Okay Hear Me Out: Cuz I’m Gonna Talk About Pepa Madrigal

Okay hear me out: cuz I’m gonna talk about Pepa Madrigal

Pepa reminded me so much of my mom and maybe that’s the reason I’m projecting onto Camilo but that’s besides the point the point here is—

With a mom so influenced by her emotions and untreated anxiety and trauma, can you imagine the shit Pepa probably makes her kids go through? I can already see Dolores, Camilo, and Antonio having to walk on eggshells to keep their mom relaxed. I mean, shit, just look at her husband—

Throughout the film, Pepa was constantly repeating “clear skies, clear skies, clear skies.” Every time her kids hear that they probably just shrug it off and prepare themselves for the emotional turbulence their mothers gonna cause… literally. Like damn, no wonder Dolores has that little “oop”, she probably picked that up every time she did something that made her mother react badly as a self soothing tactic. Especially since it always happens after she drops some sort of bomb on someone. And did y’all see how nervous Antonio was for his don?!? Like half of his anxiety stemmed from his moms emotions and her being up everyone’s ass about it because she was so stressed and anxious herself.

Pepa is the kind of mom that externalizes her problems and impacts everyone in the process. No wonder her Don is the weather. Everyone gets rained on when she’s a mess.

But there was one scene that hit too close to home for, I’m sure many kids with anxious mothers, that I would like to unpack. The scene… this one right here:

That small detail was funny in the movie, sure, haha, but I know the writers knew what they were doing.

Where Camilo attempts to calm his mom down after that whole ordeal with Mirabel only to get hit by her lightning strike— just AHHH. This 10 second scene was able to capture the reality for many children who take on a therapist role for a parent and I’m punching the air rn.

Not only is Camilo getting hurt with his failed attempt to comfort his mom, but it’s pretty accurate to what happens with a mother who can’t manage her own emotions. Their kids often end up caught in the risk of getting hurt— physically, mentally, and emotionally, as collateral. I cant even tell you how many times my mother ended up hurting me without realizing, and this scene speaks volumes with the representation of Hispanic mothers who are unable to manage their emotional responses. When you’re the kid trying to put out parents emotional fires, chances are, you’re gonna get burned. That shit fucking hurts, and even after all of that, Camilo doesn’t mind because he loves his mom. Is this also a head cannon that he’s a people pleaser and the family therapist? Perhaps…. but all in all, the writers had no right exposing us this way 🥲

Emotionally unstable mothers unintentionally hurt their kids. In conclusion—