The Danger of a Role-Playing Game and Heartfelt Moments in This Week's "Primos" on Disney Channel
A heartfelt moment that only the audience gets to see overpowers the rest of an episode of Primos that shows the eldest of the cousins living in their role playing fantasy game.
Summer of Calabazas y Tostones
The elder primos - Lita, Lot Lot, Big Nacho, and Cousin Bud - are playing a game that is remarkably like Dungeons & Dragons - called “Calabazas y Tostones" featuring vegetable style characters, appropriate considering that it translates to “Pumpkins and Toast."
Recently, Tater turned 10, and asks to join their game and assume the role of a level 99 potato warrior. The primos welcome her to join - but she can’t start off at level 99. She has to earn that level. To climb the ranks, she needs to defeat enemies and bosses like the rest of them did, and in order to do that quickly she needs to roll a 20, the one number that can’t be beaten.
However, as she starts to play, she rolls a 1, the lowest number possible and one that is guaranteed to lose every time. Learning that this is the worst roll possible, she demands a do-over - much to Big Nacho’s chagrin. He prefers playing by the rules, which do NOT permit re-rolls and do-overs. The other primos allow one do-over, which Tater abuses and continues rolling. However, her luck is quite terrible and each time she rolls, she rolls a 1. With her being new to the game, she is also quite reckless when playing and continues to get the group into trouble that she can’t get out of, considering her stunning ability to always roll a 1. This causes her character to get killed off numerous times, and can only be revived via magical calabazas - read: putting a dirty pumpkin on her head. This happens quite often and it's taking its toll on Tater’s patience. Finally, she doesn’t just quit, she rage quits, and smashes the pumpkin onto the ground so now no player can be revived until they get another one by defeating a big boss.
Tater storms off and decides to start her own game, and she takes a die with her and labels each side 20. Therefore, she can never lose and there will be no rules in her game.
This leads to a quick revelation that the rules are in the game to allow for challenges and fun. Simply winning all the time isn’t that great. She then climbs atop the fridge where her mother finds her and Tater seemingly admits that it wasn’t about the rules and the game - it feels like her older primos were mean to her.
Her mother advises her to go back to the game and follows the rules, which she does. Even though she persists with the rolling method that always lands her at 1, and the group of primos enjoys the time, each following the game’s rules and way of play.
Summer of El Demo
Tater is once again hanging out with her eldest cousin, Lita, who has taught her how to play the ukulele. Proud of her accomplishment, Tater runs to her mother to show off her new ability and Lita seems a little off when this happens. Why? It seems that Lita and her own mother don’t have that kind of relationship. This is even more emphasized when a package of gifts arrives from Lita’s mom for her and her siblings, Scooter and Lucita. Scooter has received some high-quality fabrics while Lucita got a brand-new chapter book with that highly addictive brand-new book smell. Lita, however, gets a fancy little dress that is not the style we know her to wear.
Her mother, Rita, and Lita don’t seem to have the same idea in mind for what they want in life, as is further evidenced when a video call to Rita takes place. Lita skirts the call at first before finally coming into view where some writing on her arm is mistaken for a tattoo. The judgement and disapproval are exactly why Lita didn’t want to get on the call in the first place.
As is the norm for this show, Tater decides that Lita and her mom need to work out whatever their issues are and offers to role play as her mom for the day. Lita agrees to it but emphasizes it will never work, and shocker, it doesn’t. Each activity they participate in sees Tater pulling off a spectacular impression - but an inaccurate one. Finally, Lita lets it out and says that she can’t be an accurate version of Rita for Lita because Tater keeps channeling her very own, very supportive mother.
Rita would never respond so positively to any artistic endeavor, or frankly anything, that Lita would undertake. Baking cookies would be completely by the book and recipe, no eyeballing it like they did. Lita critiques her own painting as Rita would and points out all the things wrong with it, etc.
Later, Lita is finally finishing the recording of her demo with the episode’s musical number - a melancholy song that is quite obviously influenced by her relationship with her mother. Tater suggests that it is so meaningful, Lita needs to send it to her mother. Lita worries what her mom will say, but eventually decides to send it anyway. Rita gets the demo and listens to it, and leaves a lengthy voicemail in response to the song saying that she heard it, it’s good, and realizes that Lita is growing up to be just like her.
However, just ahead of leaving the lengthy voicemail, an alert from the phone asks if they want to send the message as is.
We then cut back to Lita, receiving a voicemail and it’s a shortened version of the message - “I heard your demo. It’s good." The message then cuts off and Lita doesn’t hear what the audience did moments ago. However, it’s enough praise from her mother that Lita is quite surprised and pleased and thanks Tater for helping her with everything and making her send that song.
This episode of Primos is now available on Disney Channel, Disney+, and the DisneyNOW Website. You can also catch up with earlier episodes streaming now on Disney+.