I think the best way to start talking about the Mr. Iglesias is to specify that it is a series Netflix created by Kebin Heich and starring Mexican comedian Gabriel Iglesias, who we can quickly crown one of Netflix's best teachers, tackles the story and life of a Latino teacher in the US with laughter, but we have a lot to cover. Let's start with the good stuff.
The good thing about Mr. Iglesias
To properly define Mr. Iglesias, let's say that Ned's School Manual, Brooklyn 99 and School of Rock had a Mexican son.. The humor of this series is very direct, acidic and keeps you attentive to every joke or message it wants to deliver., managing to portray very sincere realities for the North American context. Some examples include racial issues, which are addressed with a satire that doesn't fall into racism, but rather embraces it critically.
The series ventures to do something that, although it is not pioneering, it does so in a very positive and well-achieved way., as is the approach to different forms of teaching and the importance of not leaving anyone behindThis is literally the title of the first chapter. This is represented by Mr. Iglesias, being the best teacher in the school, dedicating himself to leading the class with the school's least literate students, focusing on helping them succeed, gain confidence, and develop as individuals, improving both their academic abilities and their life skills.
Something positive to rescue from the series are its three well-defined main approaches. The first It is the classroom, where Mr. Iglesias interacts with a diverse group of students. The second It is the teachers' lounge, where we are allowed to see behind the scenes of a school. The rivalries, love interests and human failures of teachers are recurring themes in this second space, where Mr. Iglesias takes on a supporting role in relation to his classmates and in the different struggles of each one, as well as his own.
And how third approach We have Professor Iglesias's personal space, which varies each season. To avoid spoilers, I'll focus solely on the first season and Mr. Iglesias's struggle to overcome his first year of sobriety in Alcoholics Anonymous. A theme that, if properly addressed, could have contributed to the very dark undertones Mr. Iglesias lacks, a shortcoming we'll address in the next paragraph.
Bad
I'll say it bluntly, the series lacks courage, a lot of courage. It touches on interesting themes, such as student discrimination based on academic performance, the prioritization of rewards over the quality of education, and social repression, such as when the vice principal enforces the clear backpack policy to ensure no one brings anything bad.
It doesn't specify what bad things the students might bring. It could be drugs, weapons, or adult content, but it never addresses that topic. The series addresses discrimination as light jokes, always in favor of representation, but it doesn't address racial discrimination from a truly serious perspective or the implications that race has on the students' lives. It doesn't present it as a real problem.
After three seasons, each shorter than the last, I dare say the series doesn't dare to truly delve into the issues it addresses. Mr. Iglesias touches on themes, brushes on concepts, and it seems as if he might dare to do so at any second, but no, they remain a sugarcoated version of an American academy. They don't touch on issues like bullying beyond one episode where everything ends with a romantic relationship between the bullied person and the bully (a relationship that is only touched on in that episode and never mentioned again).
Themes like drugs, gender discovery, and political repression are topics that the series addresses, but doesn't go into depth, and at a certain point, they lead me to wonder, how does this series manage to captivate me so much, without going into depth? And I assume, after finishing the series, that I was left waiting for some emotional moment or a sad event that could lead to a gray or dark tone, something that is hinted at in the third season, as if they want to show something, but that is not shown at the end of the seasons.
A taco with Coca-Cola, perfect for hunger, but lacking in flavor.
Finally, here's the conclusion of this article. I highly recommend Mr. Iglesias. The series has a knack for eliciting laughs like few other things in life, and while these are fairly common recipes, it's a well-crafted series with its touches of laughter and its salt in the form of social criticism. In my opinion, it lacked the latter and a touch of emotional or sad scenes. But that doesn't take away from the fact that it's a definite 10 for its portrayal of teachers and, like Ned's School Manual, it addresses student life well, now from a teacher's perspective.
It would be interesting in a next season of Mr. Iglesias, if we're allowed to dream, that the series would delve into harder themes in a real way, and who knows, maybe it will bring us those tears that give a bitter touch to a masterful comedy.
Final note of the series, A quesadilla with shredded beef, a touch of spicy salsa, and a slight lack of salt.. Totally recommended.
Image: Netflix
Español de Colombia
English
Português do Brasil