Netflix’s Mr. Iglesias Part 3 Review

The second season of Mr. Iglesias felt very short when it was released in June, but it was revealed that it was only the first half of this group of episodes. Part 2 (review here) played off the lightheartedness of the first season while expanding on its characters and making them more than just an audience for Iglesias to make jokes for, however, it felt a bit short at 6 episodes. Thankfully, the season was actually just divided into two halves (which for this series feels alright given the bingeability is around 5-6 episodes at a time). Does it deliver the same comedy meets social issues as Part 2?

The main story of Part 3 focuses on the back half of season 2. The students and faculty return from summer to enjoy a more technology-centric school as they tackle the issues of dependence on computers and how its distances us from each other. With the addition of stereotypical popular girl Whitney, another dynamic is added to the classroom. Meanwhile, Gabriel starts to tackle the dating world when he starts to like coworker Jackie.

It’s hard to critique the back half of a season when the episode count is a measly 5 and they have the same feel, tone and narrative as the longer first half. The jokes do feel a tad racier as they tackle very current social issues and stereotypes engraved in sitcoms for generations. However, it is done in an educational way (partly thanks to its classroom setting) allowing the audience to both laugh, but be informed of how to elicit change for these issues. It may be generic, but the characters are fun enough to make it worth watching their lives.

The biggest addition to Part 3 is the budding romance between Gabriel and his coworker Jackie (Elora Casados). This allows for the series to evolve beyond what it was: a platform for Gabriel Iglesias to do standup about controversial, social topics in an educational way. Now it allows the most lovable teacher to try to find love. So far the result has been remarkable as Jackie and Gabriel have a great chemistry between them with a natural banter that feels less gimmicky than the other teachers. This is where the series will excel.

Beyond that, the students feel like much of the same. Marisol and Mikey have developed a relationship that shows the ups and downs of teen angst and dating in high school while other students continue to fit the stereotypical molds of any school-based sitcom. The style of humour continues to be the backbone of this series and it works, but unlike Part 2, this back-half expands the world and adds enough to make the series feel like its developing in the right direction.

What did you think of the second half of season two of Mr. Iglesias? Do you think it was worth splitting it into two halves? Let me know in the comments!

still courtesy of Netflix

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Dylan Phillips