Benefit with Friends

**"*Benefit with Friends*,"** is the third episode of Season 3. It aired on Netflix on February 8, 2019, along with the rest of Season 3.

## Synopsis

Elena hides her grandmother's high heels. Penelope starts to see a male friend in a new way. Schneider meets a kindred spirit at the school auction.

## Recap

Lydia comes outside from her room and dancing to music in her nightgown, robe, and slippers. Elena, Alex, and Penelope come out from the hallway and Elena scolds her for dancing, telling her she heard what the doctor said.

Lydia then asks who could understand the doctor. Penelope then translates for Lydia as a future nurse practitioner telling her mother to sit down or she will die. Lydia then goes on to say she doesn't trust that doctor.

She goes on to say the first thing the doctor did was weigh her and everything else she said was clouded by jealousy. Elena then nods at Penelope who leaves the room. Elena then explains to Lydia that she is on blood thinners and she should start using a cane to walk. Lydia jokingly questions why she should use a cane if she is so able. Elena looks at her not amused and Lydia says she should read the Bible.

Lydia then asks Alex who is seated at the dining table to start the music. Alex starts the music with his iPod. Lydia then proceeds to dance around the living room with her cane and Elena yells at him not to enable this. Alex then says she is lucky he managed to talk Lydia out of the fishnets.

At St. Bibiana Academy, in the gym, Penelope and her friend and fellow PTA member Mateo are helping set up for the fundraiser. Penelope then says it would be great if they could get help from the Sisterhood of the Traveling Implants gesturing towards a group of well-dressed PTA moms at a different table. Penelope then walks up to the mothers with Mateo behind her she then tells them she and Mateo are almost done setting up and asks if they want to help. The group refuses to do so.

Penelope then questions Nikki, one of the moms if the cookies she's eating are an auction item. Nikki then tells her they are gluten-free. Nikki then says she wishes they could help but they are on their way to the gym. Mateo points out they are in a gym at the moment. Penelope then says lifting baskets could be their workout. Nikki then tells them it's not an arms day.

Penelope then starts to say something else but Mateo restrains her from doing so and steers her away from the group and back to their table. In Spanish, Mateo tells Penelope it's good she didn't send a maid. Penelope responds in Spanish by saying the maid is at the house with the body and the woman is crazy. Mateo then chuckles at this.

Nikki then comments that they are so cute with their secret language. Penelope then looks at Mateo and says he should sign her up for the pervy dog and she will put her down for the vag tune-up. The two then exchange a fist bump.

In the Alvarez apartment, Elena continues to try to encourage Lydia to start using a cane. She tells her to take it with her and use it when doing laundry. Lydia tells Elena she is right and has her hold up the cane, Lydia then proceeds to hang her bra from it. Elena tells Lydia to stop fighting against this and that Schneider is installing a bar in the bathtub. Lydia then says that's fantastic because now she can have a mojito while she bathes. Elena clarifies it's not that type of bar.

She then demonstrates that she put Lydia's curtains on remote control to avoid repetitive stress. Lydia tells Elena she should have just let her die. Schneider comes out and says he installed the shower bar and Elena tells him she will fix it later.

Penelope and Alex arrive home. Penelope tells a story about Mateo doing a funny impersonation of Nikki. Alex then says Penelope should just admit that she likes him. Penelope then says he's her buddy. Alex then implies she likes him romantically.

Penelope then walks into the kitchen where Schneider asks her if she's crushing on a DILF. Penelope then tells him he's not a dad and he's definitely not an "ILF." Scheider then tells Penelope he will be her wingman at the fundraiser. Schneider then says he is bidding himself as handyman for a day. Penelope asks if that's the thing where Nikki outbids everyone and she and Schneider wind up going home together. Schneider tells Penelope that only happened three years in a row.

Schneider says this year will be different because he knows better and that Nikki is a toxic person. Schneider says every time he spends time with her he always feels like he's drowning in shame. Penelope leaves the kitchen and says Schneider is going home with Nikki. Schneider then sighs and says he knows.

Elena then asks Penelope about Mateo. Penelope then says he's not really her type and kind of a dork. Lydia questions what Mateo does and Penelope explains that he's an accountant. Penelope groans and indicates he doesn't give off the "strong man" type. Both Elena and Alex get uncomfortable at this, telling Penelope to stop making groaning noises. Lydia then says she felt the same way looking at their grandfather. Both Elena and Alex try to get them to stop talking about it.

Penelope then goes on to say that she and Mateo will never happen. Schneider then says she is just in the friend zone. Penelope then says she could if she wanted to. She then explains there is a foolproof move to get men to date her that she has been using since high school. She explains how she "accidentally" spills water on her chest to get men to notice her breasts.

Lydia then questions where her high-heels are, as she needs them for the auction tomorrow. Elena tells her she took them because the doctor was very clear she is on blood thinners, prone to dizzy spells, so she can't wear high heels anymore. Lydia then uses the remote to close her curtains.

At the auction, Elena thanks Lydia for wearing flats and auctioning off knitting lessons instead of dance lessons. Lydia then retorts by thanking Elena for always thinking she knows what's best for everyone else. Elena then says it's weird seeing her grandmother without heels because now she comes up to Dr. Berkowitz's armpit. Dr. Berkowitz says Lydia still looks down on him. Lydia says he loves it and the doctor agrees. Elena then says she is going to the library to read her book.

After Elena is gone Dr. Berkowitz tells Lydia the knitting lessons will be a big hit. Lydia flips the sign over and says they are dance lessons. Dr. Berkowitz questions how she is going to do it since Elena took away her heels. Lydia then explains she keeps a spare pair in the freezer for emergencies and pulls out the extra pair she brought with her.

Dr. Berkowitz says Elena will see her in the shoes and Lydia says she won't see them if she's standing behind her table. She then hands him a pair of cowboy boots so that Elena will not be able to tell that Lydia is taller than her armpit.

Penelope and Mateo compliment each other on their outfits. Penelope is seen wearing a black wrap dress with blue and white trim and Mateo is wearing a suit. Mateo then says he's trying to dress better as his son told him he looks like a dork who no one would ever want to date.

A delivery man comes up to them and says he will put the heat lamps in the parking lot. Penelope then tells him those were supposed to be on the quad an hour ago. Mateo tells the man he's going to move them on to the quad and because he was late he will take another 20% off. Mateo then goes on to say every parent at the event is looking down the barrel of a sweet sixteen party and the delivery man wouldn't want word to get out that he doesn't deliver things on time. The man then apologizes and says he'll fix the mistake.

This causes Penelope to realize she is attracted to Mateo. Mateo then questions why she is staring at him and she says nothing. She then tries to do her spilling water on herself trick and Mateo simply calls her a klutz and hands her a napkin.

Nikki comes up to Schneider and he asks her not to bid on him this year. She flirtatiously tells him she loves their yearly tradition. She then draws an inappropriate picture on the bidding sheet and leaves. Schneider then says this is a school and tries to cover it. Schneider then hears the ding of a typewriter behind him.

He then asks the woman using it if it's a Remmington Deluxe model 5. She tells Schneider he has a good year and the name of the typewriter is Belmondo. Schneider then tells her his hammer is named Lorenzo. She then asks Schneider if he's making fun of her. He then shows her Lorenzo the hammer. He then introduces himself and the woman introduces herself as Avery. Schneider then inquires if she's a parent, teacher, or student. She tells him she's a kindergarten teacher.

She then tells him her auction item is custom poems she types on her typewriter. Avery then has a customer and starts working on a poem for them. Schneider then gets a feeling in his stomach and wonders if he ate soft cheese.

At Lydia's table, Dr. Berkowitz tries to check how many bids Lydia got and knocks over a ball of yarn from a bowl. He struggles to walk away in the cowboy boots to pick it up. He then tells Lydia these boots were not made for walking. Just then, Elena returns from the library. Lydia tells the doctor to get back behind the table. Elena then approaches the table and asks the doctor why he's wearing cowboy boots. He makes up a story about the history of Jewish cowboys.

Elena then notices Lydia wearing the heels and says she can't be wearing those and asks what happened to the knitting lessons. She then scolds her grandmother saying she's not a kid at the Havana club but an old woman. Lydia then asks if an old woman could dance and starts doing some dance steps and high kicks.

Elena then says she gives seeing that Lydia doesn't care what she, the doctor, or Penelope says she gives up as she leaves. Dr. Berkowitz then tells her that her dancing was impressive and most women her age would have twisted an ankle. Lydia hoarsely admits she did, in fact, twist her ankle.

At Avery's table, Schneider sees that the typewriter is acting up. He runs over with some tools to help fix it. Schneider tells her the levers and gears of a typewriter are like poetry. They gaze at each other and Avery adds that with a typewriter you can create something that lasts forever that you can hold and cherish. The typewriter dings and Schneider realizes he hurt his finger. He then declares Belmondo is fixed and Avery asks if he's OK.

Elena comes back to Lydia's table and tells her she can make her own choices about her health even if those choices are stupid and will put her back in a coma. Lydia then tells her she finally gets it. Lydia winces and struggles to walk catching Elena's attention. Lydia then pretends to show an interest in the auction items. She then finally admits that she sprained her ankle. Elena then asks Dr. Berkowitz to help get Lydia to the car. He says of course and then trips over the tablecloth.

At Schneider's table, Nikki realizes she's been outbid. Avery tells her it was by her. Nikki then says she has a tradition to maintain and outbids Avery. The two women then proceed to continue going back and forth with outbidding each other. Finally, Avery says she can't compete with Nikki's bid. Schneider then tells Avery to excuse him and Nikki for a second. Avery leaves them alone and tries to kiss Schneider who restrains her saying he has feelings for Avery even though they just met. Nikki suggests Avery come with them but Schneider makes it clear he's only interested in Avery now. Nikki finally walks away.

Avery then approaches Schneider and asks if he meant what he said. He tells her, yes and she gives him her phone number. Avery then says she is glad Schneider isn't a rich trust fund baby to which Schneider awkwardly responds that they are totally on the same page.

Penelope and Mateo discuss what a great job they did at the fundraiser and joke about Nikki taking credit for it at the fundraiser. Penelope then asks Mateo out and he declines saying he doesn't want to ruin their friendship. She agrees, telling him not to worry, and saying they are all good.

At home, Alex sits on the couch with Lydia, and Elena brings her ice to help with the swelling of her ankle. Alex then says Elena should give Lydia a moment of peace. He then apologizes saying he's just used to taking her side and then leaves. Elena then expresses her worry about Lydia and says she hasn't slept since she saw her lying in the hospital bed and she is worried something will happen to her and she thinks Lydia is being stubborn about a silly pair of shoes.

Lydia then explains it's not just about the shoes. She then takes Elena's hand and says it's not just about the shoes. She then explains she doesn't want to put the heels on the shelf and remember who she was. She still wants to be who she is. Lydia then tells Elena about her own abuelita who was a strong woman. Elena and Lydia finally settle on Lydia wearing stylish platforms. Elena tries to push her walking with the cane and Lydia tells her to just take the win, which Elena finally agrees too. They then hug.

Later, Lydia comes from her room and announces to the family there are still many things she wants to do with her life. She reads them her "bouquet list." Mateo knocks on the door and Penelope answers it. They go out in the hall and Mateo admits he was nervous because he hasn't been on a date since he split with his wife. They then flirt back and forth. The episode ends with Lydia yelling at Penelope to stop toying with the man so they can see what they will look like in ten years.

## Transcript

Click here for Benefit with Friends/Transcript

## Cast

### Main

* Justina Machado as Penelope Alvarez
* Todd Grinnell as Schneider
* Isabella Gomez as Elena Alvarez
* Marcel Ruiz as Alex Alvarez
* Stephen Tobolowsky as Leslie Berkowitz
* Rita Moreno as Lydia Riera

### Guest

* Alex Quijano as Mateo
* India de Beaufort as Avery
* Jolie Jenkins as Nikki Maxwell

## Notes

* This marks the first appearances of both Mateo and Avery.
* This is the only episode of the season that has Nikki in it.
* Lydia makes a joke referencing Cain and Able from the Bible.
* The translation of Penelope and Mateo's conversation in Spanish comes from the subtitles on Netflix.

## Episode Guide

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