Starring Melissa Barrera, Mishel Prada, Carlos Miranda, Chelsea Rendon, Roberta Colindez, and See Anzoategui, the American drama series, Vida, is a must-watch. The television series focuses on a Mexican community with problems of gentrification and the struggles of its mostly Latinx characters. Vida was created by Tanya Saracho for Starz in 2018, and it premiered on May 6, 2018. The show is based on the short story “Pour Vida” by Richard Villegas Jr.
Vida was executive-produced by Tanya Saracho, Marc Turtletaub, Peter Sarah, Robin Schwart, and Stephanie Langhoff with Chrisann Verges, Jennifer Gomez, and Jamie Vega Wheeler as producers. A production of Big Beach and Chingona Productions, Vida received critical acclaim during its run and was awarded the Outstanding Comedy Series at the 2019 GLAAD Media Award. Despite its success, the show was canceled after only three seasons and 22 episodes.
Vida Season 1-3 Recap
Vida is the story of two Mexican-American sisters, Lyn (Melissa Barrera) and Emma Hernandez (Mishel Prada), whose differences are further highlighted as they are forced to return home to care for their mother’s bar after her death. On their return to Boyle Heights, Lyn and Emma uncover shocking truths about their mother’s identity and their father, whom they had believed dead since they were kids. To their shock, the sisters discover that their late mother was married to a woman named Eddy (See Anzoategui), and had willed thirty percent of her dive bar to Eddy while splitting the remaining 70 percent between the two sisters.
Vida follows the journey of the two sisters as they decide what to do with the bar. Emma and Lyn both have their past to confront in Boyle Heights. Although she would rather bottle up all her problems and pretend they don’t exist, Emma has to confront how she felt about being thrown out by her mother twice in her youth because she was lesbian. It turns out, despite being queer herself, Emma and Lyn’s mother, Vida, had an internal battle with homophobia. The lack of acceptance is probably the reason Emma would not allow herself to get completely close to someone.
On her messy journey to growing into a brave woman that confronts her problems, Emma gets involved in a relationship with Nico (Roberta Colindez). Emma and Nico appear to have a wonderful relationship, which Emma even begins to accept. But when Nico’s ex-girlfriend comes back into the picture, Emma reverts back to ignoring her problems, pushing everyone around her away. Emma also gets pregnant by handyman Baco, whom she repeatedly uses for sex. She aborts the pregnancy.
On the other hand, we have Lyn, who has been accepted for her beauty and sensuality her entire life. At the beginning of Vida, we see Lyn reunite with ex-Johnny (Carlos Miranda) who now has a girlfriend and a baby on the way. In seasons 1 and 2, we see the on-and-off relationship between Lyn and Johnny, which ends up affecting his relationship with his girlfriend, Karla. During this time, Lyn dates Rudy (Adrian Gonzalez), a councilman who only wants to use her as a trophy girlfriend and whose mother doesn’t like her.
For the most part of the series, Lyn struggles with seeking validation from Rudy and his mother, and basically everyone around her except her sister Emma. Lyn’s selfishness causes problems as Emma is left to handle the bar alone most of the time. While looking for the best way to handle the bar, Emma gets tangled up with Nelson Herrera, a sleazy man who wants to buy Vida, even with its messy finances, in exchange for sex. Emma rejects him and tries to improve the bar instead and keep it.
As the sisters grow, Lyn finally begins to contribute, bringing ideas that would help the bar make money, and appease people who were starting to accuse the bar of gentrification. Marisol Sanchez, Johnny’s younger sister, is one of the activists fighting against gentrification.
Just as things begin to look up for the sisters, they are getting along fine, Emma is moving on from Nico, and Lyn breaks up with Rudy, another one of their mother’s secrets gets out. It turns out Eddy is not the only secret their mother Vida kept from them. In season 3 of Vida, we find out Lyn and Emma’s father, the Victor, is still alive, not dead like their mother claimed. Emma, being the type of person to ignore her problems, does not want to develop any relationship with Victor.
Lyn, on the other hand, longs for a family and decides to find Victor and build a relationship with him. The sisters, however, agree that Lyn would not bring Victor anywhere near the bar. But, towards the end of the third and final season, Lyn breaks that rule when she allows Victor to drop her off at the bar.
Emma is pissed off, and she also finds out that Victor wants the bar and has a shot at getting it since he never divorced their mother. Emma feels betrayed, believing that Lyn was in on it when Lyn actually had no idea. We finally see Victor for the violent homophobe he is when the two sisters confront him. This is unfortunately how season 3 ends.
Will there be Vida Season 4?
Unfortunately, the producers of Vida announced that season 3 is the last in March 2020. The show was canceled before the premiere of its third and last season on April 26, 2020. Just as we are seeing the two sisters grow and unite, Vida season 3 leaves us hanging on the precipice of this change with no hope at all for a fourth season. Vida wrapped up with the season 3 finale on May 31, 2020, and will not be returning for season 4.
Where to Watch Vida Season 4?
You can stream all episodes of Vida on Starz and Hulu.
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