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| Verónica Castro by deissertv via Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported |
Ay, Dios mío. This show will not be that thing--but I will watch a few episodes to be sure.
This is one of at least three Netflix programs made in Mexico. (There are also a couple being made in Argentina.) Believe you me, I'm glad to see some TV programs from Mexico, Argentina, and other Latin American countries, especially ones that move beyond the Cinderella storyline. You know what I mean: María meets Juan Pablo, María loses Juan Pablo, María wins Juan Pablo.
But, chavos y chavas, this just seems like bad, dumb, and dubbed (¡Que barbaridad!) Almodóvar.
A case in point--Bienvenidos al big ridiculous plot hole! The de la Mora family consists of fabulously wealthy florists. The only son Julián is screwing/in love (?) with both Lucía and Diego, but he can't come out of the closet. Meanwhile, Julián's dad Ernesto has been having a 20-year affair with Roberta, who owns a drag cabaret--and my money's on the eventual reveal that Roberta will turn out to be Roberto--that features some of the dodgiest quality female impersonators I've seen in the Mexican context (and I've seen my share). The family loves gay Diego (he's their gorgeous accountant and confidante), everyone despises Lucía, and Paulina's ex-husband is transgender. Julian is "artistic" (a design student) and does his mother's hair from time to time. AND HIS MOTHER IS PLAYED BY VERÓNICA CASTRO.
This last point makes more sense if you've been watching Mexican TV off and on since 1989, as I have. All hail the woman who starred in a telenovela called Los ricos también lloran (The Rich Also Cry, which seems like the quintessential telenovela title) and prominently featured the half-gay duo Erasure as guests on one of her mid-´90s talk shows, likely way before many did.
If you can't come out under those circumstances, Julián, then perhaps it was never meant to be.
So far the show has had its moments, such as any scene with Paulina (played by the fabulous Cecilia Suárez), a quick shot of Julián's bare butt (played by the bare butt of Dario Yazbek Bernal), interactions with the housekeeper Delia (played by Norma Angélica), the set design, the cinematography, the fact that it's always sunny in México City, and, claro, Verónica Castro.
But sometimes its plot points are puzzling--for example, why does Roberta commit suicide (not a spoiler--it happens early in the first episode)? Is there a reason why she would leave behind her daughter, son, and lover? She doesn't seem particularly unhappy or depressed, at least so far. Rather, the suicide just seems like a cheap trick upon which to begin and build the story.
And I'm not comforted by the fact that La Vero leaves at the end of season 1--and they're already filming season 3. That's a long haul of over-the-topness without la reina del over-the-topness.
Nevertheless, I will persevere, perhaps alternating between La Casa and Ingobernable, a political thriller starring alleged El Chapo amiga, Kate del Castillo.
It's this or Days of Our Lives and 7de Laan, and, híjole, I just don't have it in me at the moment for straight (so to speak) plot and limited self-aware humor.
* * *
Update, 15 March 2019
So I watched episodes 3 and 4 last night and thought better of the show. I don't get why Julián is such a mess, but that's likely the American in me. On to episode 5, 6, 7, ....
If you can't come out under those circumstances, Julián, then perhaps it was never meant to be.
So far the show has had its moments, such as any scene with Paulina (played by the fabulous Cecilia Suárez), a quick shot of Julián's bare butt (played by the bare butt of Dario Yazbek Bernal), interactions with the housekeeper Delia (played by Norma Angélica), the set design, the cinematography, the fact that it's always sunny in México City, and, claro, Verónica Castro.
But sometimes its plot points are puzzling--for example, why does Roberta commit suicide (not a spoiler--it happens early in the first episode)? Is there a reason why she would leave behind her daughter, son, and lover? She doesn't seem particularly unhappy or depressed, at least so far. Rather, the suicide just seems like a cheap trick upon which to begin and build the story.
And I'm not comforted by the fact that La Vero leaves at the end of season 1--and they're already filming season 3. That's a long haul of over-the-topness without la reina del over-the-topness.
Nevertheless, I will persevere, perhaps alternating between La Casa and Ingobernable, a political thriller starring alleged El Chapo amiga, Kate del Castillo.
It's this or Days of Our Lives and 7de Laan, and, híjole, I just don't have it in me at the moment for straight (so to speak) plot and limited self-aware humor.
* * *
Update, 15 March 2019
So I watched episodes 3 and 4 last night and thought better of the show. I don't get why Julián is such a mess, but that's likely the American in me. On to episode 5, 6, 7, ....
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