Love Triangles In Telenovelas

    One of the key parts of a telenovela is that it includes at least one, if not more, love triangles. What is a love triangle? A love triangle is when two people are in love with one person. Consequently, love triangles cause a lot of drama; but what is a telenovela without drama anyway?

    Last week I began watching my telenovela, Amar y Vivir, and since then I have been obsessed. The hardest part of watching it though is pulling myself away after a cliffhanger. I have to admit, they hooked me, one episode in. At first, I was just waiting for the love story to begin and trying to plan out who would be involved each time I met a new character. However, after I met the protagonists, I immediately started to recognize the rising love triangles. 

    Before I dive into the love triangles, I want to discuss the main couple, the protagonists. Irene Romero has the characteristics of a "Cinderella," but also has her own unique features. Since Amar y Vivir (2020) has many modern touches to it, so does Irene. Irene is adamant on pursuing a singing career with her band, the Miracles, no matter what it takes. This is what makes her separate from the normal "Cinderella" character. However, Irene is very naive. Her boyfriend, and later husband, Joaquin, is hiding the details of his real job from her, but she constantly believes his obvious lies. She is under the impression that he just works as a mechanic at the auto shop in the plaza, but he actually is involved with the mafia in their hidden crime.  Consequently, Joaquin perfectly balances his naive partner because he is not the sharpest knife in the drawer. He usually has good intentions but does not think everything through, or frankly doesn't think. For example, he travels to Bogota to find his lost sister, but does no research on marketplaces, doesn't know how to operate a computer well, and has no money or job. As I mentioned, good intentions, but no knowledge. Although Irene and Joaquin have their own limitations, they are deeply in love and always come back to each other, even after conflict. 

    The first love triangle I noticed actually ended up being a very minor part of the story line. It is between Irene, Joaquin, and Brayan . Both men greatly admire and are in love with Irene, but the difference is that Brayan has grown up with Irene, while Joaquin is the new guy in town. Of course, being the new guy, Irene chooses Joaquin and falls in love with him at first sight. She falls in love with the great smile and sad story of his family loss. Her emotions pull her in. 

    However, the bigger and more important love triangle we should be concerned with is between Irene, Joaquin, and Rocio. Rocio is Irene's lifelong best friend and suddenly falls in love when she meets Joaquin, not realizing that Irene was already in love with him. She is so mesmerized by Joaquin that she makes Irene make a pact with her to not get in the way of her relationship with him, even though Joaquin had already rejected her. Joaquin always chooses Irene, and Irene chooses Joaquin, causing a huge fight between Rocio and Irene. Eventually, Rocio moves out of town after fighting with Irene and continuously bashing her. 

    I have learned a lot about love triangles than I ever thought I would. They are not just when two people are in love with the same person, rather they are tricky and cause conflict. In my telenovela, they caused hurt feelings, broken relationships, and obvious despecho. In just the first 10 episodes, I watched best friends be torn apart over a man. Love triangles add so much emotion to the telenovela through screaming, crying, and more. Although the telenovela attacks my emotions as well, I am relieved that Irene is a pretty crier.