'Pineapple Diaries' Director Paloma Valenzuela Talks Season 2

JAMAICA PLAIN, MA — The Pineapple Diaries web series returned this month, and director Paloma Valenzuela took the time to chat with Patch about what viewers can expect in Season Two.

The slice-of-life comedy is based Jamaica Plain, and designed to shine a light on the lives of young Dominican-Americans in Boston. Season Two was again shot in JP, but also spread the love to other corners of the city.

Valenzuela, in an email interview with Patch, talked about the most fun places to shoot, on-set stories and more insights into this season's stories. The interview has been included in full below.

New episodes air Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1 p.m. on YouTube. You can watch them here.

1. What are some of the big storylines in season 2?

In Season Two we’ll learn a lot more about the characters. In the interlude episodes we’ll hear them tell stories they feel connected with, or telling us their personal stories. We’ll be watching them continue to explore what it means, getting closer to turning thirty and trying to manage adulthood while discovering more about themselves, each other and keeping their friendships and relationships strong. For Maite - getting closer to thirty means asking herself, “Should I be wanting kids right now?” - the fact that Maite isn’t really sure she wants kids right now, being 29, makes her question whether this is something she should be exploring. What does turning 30 mean nowadays? Some of the characters, like Feliz - try to explore what their path might be in life. Feliz is a dreamer but isn’t quite clear yet- what her dream is. She continues to try to learn how to believe in herself- discovering talents she never knew she had and learning to take risks in her path as an artist. These are just some examples of the storylines we’ll see in Season Two.

2. Could you share a few of the most fun locations you shot at this season?

I have to say we had a lot of fun filming in a lot of these locations in Boston and in JP. For Episode Three, we filmed at the Midway Café in the afternoon and had to work to make it feel like it was a full night-time atmosphere - the Sunday Open Mic Night. It was a challenge but at the same time a lot of fun trying to recreate the atmosphere. Collaborating with the DP and the Crew, the extras and the actors and the awesome guys at Midway Café - it was just a really fun and positive experience. Shooting in JP - every time - just continuously reminded me of why I love my neighborhood so much - the people, our community. It was just wonderful collaborating with these locations, for season one and season two!

3. Any great on-location stories you could share?

I am so excited about the Jamaica Plain locations viewers are going to see in Season Two! We feature some great restaurants and even the Wake Up the Earth Festival is planned for one of the episodes of this Season. At Wake Up The Earth this year it was raining like crazy. I hope that when people watch those scenes they remember our Wake Up The Earth this year and that even though it was raining people came out and danced and had a great time. We also explore more of Boston in general and I hope people enjoy seeing the city captured in this show!

4. You've previously spoken about themes in your series, including highlighting Boston's Dominican-American community and gentrification. How do you explore these or other themes this season?

I think just watching these characters, in their late-twenties, living in an ever-growing and changing neighborhood in the city of Boston - seeing them in these various locations as a back-drop will reflect this experience.

5. Any specific takeaways you hope viewers leave with?

I just really hope people enjoy the show! I hope they laugh and just have a good time. I hope that they find characters in the show they can relate to - situations they can relate with and I hope that ultimately they feel connected with the stories being told.

6. Can we look forward to a season 3?

I would LOVE to do a Season Three! But as of now we’re just focusing on sharing Season Two with everyone and just hoping people enjoy it!

Photo courtesy Veronica Wells