The episode 'Boundaries' devotes extended scenes to Penelope lecturing her son Alex on masturbation as a normal expression of sexuality while directly confronting grandmother Lydia's Catholic objections, with Elena listing health benefits to position the discussion as an explicit cause. This approach turns routine domestic situations into vehicles for ideological instruction. The dedicated 'The Politics Episode' structures its entire plot around the Alvarez family's liberal strategizing against visiting conservative relatives during an election year, using fantasy sequences to resolve tensions in favor of progressive unity.

Creator Gloria Calderón Kellett has openly framed the Cuban-American family setup as a platform for confronting homophobia and advancing inclusion, which sustains the ongoing central arc of Elena's lesbian relationship with Syd and their they/them pronouns across multiple episodes. These elements function as repeated intrusions that subordinate entertainment to social-issue advocacy and reduce narrative focus.