'Party of Five' heads to Mexico to tackle deportation from the other side of the border
The following contains light spoilers from Wednesday's episode of "Party of Five," "Mexico."
The original "Party of Five" revolved around a group of white siblings forced to raise themselves after their parents are killed in a car crash. Nearly two decades later, Freeform's reboot, set in Echo Park, follows the Acosta siblings as they cope with the ongoing effects of their parents being deported.
Now, in the final stretch of its first season, "Party of Five" is taking its story to Mexico.
The season's penultimate episode, "Mexico," explores the unraveling marriage between Javier and Gloria (played by Bruno Bichir and Fernanda Urrejola) as they make a new life in their homeland. In addition, the episode deals with the window dressing the spouses and the Acosta children - Lucia (Emily Tosta), Beto (Niko Guardado, Valentina (Elle Paris Legaspi) and baby Rafa (twins Briana and Arianna Cardenas alternating in the role) - have put on to avoid a discordant reunion. Big bro and stand-in patriarch Emilio (Brandon Larracuente), meanwhile, is back home due to his DACA status.
The Times spoke with Lippman about what's in store for next week's 90-minute season finale, leaning into a politically timely issue and avoiding "trauma porn" in this immigrant narrative.
Q: In the penultimate episode, we see the siblings, sans Emilio, in Mexico to visit their parents. What does this set up for the finale?
A: I started the year thinking it'd be really interesting, if for some reason Lucia is really lacking a mother and she goes by herself to Mexico. That was all I had at the beginning of the year - one kid going. And then, once we
