As strange as the title sounds, the people at ABC united to fall for making this show. Okay, that was a corny effort at making a joke. Even so, there are some corny things about United We Fall. But is that necessarily a bad thing? Well, let’s start off by talking about the synopsis.
What is United We Fall? United We Fall is a show about a White/Latina couple navigating the struggles of family life. The wife, Jo Rodriguez (played by Christina Vidal Mitchell), is raising two girls with her husband, Bill Ryan (played by Will Sasso). Bill’s mother, Sandy (played by Jane Curtin), invades the couple’s business often, as for Jo’s brother Chuy (played by Guillermo Diaz). There are also teachers, fellow parents, and a few of Jo’s other siblings thrown into the mix. Even so, Jo and Bill do the best they can with their overall situation.
The Good: I want to start off by saying that Christina Vidal-Mitchell is a beautiful woman. You may remember her from the short-lived Nickelodeon show Taina from nearly two decades ago, where she played the protagonist, Taina Morales. Though away from that, she does play a charismatic mother. A highlight of the show itself is that it did take my mind away from the negative things going on in the real world. Even if a show doesn’t make sense, it can take your mind away from reality for a while. So corniness in a show can actually be a good thing.
The Bad: That said, having certain things not make sense can be a bad thing. Throughout the show, there were a few times when the parents openly expressed discontent about having kids. I’m sure that there are parents with similar feelings, but there are right and wrong ways to communicate that. Regardless, choosing to become a parent is a decision that should not be taken lightly. Pregnancy is glorified in the media, but keep in mind that you have to take care of that human being for 18 years minimum, and not everyone is cut out for it.
Although, the whole script was quite flimsy. I appreciated the corniness, but there were many parts where you couldn’t help but have a confused look on your face. The jokes seemed forced too. This wasn’t so much the fault of the actors as it was the writers. The actors were convincing, but the writing held them down. The production didn’t do justice either.
The Ugly: It has been confirmed that United We Fall will not return for a second season. While this show did give me a ride away from reality, I am not surprised by the decision. In fact, I thought from the beginning that it would be cancelled after the first season. Especially since there are past shows that are similar to this, not to mention the flimsy script and typical setup, it would not be one to last long at all. It’s in the same category as Family Tools, another ABC show that was cancelled after one season.
Final Verdict: Not gonna lie, I thought about passing on the show after the first two episodes. However, I also had the desire to continue it. As the season progressed, the flimsiness didn’t stop, but I appreciated the escape it gave me. Especially with current events being so negative, I refuse to look at the news very much. Though around four months back, I wrote an article about my thoughts on activism culture, which is linked at the bottom of this article.
Now back on topic. As I close this article, I will say that United We Fall is a good show to watch if you want to see something that you don’t have to take seriously. However, I can see why some would find this show pretty painful with the forced jokes and outdated execution. Nevertheless, I will give it a fair rating for the entertainment value. It was a great ride to unite and fall for over the course of a few weeks. I’m sure the cast will go on to do valuable things though.
“I Have Mixed Feelings About Activism Culture. Here’s Why.” article: https://sweetsimplicity16.com/i-have-mixed-feelings-about-activism-culture-heres-why/
