In the time since my last post, I have found myself enthralled in the world of telenovelas. I clearly see why Dr. A chose this as her area of study. I chose my telenovela based from a HUGE list of telenovelas that my boyfriend’s mom gave me. I watched all of the trailers and picked the one that caught my attention the most. In all honesty, I was surprised with the one I chose because I really wanted to stay away from the narconovelas just for the sake of something different. I chose the telenovela Sin Senos Si Hay Paraiso. It translates to “Without breasts there is still paradise”. The story has a grip on me and leaves me itching to watch more.
The story follows a mix of cinderella type plot bases plus a bit of the count of Monte Cristo. Essentially a poor family, the Marín Santanas, are faced with hatred from the local wife of a drug lord nicknamed the She-Devil. The poor family seems to be well liked and do little wrong. The She-Devil has the Marín Santanas and another young man wrongly arrested, thrown into seperate prisons, and even tortured. The evil family doesn’t follow the Cinderella version exactly but it has the same three evil female characters. In the story you have the mother who is the most evil (the She-Devil), the grandmother, and the insecure/jealous daughter.
Within the story there are several love triangles. One begins with two characters who aren’t seen again for the first 10 episodes. The drug lord, his wife, and her subordinate. The two women are in love with the same man. This happens again but one generation later. The sister of the drug lord's wife (Catalina) and the daughter of the She-Devil (Daniela) both are in love with the most popular, and seemingly the only boy (Nacho), in town. The plot still seems to have a few gaps in it but the intricacies of this story are immense. Along the side of the story there is another love triangle between a drug lord who loves to rob virgins of their innocence and Nacho. Both men have their sights set on Catalina since she is the prettiest girl in the town. That puts the story at three love triangles right now only being 10 episodes in.
As for the dramatic effect in the story, it is intense. Even not having a Spanish background or knowing any of the Spanish language I have been able to discern the feelings each character has through their tone and actions. I’ve found myself reading the English subtitles so quickly I feel like I can understand the Spanish. Multiple times I’ve gotten up from my computer to go get something and I quickly realize that I DON’T speak Spanish and I have lost what's going on. I still find myself thinking about the story throughout the day wondering what will happen next. Will Catalina exact her revenge on the She-Devil and her family?
I personally think Sin Senos Si Hay Paraiso lies in the middle between traditional and realist storylines. It leans more toward the realist side due to its crazy storyline and uniqueness. The story includes drugs, incarceration, revenge, a major female protagonist, and extreme jealousy. Although a huge portion of the story has been built up so far, there still remain plot holes. I’ve found a lot of pleasure in these because I realized that one of the ways that the telenovela writers are able to cause such dramatic plot twists and crazy reveals are the minor plot holes they leave even in the first episode. Telenovelas are very well designed and know exactly how to grab and keep the attention of the audience.
One of the questions I have with specifically my telenovela is the change in translation or maybe even the words said between two episodes. At the end of one episode a character will say something and then when the next episode starts it will recap the last 10 seconds where the story left off but what the character says will be different than the last episode. I wondered if this could be to build suspense. They leave the episode with something to have the audience wondering and when it returns they change it so the story may continue to flow naturally.
Overall, I am curious to understand fully how the title of my telenovela fits with the overall story arc. The power that this telenovela has over my time, attention, and imagination is the same if not more than any other TV show I’ve watched prior. Narconovelas have so much more depth in their story than just the basic idea of drugs. In all honesty, mine isn’t even really focused on the drug world much at all minus the money and power it brings to the antagonist. What does the future hold for the vengeful Catalina and the jealousy stricken Daniela? Are there any dark twists in the future for the golden boy Nacho on who his lover will be?
Anything is possible in the world of telenovelas. Nothing is out of the question. Even when it feels like a character is backed into a corner, they defy the odds and find another way. Telenovelas are certainly worth the time they require of the audience.
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