‘On My Block’ Review: One Last Time Around

Author’s Note: The totality of season 4 should be released by the time you’re reading this review. My honest to god recommendation is to go watch it immediately. It’s really, really good. For the past three years, Netflix’s On My Block has been a critical darling of a series with a diverse cast that was actually representative of the Los Angeles area featuring four teens as they try to navigate their hometown. Between dealing with the realities of gang life, high school, and a surprisingly persistent urban legend about money stolen from a roller rink, On My Block consistently managed different tonalities and story arcs with a deft hand and an ensemble cast that rose to the occasion to bring the story to life. ON MY BLOCK (L to R) SIERRA CAPRI as MONSE FINNIE in episode 403 of ON MY BLOCK Cr. COURTESY OF NETFLIX © 2021 Last year, with a slightly shortened third season of just eight episodes, On My Block ended its last few minutes before the credits rolled with a peek into a two-year time skip where things just were stressful. Monse (Sierra Capri) was fully embedded in private school life and her friends seemed a relic of the past. Ruby (Jason Genao) and Jasmine (Jessica Marie Garcia) were still happily together, but there was some sort of schism between them and Jamal (Brett Gray) who in the intervening time had apparently embraced football and the stereotypical popularity that comes with high school sports. Only Oscar (Julio Macias) seemed to be in better circumstances with a…