Lopez vs Lopez
Lopez vs Lopez Season 2 Episode 1 Review: Lopez vs Sobriety
Review: The Lopez vs Lopez Season 2 Premiere is a semi-dark satire on the unwillingness of every day people to give up their own vices while preaching to ‘addicts’ to get sober.
Aptly named ‘Lopez vs Sobriety’, the episode features extra star power with comedian Gabriel ‘Fluffy’ Iglesias in a relatively understated role.
This Lopez vs Lopez Season 2 Episode 1 Review contains spoilers for ‘Lopez vs Sobriety’.
The basic plot of ‘Lopez vs Sobriety’ centers around George Lopez accusing his family to be no better than he is when it comes to addiction. George accuses Chance of being addicted to video games, Mayan to blaming her father for everything, Quinten to cheese, and Rosie to cleaning.
LOPEZ VS LOPEZ — “Lopez vs Sobriety” Episode 201 — Pictured: (l-r) George Lopez as George, Mayan Lopez as Mayan, Matt Shively as Quinten — (Photo by: Nicole Weingart/NBC)
Despite Lopez vs Lopez being a typically easy to digest sitcom, this premise around moral equivalence of one’s vices is distinctly intellectual. Mayan responds that the family can go without their addictions for 1 week and everyone predictably fails.
It’s a subtle commentary on society’s criticism of relapsing addicts while ignoring the one staring them right in the mirror daily.
The most fascinating aspect of the Season 2 premiere is the ‘bargaining’ phase where Quinten trades eating real cheese for vegan cheese. Not much different from an alcoholic drinking non-alcoholic drinks. Or Chance agreeing to clean if Rosie plays Fortnite in his place.
LOPEZ VS LOPEZ — “Lopez vs Sobriety” Episode 201 — Pictured: (l-r) Brice Gonzalez as Chance, Selenis Leyva as Rosie — (Photo by: Nicole Weingart/NBC)
It shows the mental aspects of addiction are everlasting and all consuming to the point of necessitating compromise at best. Society is just attune to physical addictions more than mental ones. Even our own vocabulary for physically dependent addicts feels much more precise with words like alcoholism, while mind based addictions are more vague and non-tangible.
LOPEZ VS LOPEZ — “Lopez vs Sobriety” Episode 201 — Pictured: (l-r) Brice Gonzalez as Chance, Selenis Leyva as Rosie — (Photo by: Nicole Weingart/NBC)
‘Lopez vs Sobriety’ spotlights the common cause of relapse as well, friends and acquaintances not taking the person seriously. Lopez’ non-alcoholic drink order at a restaurant is taken as a joke by a waitress that knows him and a real Piña colada is served in its place.
Not to mention, throughout the Lopez vs Lopez Season 2 premiere, George feels lonely without his drinking buddies. It’s a symbol that addictions are not always spent in isolation but have a major social component attached. Maybe even unknowing enablers.
Perhaps the only reluctant surprise of this episode is that Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias is used in such an understated role. You’d expect ‘Iggy’ to have a major, commanding presence in a Lopez vs Lopez episode playing off George. But he’s less of a jokester and more of a ‘straight man’ character.
In fact, towards the conclusion of Season 2 Episode 1, Gabriel Iglesias is used akin to a priest character telling George that he hasn’t relapsed by accidentally ingesting a drink. Comforting Lopez from the thought that he’s ‘fallen off the wagon’.
Conclusion: Lopez vs Lopez Season 2 Episode 1 is a much more dramatic undertaking than episodes past despite the usual classic George one-liners. It’s the rare sitcom episode that makes the audience think about its message after the laughs.
LOPEZ VS LOPEZ — “Lopez vs Sobriety” Episode 201 — Pictured: (l-r) George Lopez as George, Mayan Lopez as Mayan — (Photo by: Nicole Weingart/NBC)
– “Lopez vs Sobriety” will air on Tuesday, April 2 at 8:00 pm ET/PT on NBC. It will immediatley be followed by “Lopez vs Moving On” at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT.
More Reviews and Recaps:
Be sure to read:
– Lopez vs Lopez Season 1 Finale Recap: George in top comedy form
– Lopez vs Lopez Episode 12 Review: Funniest of Season 1
– Lopez vs Lopez Episode 16 Review and Recap, Cheaters Cast
Visit the Lopez vs Lopez section for more reviews, recaps, previews, and exclusive previews!
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