The sound of a single gunshot reverberates through the night that once flowed with happiness and love.

The camera pans over to horrified faces and the heavy gasps as a victim sucks in what appears to be his last few breaths. And with that, season one of On My Block meets its end, with the season’s finale jam-packed with intense drama and what initially seemed like tying up loose ends. In seconds, viewers went from anticipation to standing in outrage at the crazy cliffhanger that left them reeling in curiosity.

Set in the inner city of L.A., the Netflix show On My Block is an intimate look into the fictional lives of a group of teenagers, as they each battle their way through high school, find their passions, and try to survive life with gangs and trouble right around the corner. Appealing to nearly every type of viewer, the show explores a vast number of genres spanning from mystery to romance, from action to drama, packing it all into episodes averaging at 30 minutes long.

Although the acting and storytelling are incredible, the more important part of the show is the cliffhangers that close out every episode and each season, with the biggest one of all being the season one finale, leaving viewers in agonizing anticipation.  

For every enthusiastically involved On My Block fan, season two was a complete godsend to pacify their anxious concern, especially when, within the first episode, their theories about the wellbeing of different characters were either put to rest or brought to life. Strangely enough, what ensues in the first episode of the season snakes its way through every episode for the rest of the season in some way but weirdly doesn’t retain the same emotion that it did in the finale of season one. However, this reduced level of emotion definitely plays in both the show and the fan’s favor, as it opens up doors for new plot twists.

Fortunately for fans’ hearts, the drama settles, maintaining a steady buzz of comedic relief and threads of romance and mystery. After watching the ending of season one, I was surprised and little put off at the dark note the season left on, making me a little apprehensive of what the next episodes would bring. To my surprise, the comedy was back, bringing with it the lighthearted nature that was briefly absent. However, the drama dies down only to revive in the season’s finale to end season two with a less literal bang.

Granted the second set of episodes premiered on March 29, and I finished them by April 6, but I still finished out the season feeling vaguely dissatisfied. It wasn’t that the acting was poor, that the plot wasn’t engaging, or anything as drastic as that; but merely, I wasn’t hooked. I love the show On My Block as much as the next fangirl, but something about its second go didn’t make me feel as invested as I usually am.

Regardless of my lack of TV addiction with this show, I thoroughly enjoyed the second season, randomly finding myself giggling at the sheer ridiculousness of some of the characters’ situations. Harnessing a little bit of the iconic show Jane the Virgin and a smidge of the juvenile humor from the show Alexa and Katie, On My Block still stands as a must-watch Netflix original that I think everyone should see.