Is anyone else following this novela? Telemundo airs it nightly with English language subtitles. I’ve seen clips online of the origin soap, ‘Chemical or Physical,’ so I was interested in seeing how this adaption turned out.
After watching soaps fail to produce plot over the past decade or so, it was nice to see a show know how to engage the audience with an actual storyline rather than random plot points strung together. Because it’s a youth soap, there doesn’t seem to be a single storyline that dominates most of the plot. I’m still not convinced Mauricio / Miranda are the couple we are suppose to be rooting for, which is rather impressive. On the otherhand, maybe I’m just not as up-to-date on the inner workings of a novella. I’m still hoping that J.P. / Miranda have a shot at an actual romance.
I like how I’m emotionally involved in the story. I won’t to see what happens when Sebastian learns the truth about Rodrigo’s suicide. I want to see novice educator Patty gain control of her classroom and deal with Gonzalo and Leo’s antics. I want to know what J.P.’s secret is and who is stalking him. I do miss the absence of a mother figure and a traditional villainess (though the red headed teacher may fill that void if she ever does anything but smirk and snark).
I also like how complicated everything is. Mauricio saved Miranda from being raped by Oliver only for Mauricio to lie about his age and bed Miranda. The first day of school rolls around and Miranda learns Mauricio is a student in her senior literature course. Miranda realizes Oliver, another one of her students, is the attempted rapist, but when Miranda / Mauricio threaten to press charges Oliver threatens to reveal the truth about Miranda / Mauricio. To an extent, I feel sorry for Miranda; Mauricio lied and misled her. If Miranda knew the truth, I don’t think she would have slept with him. On the otherhand, maybe she shouldn’t have jumped into bed with him. The more I think about the situation the more I realize I would feel differently if Mauricio was older. Also, I’m not completely sure that Miranda / Mauricio’s physical relationship wouldn’t have developed into an emotional one due to their shared interests.
The other major story revolves around the death of Rodrigo Aragon, a student at the school where Miranda teaches and Mauricio is a student. Rodrigo attends a party with his pal Oswaldo and ends up doing drugs with Oswaldo and Gonzalo, a hood who has been supplying drugs. Anyway, the three boys end up taking pills and blacking out the next few hours. As the novela opens, Oswaldo and Rodrigo are in a car fighting and Oswaldo smacks Rodrigo causing him to lose control of the vehicle. Rodrigo flees and Oswaldo later dies. A guilt ridden Rodrigo ends up mixing drugs and alcohol and sits on the railing of his mother’s high rise apartment. As Sebastian, his older brother, watches in horror, Rodrigo throws himself off the balcony several stories to his death. In the ensuing episodes, Sebastian has been determined to learn what drove Rodrigo to do what he did.
Besides the car accident, Rodrigo, Oswaldo, and Gonzalo did something the night of the accident that Gonzalo cannot remember. He knows the truth is on Rodrigo’s phone and convinces Leo, a preppy hacker, to conceal the truth from Sebastian. The insinuation is Oswaldo, Gonzalo, and Rodrigo had a drug induced threesome which led to the events of the car accident. While I’m not thrilled with the whole gay / suicide angle, the show balances it out with Mauricio’s mother’s acceptance of Mauricio when he says ‘law and the society will not accept my love.’ Mauricio’s mother informs him it is fine if he is gay unaware he pines for his teacher who is a decade older than him.
Is anyone else following this novela? Telemundo airs it nightly with English language subtitles. I’ve seen clips online of the origin soap, ‘Chemical or Physical,’ so I was interested in seeing how this adaption turned out.
After watching soaps fail to produce plot over the past decade or so, it was nice to see a show know how to engage the audience with an actual storyline rather than random plot points strung together. Because it’s a youth soap, there doesn’t seem to be a single storyline that dominates most of the plot. I’m still not convinced Mauricio / Miranda are the couple we are suppose to be rooting for, which is rather impressive. On the otherhand, maybe I’m just not as up-to-date on the inner workings of a novella. I’m still hoping that J.P. / Miranda have a shot at an actual romance.
I like how I’m emotionally involved in the story. I won’t to see what happens when Sebastian learns the truth about Rodrigo’s suicide. I want to see novice educator Patty gain control of her classroom and deal with Gonzalo and Leo’s antics. I want to know what J.P.’s secret is and who is stalking him. I do miss the absence of a mother figure and a traditional villainess (though the red headed teacher may fill that void if she ever does anything but smirk and snark).
I also like how complicated everything is. Mauricio saved Miranda from being raped by Oliver only for Mauricio to lie about his age and bed Miranda. The first day of school rolls around and Miranda learns Mauricio is a student in her senior literature course. Miranda realizes Oliver, another one of her students, is the attempted rapist, but when Miranda / Mauricio threaten to press charges Oliver threatens to reveal the truth about Miranda / Mauricio. To an extent, I feel sorry for Miranda; Mauricio lied and misled her. If Miranda knew the truth, I don’t think she would have slept with him. On the otherhand, maybe she shouldn’t have jumped into bed with him. The more I think about the situation the more I realize I would feel differently if Mauricio was older. Also, I’m not completely sure that Miranda / Mauricio’s physical relationship wouldn’t have developed into an emotional one due to their shared interests.
The other major story revolves around the death of Rodrigo Aragon, a student at the school where Miranda teaches and Mauricio is a student. Rodrigo attends a party with his pal Oswaldo and ends up doing drugs with Oswaldo and Gonzalo, a hood who has been supplying drugs. Anyway, the three boys end up taking pills and blacking out the next few hours. As the novela opens, Oswaldo and Rodrigo are in a car fighting and Oswaldo smacks Rodrigo causing him to lose control of the vehicle. Rodrigo flees and Oswaldo later dies. A guilt ridden Rodrigo ends up mixing drugs and alcohol and sits on the railing of his mother’s high rise apartment. As Sebastian, his older brother, watches in horror, Rodrigo throws himself off the balcony several stories to his death. In the ensuing episodes, Sebastian has been determined to learn what drove Rodrigo to do what he did.
Besides the car accident, Rodrigo, Oswaldo, and Gonzalo did something the night of the accident that Gonzalo cannot remember. He knows the truth is on Rodrigo’s phone and convinces Leo, a preppy hacker, to conceal the truth from Sebastian. The insinuation is Oswaldo, Gonzalo, and Rodrigo had a drug induced threesome which led to the events of the car accident. While I’m not thrilled with the whole gay / suicide angle, the show balances it out with Mauricio’s mother’s acceptance of Mauricio when he says ‘law and the society will not accept my love.’ Mauricio’s mother informs him it is fine if he is gay unaware he pines for his teacher who is a decade older than him.
Hopefully, some others are watching.