup as Modern Family, with multiple branches of the same family tree, but now let’s set it in a romantic-dramedy setting with full 45-minute-ish episodes, and add in even more family members. And if “even more family members” makes your head spin a bit, let me tell you, I thought mine would, but by the end of the series, you, too, will marvel at, again, how truly masterfully it plays out.

AND.

LISTEN.

Seeing Gloria Calderón Kellet as Tía Gladys on “With Love” really, really made my day. She shines on screen, and her love and guidance as showrunner is felt at every moment of this series.

In lieu of episode breakdowns, I’ll leave you with some series stills and *SPOILERY* relations-I-ship. And I’ll say, if you’re looking for something heartfelt, rich and rom-commy to watch, especially as the end-of-the-year winds down, watch “With Love” on Amazon, ya’ll. I hope it fills up your soul as it did mine.

*SPOILERS* start now:
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Lily + Nick

This is one of the most tender, funny and genuine “hook-uppy” relationships I’ve seen on television. I love that we know Lily’s clearly articulated boundaries throughout, and yet-he-falls way that Nick’s emotions play out, and how beautifully the story deals with that. And we split a coke at the end, smiles.

Sol + Miles

I’m obsessed with the crushing going on here, and how cutely this plays out. I love getting to know Sol through the episodes. Her friendships! The Sol-iverse is just wonderful, her relationships with her grandparents and more. And how her relationship with Miles and Charlie develops. In the end, that found family and how it comes together at that stunning altar scene (literally never felt so many emotions watching someone place objects on a mantel before).

The In-Between-Ships

So I think where this show really crystalized for me is those in-between-ships. These extremely tender and hilarious ways that this family is woven together. Lily & Sol in this bathroom scene is one of those moments where I was like, okay, so this is what we’re doing, okay, now this is interesting, okay, I am getting on board for this ride! And the shared Tía moments in the kitchen. And the interactions grandparents have with each set of family members. And how they’re all different and unique, but all, pouring-from-the-brim with love. They’ve defined the major relationships, and then created all of these stunning moments between that are just as rich… c’mon ya’ll. Expert. Expert!

Jorge + Henry

This is my favorite scene between these two will-they-make-it-birds. This relationship really kept me on my toes throughout. I wondered at so many points, will they find a way through this? I am obsessed with the mini-arc in this scene… it’s such a discovery moment of both Jorge’s needs and paramount devotion to his loved ones, and Henry’s need to have honesty, which leads to this HILARIOUS reveal of Henry’s love of incognito behavior. I was laughing and full of so much joy that they found this moment together. THIS relationship needs a Season 2, people.

Lily + Santiago

C’mon, ya’ll. Enough said. I can’t even with these two. It’s really the moments when they are apart, the way their individual journeys develop that makes these two coming together, then falling apart, then coming together so rich and meaningful. This is life. Also, I am obsessed with Andre Royo’s performances and his portrayal as Santiago’s dad is just, ::chef’s kiss::

Gloria + Jorge

Out of all the stunning stars of relationships, this is the one that had me in tears. Constance Marie, who stays working, I just… I missed her. Seeing her after the iconic George Lopez show, here, in this arc. The growth of it. I don’t have enough words for this one.

That’s it. That’s it ya’ll. That’s my review. I love it, I love it, I love it!

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