The Baker and the Beauty Season 1 Finale (Episodes 8&9)

Ariel B

4 years ago

The Baker and the Beauty Season 1 Finale

Combined into a one-night showing, the Baker and the Beauty finale was much like you may expect if you watched it leading up to now: it took you on a plethora of emotions. There were happy moments and furious moments, and every other sprinkled in between. I find it hard to capture everything from Monday night’s finale in one sitting, so I’m going to talk more about the changes in the characters and what happens next if the show is renewed. (No word on that yet.)

This’ll be light on the spoilers, so make sure you catch up!

The Garcia’s

Daniel

Daniel has been a bit of a toss-up for me during the show. He’s annoyed me at times, considering it seems he’d just about toss anything aside for love. And at others, he’s fiercely loyal and loving, so you can’t help but like him. It would seem he finds middle ground in the final two episodes of season one, and perhaps maybe ends up with a fairytale ending? Let’s just say there’s a mad dash through an airport as he comes to a revelation. And perhaps even Gucci and Daniel find common ground.

THE BAKER AND THE BEAUTY – “May I Have This Dance?/You Can’t Always Get What You Want” – (ABC/Kenneth Rexach)
DAVID DEL RIO, NATHALIE KELLEY, VICTOR RASUK, MADELYN SHER, BELISSA ESCOBEDO, LISA VIDAL, CARLOS GîMEZ

Mateo

You can’t always get what you want. (And no, I promise I’m not going to break into song here despite the urge to.) Mateo proves that love can find you in the most exciting ways throughout the season, and shows he’s more than just the comedy relief. He can be serious, and like Daniel, fiercely loyal. Unlike Daniel, he tends to get himself more in trouble, so it’s surprising when Daniel takes that role a time or two. Still, he admits something shocking in the finale.

If you’re like me (and you follow showrunner Dean Georgaris), you probably saw it coming, but does he get his happy ending?

Natalie

Easily one of my favorite journeys during this season is Natalie’s. Most of us remember how it felt to be young and in love in high school, and how difficult it can be to find yourself and express it. She proves that you can always find your way, even during tough times, and proves that traditional does not have to be the only way to rock things. Her journey with Amy, especially, is such an attention grabber and a happy part of the show for me. I’m ready for the Nat and Amy spin-off, Dean. Let’s get this going.

Mari & Rafael

There’s something about love that lasts but not as only a fairytale that always gets me. Mari is over the top and a bit much at times, and Rafael is always there to draw her back in and remind her to be grounded. The two argue quite a bit through the final two episodes and struggle to find a path that fits the mold they both would like to be in. Rafael has to let his pride fall back and trust his children, and Mari realizes all she needs is in front of her.

The decision these two come to together may shock everyone, but sometimes changing things up is necessary for life. Particularly, I think their decision is one that clashes with the rest of the season, but perhaps it is also a tale that even Mari and Rafael can see how life can be different than either of them expected.

Vanessa

I’ll admit it: Vanessa finally jumped into the positive side of things for me in the last two episodes. Better late than never, right? I still say the way she acted in the first few episodes made her look like a giant train wreck, and she needed to calm the heck down, but her growth is evident now. I love that we see Daniel and her mend what was broken and focus on the future, even if it means theirs is separate. Kudos, Vanessa.

Noa

Oh, honey. I know how it feels to try and pretend something doesn’t hurt you and act like those closest to you don’t know you just as well as you know yourself, but you need to chill. Noa’s focus the past few weeks has been on Lewis, but when Daniel reaches out to get help with Natalie’s party, she’s quick to jump in. It surprises me as a fan, but regardless, the party scenes were some of my favorites of the two-part finale.

There’s also a scene with Colin (and I shall never turn down Noah Mills scenes) that I think is something she needed to hear to make her own decisions.

Regardless, Noa does some soul searching in this episode.

THE BAKER AND THE BEAUTY – “May I Have This Dance?/You Can’t Always Get What You Want” – (ABC/Kenneth Rexach)
DAN BUCATINSKY

Lewis

Wilber. Oh, Lewis. I love your first name. And I love everything about him in this episode. Lewis has grown on me, too, as time went on. He cares deeply for Noa and will do anything to protect her, however, he will also call her out on her crap, too. As it should be with friends, those who truly love you know how to tell you you’re an idiot. And there is an airport scene with Lewis that will crack you up. One of my favorite characters, he’s invited to the spin-off with Nat and Amy.

Thoughts

I think the two-episode arc did an excellent job solidifying the points of the show thus far. The music, scenery, and humor as always were on point, and I particularly loved how the party scenes were shot. It looked fun and upbeat, something we all could use in times like these.

Now, let’s talk those last few minutes. I won’t spoil it for anyone else, but man… kind of feel like this would’ve been a better opener for season two. I would’ve preferred we jumped about ten minutes back, to the frantic feeling we see, and left it there. It gives more ominous vibes and would leave fans wondering. It also cheapens the moment as once again, a character puts themself above everyone else, and it makes me sad because somehow, wasn’t the whole point of the last episode to make sure you put those who matter most first? One would argue that maybe this is how this person will do this, but … eh, I suppose that means the opening of season two if the show is renewed shall be quite interesting.