'Good Trouble Holiday Special': Malika and Jasmine's story of acceptance brings out the true Christmas spirit
This article contains spoilers for 'Nochebuna' and 'A Very Coterie Christmas'.
Christmas is a time for family and acceptance and the 'Good Trouble Holiday Special' couldn't have expressed it any better than Malika finally accepting her mom's addiction, and Jasmine's family welcoming her in the wake of a family emergency on Christmas day.
It starts in the first half - 'Nochebuena', as Malika is reading her mother's bible on the morning of Christmas, right before she and her boyfriend Isaac are about to head to the church and meet with her brother Dom for a Christmas mass - exactly the way they would with their mother when they were kids. As Malika flips through the pages of the bible and twirls with the string bookmark, flashbacks of her watching her mother do the same in a daze at the church drift in and it is relayed that as much as she misses her, she understands her mother better now. She accepts her mother with all her flaws and shortcomings - the drug addiction, the separation, et al.
Sure, Malika tells Isaac she grieved her mother long before she died, later at church, when she observes her mother's peers shooting furtive glances her way, that's when her disdain for their prying behavior comes out. The resentment has evolved to an emotion of understanding and acceptance and that is the most wholesome curve in her arc. In the second half, 'A Very Coterie Christmas' she is seen reaching out to her father whom she and Dom have very recently connected with, after not knowing about him their entire life. While Malika is ready to build something with her father, Dom isn't. And she makes it a point to assert that, the way an adult in the family should be doing.
Malika coming full circle with her family issues is reflected in Jasmine reconciling with her family too. At first, she is thrilled to be spending Christmas with her brother Gael only, as she finally feels solidarity with him as both the siblings are shut out by the family on accounts of their sexuality and the person they choose to be. This changes quickly when she sees their mother calling Gael repeatedly, leading to an outburst where Jasmine accuses Gael of spending Christmas with her for the first time in four years only because he isn't welcome in the family anymore. While Gael does apologize for leaving her stranded on Christmas all those years, something worse comes their way - turns out the reason their mom was calling him repeatedly was that their Abuelo (grandfather) had a stroke.
Jasmine is upset because their parents informed Gael and not her, only adding to her feeling unwelcomed, but it takes real maturity in her part as is obvious to listen to Gael and show up regardless after their Abuelo made it a point to attend her quinceanera to celebrate her as a trans-woman - the person she really is. Sadly, maturity isn't reflected in their father's demeanor when Jasmine shows up with Gael at the hospital. He leaves the room immediately, even though their mother is beyond emotional to finally see Jasmine after all this time.
But trust Jasmine to get through to their father as she is able to sit down and explain to him that she was never Alejandro - that was someone she was pretending to be just for her father. And if Jasmine can put aside their differences after her father's borderline transphobic reluctance to accept her, as a father, the least he could do is forget the son he wanted her to be, and love her for the daughter she is. Oh, 'Good Trouble', always winning the most emotional sobs from their fans!
'Good Trouble Holiday Special' airs on Monday, December 16, at 9pm only on Freeform.