Tito Riera

> "*Llegó la fiesta! Llegó la fiesta!*"
> —Tito, *Hermanos*
>
>

**Tito Riera** is a character in *One Day at a Time*. He is the younger brother of Penelope, son of Lydia, and uncle of Alex and Elena.

## Personality

**Tito** appears to be a friendly, outgoing man. He is a businessman who helps open restaurants.

Tito previously detached himself during hard times such as Lydia's coma and Berto's death. He then realizes that was selfish for him to do and promises the family he will make it up by being more involved after some urging from Penelope. He acts on it by even showing up to Penelope's graduation in "Ghosts."

## Physical Appearance

**Tito** is a man in his 30’s who has black hair, brown eyes, a beard, and mustache. He is taller than his older sister and mother.

He is well-dressed with fitted collared button-down shirts, blazers, dress pants, and shoes.

## Bio

**Tito** travels for a living. Penelope thinks her mother favors him while Tito thinks her mother favors Penelope as revealed in "Hermanos."

He never showed up when Lydia had a stroke because it was too hard for him to see her like that. He used to call Penelope "Lupita Stinky Feeta."

He first appears in *Hermanos* when the family takes a vacation and takes them to a restaurant on a boat. He reappears in *Ghosts*, attending Penelope's graduation.

## Storyline

### Season 3

In "Hermanos," the family decides to go on vacation to San Diego. Beforehand, Lydia then suggests visiting Penelope's brother Tito Riera in Seatle and it is on her bouquet list. Penelope then says Tito travels for a living and if he wants to see them he can come to visit them. Penelope then says everybody but Tito came to visit Lydia when she was clinging to life in the hospital referencing the episode "Not Yet" when Lydia was in a coma. Lydia then says Penelope is always too hard on Tito.

Penelope then says she gets that Tito is the boy and therefore he can do no wrong in Lydia's eyes and Lydia really embraces the Cuban stereotype. Penelope then says that is why Tito is the way he is. Lydia says if she means he is strong, smart, and successful she has no regrets. She and Alex then exchange a fistbump.

Penelope then asks where they would even go on vacation. Lydia says Tito has been helping open restaurants all over the world and he can help them have a wonderful vacation. Penelope then says so can she. She then announces the family should pack their bags because they are going on vacation.

In their hotel room in San Diego, Elena throws down her suitcase on the bed and throws up in the bathroom. The rest of the family comes in and they comment on how fancy the hotel room is. Penelope says there is a view of the pool. Alex and Elena look out the window to check out girls and Penelope says the trip is bringing them closer already.

Penelope then says they should head down to the pool and grab some snacks. Lydia then says the children already drank their sodas in the car. Penelope then uses sandbags to steal sodas from the minibar. Penelope tells Lydia it was just cheaper to say it was her and the kids and therefore they need to pretend Lydia isn't there. She also told the hotel staff Elena and Alex were twins.

They hear a knock on the door. In a panic and thinking it is hotel staff, Penelope tells Lydia to hide in the closet and Elena and Alex to act like twins. It ends up being Penelope's brother Tito. Penelope gives him a hug and asks him what he's doing here, Tito tells her Lydia invited him. The kids then run up to Tito and give him a hug. He then hands Alex and Elena money and Elena says she loves him.

Penelope then yells for Lydia to come out of the closet. Lydia does so dramatically, telling Elena that's how you come out of the closet. Lydia then goes up to Tito and hugs him.

In the hotel room, Lydia asks Penelope that isn't it wonderful that Tito came to visit them. She then calls him a hero. Annoyed, Penelope reminds her that she's an actual war veteran. She then once again brings up that Tito didn't visit when Lydia was in her coma. Lydia then asks isn't it nice to see his face again. Penelope then asks why he gets to horn in on the vacation she spent three nights planning. Tito then asks if they are ready to go down to the pool and after they can get dinner at a restaurant on a boat.

Penelope then tells him she already made reservations at a restaurant. Alex then says he is so over land restaurants and Lydia tells him he is so smart. She then says all restaurants should be on boats. Tito then says he doesn't want to step on anyone's toes and calls Lydia by his childhood name for her "Lupita stinky feeta" which then causes everyone else to laugh.

Penelope then retorts by calling him "Tito little pito." This causes everyone to stare at her blankly and shake their heads disapprovingly. Lydia tells her that was mean.

The Alvarez family is on the restaurant boat where Lydia starts talking about the ocean and how it reminds her of Cuba. She then talks about a dance competition she entered and Tito and Penelope finish her sentence for her by saying her sister Maruchi had entered the competition. Lydia then tells her children she is so happy she brought them into this world to laugh at her. She then says because of the sizes of their heads when they were born, she pees when she coughs.

Alex then says he's going out to take pictures for his Insta. Elena who is still working on her flashcards says it's been ten minutes and people might actually start to believe he has a life. Alex then fake coughs and tells Elena to bite him.

Penelope then tells Elena she should go with Alex and Elena then questions this asking hasn't she already thrown up enough today. Penelope then tells them Alex could fall overboard. Lydia then says it happens all the time like in the movie Overboard or in the remake of Overboard. Alex then says he's going and Elena then follows him taking her flashcards with her.

Penelope and Tito start talking about how Lydia wouldn't let them go into the freezer section of the supermarket alone because she thought they would get trapped in there. They then make fun of Lydia, mimicking her, saying "in the freezer, no one can hear you scream everybody knows this."

A man who owns the restaurant thanks Tito for helping them set up the restaurant by the fourth of July, getting them featured in a magazine, and says the wine is on the house. Penelope realizes that happened around the time Lydia was in the hospital after her stroke and Tito was just a two-hour drive away. Lydia then says Tito was working and she's sure he had his reasons. Tito then starts crying as Lydia walks away.

At their table, Penelope tells Tito he is unbelievable. Tito then tells her he didn't visit Lydia at the hospital because he knew she wouldn't want him to see her like that and Penelope knows how she is. Penelope then questions what his point is. She counters his argument by saying she also would have preferred to die on the floor rather than let EMTs see her without lipstick. Penelope then tells Tito Lydia needed him there and he didn't show up.

Penelope then says it was the same thing for when their father died. Penelope then says she was the one who arranged everything for the funeral. Tito then tells her he paid for everything. Penelope angrily then tells him she doesn't want his money. Penelope then says their father was dead, Lydia was in pieces, and Tito was nowhere to be found. Tito then tells her he was wrecked after their father died. Penelope then says they were all wrecked but they are the grown-ups now and they both have to step it up.

Tito cuts her off by saying she's always been the grownup and she's the superwoman. Tito then tells her he just could not see Lydia like that. Penelope then tells her bad stuff is going to happen and next time they might not be so lucky and lose Lydia. Penelope with tears in her eyes asks if she's going to lose Tito too. Penelope then says she knows they have their things but she misses him and then calls him a jerk.

Tito finally admits he misses her too and calls her a jerk in return. Penelope then says good stuff is going to happen too and she really wants him there for that. Tito then says she's right and he tells her he's sorry. He holds her hand and tells her he loves her and she tells him she loves him too as she wipes her face from crying. Tito then tells her he loves her even if she is Lydia's favorite. She questions this and tells him to shut up at the same time he tells her it's true.

He goes on to say he knows he gets all the press but if this boat goes down Penelope knows who Lydia is saving, Alex. Penelope nods in agreement and Tito says but then she would save Penelope. Penelope laughs at this. Penelope then says Lydia is the one who did this to them. Tito scoffs. Penelope then says she thinks Lydia thinks she is perfect and Tito thinks she thinks Penelope is perfect. Penelope then says she thinks the reality is that Lydia thinks she's perfect.

Tito then says she kind of is and Penelope agrees adding that she's crazy and Tito chimes in that Lydia is totally off the rails. Tito then asks if Lydia still talks to their father. Penelope then tells him they've never been stronger and they still go on dates. Tito then asks who pays and Penelope says "That's your question?"

Tito and Penelope then join Lydia, Elena, and Alex out on the deck. Elena then takes off her glasses and says Alex taught her how to smile with her eyes and makes a face. She then tells Penelope she's working on it. Penelope then says she's just happy to see Elena and Alex getting along. Alex then says their consanguinity has never been more indubitable, using Elena's vocabulary words. The two then happily walk off together.

Tito then goes up to Lydia and apologizes for not seeing her when she was sick. Lydia starts to tell him it's OK and he tells her no it isn't. Tito then tells her it was selfish and it will never happen again. He then tells her he wouldn't know what to do if he lost her. She puts her hands on his face and comforts him in Spanish. Tito then promises to be around more and Penelope has been getting on his case about it. He then says she's right and they are both pretty lucky to have her. Lydia then says to Penelope she sees Tito as being more perfect than she previously thought.

## Trivia

* Tito knows all of Lydia's stories, just like Penelope.
* Lydia seems to have had the same dynamic between her children, Tito and Penelope that she has with her grandchildren, Alex and Elena. She thinks Alex and Tito are both handsome, confident, and perfect, while she is more critical of Penelope and Elena. She even calls Tito, "papito" as she does with Alex.
* Tito seems to be completely okay with Elena being gay after Lydia makes a joke about Elena coming out of the closet.