Freeform's Powerful "Party of Five" Reboot Hits Home

The new Party of Five follows the Acostas comprised of siblings Emilio Lucia Beto Valentina and baby Rafa whose parents are suddenly arrested when officials learn that they have been living in the country illegally amp160Much to their dismay a compassionate but unwavering judge officially deports their parents back to Mexico amp8220Donamp8217t punish our children for something I did twentythree years ago pleaseamp8221 cries their father amp160But as the judge makes clear the law is the law and his hands are tied The young party of five is left to fend for themselves amp160Emilio Lucia and Beto struggle to adjust to their new normal but are determined to keep their family together and to raise Valentina and Rafa as best they canThe first five minutes of the premiere episode to be frank hit me like a sucker punch amp160As a child of immigrants from El Salvador who fled to the US in the middle of a war stories like this always hit close to home amp160Thankfully because immigrants becoming citizens was not as archaic a process in the amp821680s as it is now there was never any fear of having my parents taken from my sister and me amp160The scene where the Acosta siblings have to say goodbye to their parents was absolutely heartwrenching amp160Their father looked at his children with pride separated by a chainlink fence telling them how proud he is of them urging them to be strong as their mother begged them to stick together no matter whatamp160 I39m not ashamed to say that I cried more than onceNot surprisingly the arrest quickly takes a toll on the Acosta kidsamp160 Emilio is suddenly torn between following his dream of being a musicianamp160taking on the mantle of head of household and overseeing the operation of his parentsamp8217 restaurant With the increasing stress of having Child Protective Services keep a watchful eye on them heamp160struggles to keep revenue flowing at the restaurant and ensure that the employees now under his watch are paid on time while providing for his siblingsamp160The once star student Lucia begins to rebel as the stress of her familyamp8217s circumstances start to get the best of her amp160Beto a young athlete who was already struggling with his grades skips school day after day to help Emilio run the restaurant and support the familyamp160 The prodigious genius Valentina arguably the most mature member of the group begins to have posttraumatic nightmares about her mom and dadBrandon Larracente 13 Reasons Why deserves recognition for hisamp160portrayal of Emilio who may at first be dismissed as a rebellious womanizing heartthrob but doesn39t hesitate to take onamp160the challenge of functioning as the presumed guardian of the Acostas amp160Also noteworthy is Elle Paris Legaspi Vida as Valentina who gives a heartbreaking performance when the Acostasamp160are arrested and again when Valentina delivers a tearjerking monologue during the court scene that seals her parentsamp8217 fateamp160amp160Niko Guardado and Emily Tosta have a tremendous rapport as twins Beto and Lucia respectively particularly in the second episodeamp160 Their back and forth reminds me of my own sister and me we39re only 15 months apart in age with Beto trying to live up to the bar his sister has set so high their frequent amp8220cover for meamp8221 scenarios and their determination to always haveamp160each otheramp8217s backsamp160 A bond of that kind isnamp8217t easy to convey but the two young actors manage to do so in a wonderfully naturalistic waySure this new Party of Five could have centered around another average white American family but what would be the pointamp160 Does anyone really want a practical remake of the original show amp160Freeform and the showrunners took a big risk in giving the reboot a timely political edge telling a story that hasnamp8217t really been explored in this manner offering insights into the lives of a threatened young family that was not randomly struck by tragedy like the Salingers but was instead ripped apart by oppressive policies in a country that was practically built by immigrantsThere are very few series that have centered on a LatinxAmerican family amp160The few in recent memory include the similalrly reinvented reboots of Norman Learamp8217s One Day at a Time now on Pop and CBSamp8217 Magnum PI led by Jay Hernandez along with Starzamp8217 groundbreaking dramedy Vida amp160I think the only Latinx family I had to watch growing up that wasnamp8217t on Univision or Telemundo was on the ABC sitcom George LopezGetting to see a family like the Acostas on television truly means a lot to my parents my sister my nephew and meamp160amp160I applaud Freeform and the entire creative staff of Party of Five for not only bringing a Latinx family to the forefront but for shining an unsparing spotlight on immigration issues amp160While there are similarities the story of the Acostas isnamp8217t anything like that of the Ayalas but it could have beenamp160 And it is certainly the story of many families in America todayamp160 Television of this kind is going to make a differenceTVVideo Download39s Steve Gidlow had the inside scoop on Party of Five early last yearamp160 You can read his February 2019 interviews with the producers and stars of the show hereParty of Five is telecast on Wednesday at 9 pm on FreeformClick on the social media tiles above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively those of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggers

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Freeform's Powerful "Party of Five" Reboot Hits Home

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Juan Ayala

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