The Baker and the Beauty Episode 6: Side Effects
When you’re living in the honeymoon phase, everything feels fantastic. Anyone who has been there knows what I’m talking about. It is the real-life heart eyes, giggling, and constant affection. For Noa and Daniel, everything seemed to be going well. That is until Vanessa agreed to an interview and everything went a bit crazy. Let’s dive in.
First things first…
I’m so over, Vanessa. I had hope when showrunner Dean Georgaris said in a few episodes she would seem redeemable, but … nah, no thanks. That girl is nothing but drama and trouble. Let’s rewind to episode one when the full-grown woman decided on a public proposal that ended with a “no.” We all remember that moment, right? Of course, we do. It is when she was named the #SoupThrower. Noa Hamilton or not, the year is 2020. People own cell phones, and everything is recorded in some capacity.
Let’s be real. Vanessa reacted (as many would) by throwing the soup (not so sure most would respond that way), and then simply broke up with Daniel. As she began to regret her actions, she hoped for him to take her back. Perhaps, as I’ve previously said, Daniel should’ve been more forthcoming about his feelings, but in reality, she ended it. It was over. He was free to do whatever he pleased with whoever he wanted. Does it suck that it was Noa? Yeah. And I understand that the fame part sucks but quite frankly, it wasn’t like in those first few moments it was anything about Noa. It was about Daniel and Vanessa. She wouldn’t have to defend herself if she didn’t lose it in a restaurant.
I get hurt. I really do. But Vanessa takes hurt to a level of crazy that not too many touch. Do I admire her for her skills in life and fierceness in her career? Sure. But as the episodes continue and we see more of her, I’m over it. Just because Noa met Daniel briefly in the bathroom does not mean she had some magic hold over his life. Please, just move on and let it go. Focus on yourself, your career, Mateo’s career, WHATEVER. Just let it go.
Onward…
Let’s break this down by some pivotal scenes, as this episode started with a bang and ended with the aftermath of it all.
Daniel has a lot to deal with this week on top of this disastrous interview that paints him and Noa as cheaters. Rafael and Mari are beginning the expansion of the bakery, and they want him home to help out. However, he has yet to tell them he is going to Morrocco with Noa for three months. Meanwhile, the interview is wrecking Noa’s brand, and Piper and Lewis deal with it, while Lewis deals with his personal life.
Mateo continues to get closer to Vanessa as she gets him new deals and meetings as his manager. This strains his relationship with Natalie, who tells him he’ll eventually have to pick staying loyal to himself or his family. Yikes.
And Natalie has to deal with mean teenagers who are pretty jealous. Good grief. Take a deep breath.
Noa
As Daniel deals with the family side of things, Noa and Lewis begin working to ensure that the damage to her brand is minimal. Lewis suspects those on her board might be looking to pull out, but she doesn’t believe so. She meets with each member, and they assure her everything is fine. Thankfully, Lewis seems to push harder as when there is talk; there is usually some truth.
Meanwhile, as he and Piper dig, Piper gets nosy. She has noticed that he’s taken calls from a doctor, particularly during the fire alarm interview mishap from the morning (which arguably is actually quite cute that Daniel thought that would be the best way to fix things). She asks him what is going on, and he admits he has prostate cancer, but it’s in the early stages, and it’s treatable. He tells her not to tell Noa, as she’s got enough on her plate.
I liked this scene for several reasons. The first is we have yet to see a lot of Piper, and I think it’s sweet that she cares about Lewis. She knows how he is, and even after they speak, she still asks permission to hug him. Secondly, I think it shows how deeply Lewis cares for Noa, as much as he comes off as pushy and business at times. He knows she would want him to take time off and support him, but he doesn’t want to add to her stress either. And when they are on the phone with the board members, Piper runs over when she believes he’s in pain. However, it’s unrelated to his illness. Anyway, I like seeing this more human side of him, and I hope there is more of it in the next three episodes.
The Bombshell
Noa is used to the press and how they twist stories, so while Daniel is struggling this episode, she’s already focused on damage control and making amends with those involved in her business. Thus, when she learns who is trying to damage her brand, it comes as a shock. We learn in the last few minutes who this is. Noa has been quiet when it comes to her father, except that it has been a rocky relationship. Now, she admits to Daniel that she built her company with his money before she was emancipated at sixteen. And now, because he wants a way to control her life, he’s going to try to ruin the movie.
Mateo
While Vanessa got Mateo the meeting with the music producer before the chaos broke out, he’s quick to side with family after the interview goes viral. He heads to her apartment to break off the management, but she insists that he still go to the meeting regardless. It’s surprising that she doesn’t fight him on the management break up and doesn’t fit with how she is, in my opinion. However, he does attend the meeting, and our music rep is less than kind to Mateo. He tells him that he’s basically a dime a dozen and only agreed to the meeting to meet his manager. Obviously heartbroken, Mateo heads home to the chaos that has unfolded while he was gone.
Natalie and Amy
“Garcia Diggers” painted on her locker, it would seem that Natalie’s got bullies on her and Amy’s back. Another girl and her friends taunt Natalie, saying awful things about her, her brother and Noa, and her family. Natalie fires back impressively, and the other girl doesn’t take too well to being burned in front of her friends. She punches Natalie for her efforts, and Natalie is called into the principal’s office, where Mari is too called in. She faces getting expelled unless they find evidence that the fight was not all her fault.
Quite frankly, the other girl had it coming and deserved it. She threw that first punch, Natalie was in the clear. You want to talk big and tough but can’t handle it when it’s thrown back at you? Get out of here.
Mari, Rafael, and the Expansion
Rafael signs papers early in the episode to pay a company to break down the walls of the building next door and expand the bakery for the cafe. However, when the time comes for the workers to arrive, the building is empty, and it is just Rafael and Mari sharing lunch. At first, he assumes something must’ve happened, but when he calls the number by the company owner, it says the number is not in service. It would appear they were scammed. Thankfully, only the deposit was stolen, but it is enough to be a final straw in a crappy day for the entire Garcia family. They’re upstairs when Daniel drops his big news, Mateo and Natalie coming in too.
Dreams or Fantasies?
Daniel spent his morning arguing with the reporter who interviewed Vanessa, being harassed by the paparazzi, and trying to get his life in order. So when he comes to tell his parents he’s going to follow Noa to Morrocco, I think he expects them not to argue. Of course, Rafael is angry as could be, and Mari is not far behind. It turns into a huge argument between the entire family, and Daniel blames Vanessa for all of it. Both sides make good points. Mari thinks he’s running away from his problems and that Noa is causing chaos. However, Daniel counters with another excellent point: no one had any issues with their relationship when it benefitted them, whether it be the business in the bakery or Mateo’s music.
Personally, I think Daniel is thinking a lot about Noa but also himself. I think she’s given him a chance to understand what he may want and how to get it. It’s not a bad thing, he just needs to actually know what it is before he makes that decision or talk to his parents. Right now, he’s still not sure.
Is it Fair?
He leaves to try and talk to Vanessa as if that’ll make things right, and it just gets worse. He accuses her of hurting his family and trying to hurt them. Vanessa is hurt by this and fires back that she wanted the truth out there and told her side. She says she was losing clients because of the videos and what was said. However, I don’t think it’s enough. I started this review by complaining about Vanessa’s actions. While I don’t think Daniel coming to her apartment and trying to get her to take it down or entirely blame her for all of the problems is right, it doesn’t excuse the fact that she did make a pretty big move by going on national TV.
I stand by the fact that its 2020, and your actions can be captured at any time and manipulated by the media or others with little say on your end. She made that choice and has to live with the consequences. Plenty of adults get dumped and don’t throw things at others. However, Daniel went for the public relationship, and he too needs to realize that the media is ruthless and doesn’t care about your personal feelings. Time to man up, the both of you.
Final Shocks
Because enough hasn’t happened in this episode, when Mari, Rafael, Mateo, and Natalie break down the wall between the empty building and the bakery themselves, it hits a gas line. It gets repaired; however, they find asbestos in the walls, putting the business out of commission for several months, not a week as they planned. Daniel punches the reporter from earlier for being well, a dick, and Mateo wants Vanessa to take the deal with the music rep; she says she would never do that because she couldn’t do it without him. Things don’t seem to be working there, though either, and they’re still on rocky terms at the end of the episode.
The final scene is Daniel and Noa on the beach. Noa tells him about her relationship with her father and how she needs to fix this with each person involved. Daniel is quick to pledge his loyalty and says he’ll go with her. Noa insists this is something she has to do alone. Maybe she realizes how much this has affected him too. And that, folks, is what you call a “break” between the two. Will they survive it? Guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Thoughts
I feel like everyone on this show can be so selfish at times. Rafael and Mari are quick to tell each of their kids how to live their life. They claim fantasies in Daniel’s case, tell Natalie that she can’t see Amy because of “bad influence” or force either of the boys to take over the family business in a few years. But neither of them ever stop to ask their children what they want. Is Daniel maybe not thinking about things? Sure, but maybe meeting Noa showed him that the bakery is not his dream. Is Amy a bad influence for Natalie, or does Mari just want her daughter away from the “gay” girl? What about Mateo? Rafael claims that Daniel is the kid with his head on his shoulders and often tells others that Mateo is the goof. Does he not see HIS full potential?
I think Mateo was right in the last episode to blow up on his father because they need to realize at least two of their children are adults and can make their own, possibly bad, decisions. The bakery might not be their dream, and it shouldn’t ruin everything if it isn’t. It makes me dislike them at times because even they rush into decisions or make mistakes, but the kids aren’t there pointing them out. Parents are human too, and they should remember that, especially before they point fingers at each kid for their actions.
And,
Finally, I hope we see more Piper. I would also like more Noa on her own and dealing with life, and Lewis sharing more with Noa as well. I think if Noa and Daniel are to work, the two need to truly get their lives together and focus on maintaining their successes and dreams before trying to live this insane celebrity world together. Three episodes left. Can they do it? Or will they be another Hollywood story?
Catch the Baker and the Beauty on ABC, Mondays at 10 pm.
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