One Day at a Time Season 3 Episode 15 The New Owner

The New Owner brings us to the third season of the heartwarming and hilarious One Day at a Time. After a riveting 14 episodes in which the Alvarezes tackled issues surrounding dating, sobriety, relationships, and cultural appropriation just to name a few, this episode brings in a new wave of change with the arrival of the new owner of their apartment building.

The episode introduces a new character, Veronica, the new owner of the building who takes it upon herself to make vast changes that don’t sit well with the residents. First, she bans the use of the laundry room for the residents, then decides to restrict access to their community pool, and the final blow is the news that she’s going to increase their rent by 15%.

The Alvarez family is furious, but ultimately decide that they need to confront Veronica and try to come to a reasonable compromise. Lydia tries to do it in her traditional Salvadorian way, by cooking Veronica some delicious Pupusas, but it doesn’t work. Alex tries to talk to her on the phone, but gets nowhere. It’s only during a final confrontation between Penelope, Schneider, and Veronica that they finally get through to her.

While the Alvarezes try to deal with Veronica, there are two subplots that take place in the episode. The first one involves Penelope’s job, where she’s been asked to write a speech for a veteran who is receiving an award. After some initial writer’s block, she finally gets some inspiration from Lydia and is able to write a heartfelt speech. But things take a different turn when she has to deal with the veteran’s reality outside of the award ceremony.

The second subplot involves Alex who, with the help of Schneider, creates his own radio station in his closet where he broadcasts his voice and his opinions to the world. The challenge arises when he realizes that he’s not getting as much attention as he thought he would and figures out that he needs to change his voice and opinions to become more popular. But after a pep talk from Schneider, Alex realizes that he needs to stay true to himself and his values and not change who he is to be liked by others.

Overall, The New Owner serves as an episode that focuses on change, confronting difficult situations, and staying true to oneself. The arrival of the new owner serves as a way to test the strength of the Alvarezes and their unwavering commitment to each other. With some laughs, tears, and heartfelt moments, this episode serves as a microcosm of what One Day at a Time represents - a show about family, perseverance, and love.