Blog Post #5: Grace, Patience, and Honesty

It seems crazy to think that this semester is already coming to an end. I have to try not to feel robbed, as I'm sure many other students feel, of my spring semester. I remember the first week of classes in January, walking into Telenovelas, Culture, & Society, and thinking to myself 'Wow. This could be my favorite class I've ever taken.' I have to try to look at the positives and be grateful for the time that we had together. Obviously, had I known what would happen I think I would've been more intentional, more deliberate with every second I had in the class, had I known it was going to be so limited. But I think, as horrific as this pandemic has been, I think it's made all of us really remember to never take anything for granted. When the pandemic truly hit the fan, it was everything I could do to stay calm. My anxiety disorder took COVID-19 and ran with it, making waking up each day like a nightmarish version of the 1993 film Groundhog's Day. 'You have nothing to do! You're isolated in your apartment you have no excuse to not do your work!' However, at least for me, I found the walls of my apartment closing in around me. All of the work that I needed to do suddenly seemed meaningless compared to the climbing death toll on the news every morning. I could barely concentrate on the things I needed to do. The things I used to look forward to, now seemed to take an unreasonable amount of effort. Even watching my telenovela. I tried my best to be swept up in the world of La Doña. Sometimes it worked, most of the time I found myself having to rewatch the same 5 episodes because I either couldn't pay attention, or couldn't remember what had happened. I think at this point, the concept of grace is so important. We need to give each other grace and have patience in this crazy new world, but most importantly, we need to give ourselves grace and listen to our bodies and what we need. The collective unease that we all feel every day? It is grief. Grieving a life that we lost and the people we've lost with it. Even if you don't know someone who lost their life to COVID, we have all lost pieces of our lives and the normality that we used to have. I am grateful for the hard working people that create La Doña and give people a way to escape and a glance back at what life looked like before social distancing. I know that, without this pandemic, I would've watched more of my telenovela, but I am working on being patient with myself and giving myself grace and knowing that I am, truly doing my best.

The drama of cheating

This post is going to be very personal so prepare:

I think one very important thing about me is that I am a hopeless romantic. I am a sucker for romance, therefore the majority of the tv and books I watch and read are romance. There is no romance in it? I will probably not enjoy it as much. I don't know where this originates from, but I just do. Another thing about me is that I come from an extremely Machista country, which Dr. A has talked about in class. One of the consequences of machismo is that men are allowed to get away with many things, in specific for this blog post, cheating.

When your partner cheats, how you react and the decisions you make regarding your marriage are completely up to you, but when I was a kid I did not think that way. I remember when I was around 10 I was having a conversation at lunchtime with my friends about marriage and my friend said "Your husband will cheat. There is nothing we can do about it, it's just going to happen, it's not enough reason to get a divorce cause otherwise we will be single all our life" At the time, I agreed with her but as the year passed, I realized that it is complete bs.  Regardless, growing up I saw and heard many cases of cheating which made it seem common and acceptable. One example would be my parents, my mom met my dad, a married man, and he swept her off her feet. After many years of ups and downs, they got married when I was 12. This story is pretty common in telenovelas, it is a challenge where the main couple has to break a marriage to get their breakthrough. One example would be La Mujer Perfecta or Cosita Rica where it was the main plot and it didn't get as much interest as the subplot because it was a very common challenge. In addition, even though the ex-wife was not the romantic point of the story, she still fought really hard to keep her husband even though he was seeing somebody else on the side, and she was viewed as evil for that (sometimes she was evil for more things though). Growing up watching these shows and saying many similar cases in real-life has a big impact on how you see relationships. 

The viewpoint I had on relationships and marriage has changed significantly as I grew up. Before, being the hopeless romantic I am, I considered these stories to be super romantic, but what is romantic about being with a married guy? Or what is so romantic about staying with a guy that cheated on you? I believe that the reason why these plots are so successful is due to the machismo that is ingrained by our society, therefore to break these I think we should stop romanticizing this toxic behavior in the media that we consume the most. I am still glad some people make their relationship work, like my parents and many of the happy endings in the telenovelas, but just because it worked for them, it doesn't make it acceptable. 

Growing up Watching Telenovelas

   Growing up, in my household, telenovelas were always on. When I would come back home from school, no matter what my mom was doing, there would be a telenovela on. Maybe they were on for background noise or entertainment doesn't matter, they were always on. I loved the storylines, the plot twists, and the drama. The romance was bizarre but that is what made me want to keep watching.
    My favorite telenovela as a kid, which I can guarantee you shaped the attitude I have today, was "Teresa." It is about a law student, named Teresa who is played by Angelique Boyer, lures her way into the world of wealth. She grew up in a poor town and went to a private school on a "scholarship." In the beginning, what really draws you in to keep watching is the way she lies through her school life. No, you think her vices and need for karma would make you hate her, but I can promise you that is not the case. She was popular, dated the perfect guy, but made herself seem like she was rich and had it all. Anytime anyone would ask about her parents she would shrug it off and say they were on a business trip.
   What made me like the character Teresa was her drive to succeed. When the truth came out, she didn't let it bring her down. She went to the law school of her dreams, married the perfect man, and later on owned had her own firm. There were decisions she made that would make you a tad bit annoyed but in the end, while she wasn't supposed to have it her way– she did.
    Angelique Boyer (as our class should know by now) is one of my favorite Latina actresses. She is half-French and half Mexican.  I first saw her in "Rebelde," a telenovela that is based on the different backgrounds of different classes. I grew up watching Boyer and I admire her as a person. She is so confident and dedicated to what she does.
    Another one I grew up watching was "El Clon." The version with Sandra Echeverría, where she portrays an Islamic woman named Jade who is caught in a love triangle. As a kid, I was used to seeing love triangles in telenovelas, but I was always entertained by the drama behind them. You would typically think that it just involves a woman and two different men but there have been cases where it was a woman and a set of twins.
   Yes, the drama was what I lived for but the plot twists would just make me so excited to watch the next episode. Whether a favorite character of mine committed a crime, the couple I never expected share a kiss, or even the villain approaching the main character out of nowhere– the moments that made you want to pull your hair out, those were the best. Especially when it ended in a cliffhanger because that is how you know that the next episode will be absolutely insane.
   I am proud of having grown up watching telenovelas. Yes, they had their drama and crazy love stories but they also taught great lessons. Like, if you slap a man, he will most likely fall in love with you or your maid is possibly your mom or maybe even sister. In all seriousness, they do an amazing job in pushing for diversity, being mindful of those who have a disability and to remain patient even when things get difficult.
 

The future of (Ben and) telenovelas

Throughout this semester, we have learned so much from our amazing professor, Doctor A. Whether she was lecturing in class, setting up interviews with famous actors/actresses/writers, or talking to us through email and pre-recorded PowerPoints, Doctor A was expanding our minds. I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say thank you. Because honestly, this course has impacted me in ways I didn't expect it to. I have Colombian family that I got to see over Christmas break, and I told them about my plans to take this class. They were all super excited for me to get a glimpse into their lives back in Colombia when they were growing up, which in turn allowed me to hear some really amazing stories I had never heard before. (It also was when I first realized that this class would be good for my Spanish that clearly needed work after I kept having to ask Tía Nelly to repeat things 🤣😅)

With this semester coming to a close in such an unexpected way, I look back at our class time with such a longing for our lost class time to learn so much more... haha nooo! I'm most upset we don't get to enjoy a delicious home cooked meal from Doctor A!!! In all seriousness though, I am sad that we missed out on so many interesting discussion topics. The one that I think is the most intriguing is the conversation behind remakes of Telenovelas. It's so wild to me that Corazón Salvaje for example was re-made four times! How can something be done over and over and over again like that? I think Alberto Barrera is spot on in this quote from the slides: "Remakes come from one of the greatest anxieties in the telenovela industry: the guarantee of success." But I want to relate that to people. We can't try to do things the exact same way as others in hopes of being successful. What works for some just simply doesn't work for all. In the current digital age, I worry about kids and young adults that are our age who feel so much social pressure to be picture perfect in a way that should "guarantee success." I'm an RA here at UGA, and I saw Tik Tok take over some of my residents' and friends' lives while they try to copy famous people as best they can so they too can become Tik Tok famous. And yes I understand they do it because it's fun and that they know the odds are stacked against them reaching fame through this app. However, not everyone does.

I was watching La Reina del Sur 1, which was recently followed by La Reina del Sur 2. (I got lucky with that for the sake of this argument as it helps prove my final point I want to make) We as a society should try to focus on part 2, or chapter 3, or season 4, and so on, instead of trying to be Ben 2.0... no Ben 3.0... no no this is Ben 4.0, better than ever! Looking back at who we were to learn from our mistakes is the real way to guarantee future success. Trying to do remake after remake will only result in a bored audience and an unsustainable future.

Sen Anlat Karadeniz - Ada Milla

ESPANOL

A medida que el semestre llega a su fin, también es el fin de  mi experiencia con las telenovelas. Bueno, más o menos. Todavía tengo que terminar Sen Anlat Karadeniz (y cedí y compré YouTube premium para poder verlo sin anuncios, así que estoy determinada terminarlo) y estoy pensando en viendo Kara Para Ask pronto ya que está en Netflix. Después de mi experiencia con La Impostora, tengo que admitir que no estoy demasiada interesada en comenzar otra telenovela latina, pero algún día podré comer mis palabras.

Recogí esta clase en el último minuto como una forma de cumplir con un requisito, y estoy tan feliz que elegí esto en lugar de la clase de psicología que estaba considerando.  En esta clase yo aprendí mucho y llegué a amar a todos los personajes de esta telenovela. Creo que mi personaje favorito tendría que ser Asiye, porque ella trajo la astucia y la ligereza a una telenovela que estuvo cargada de drama, y ​además ​es muy divertida y graciosa. 

Sen Anlat Karadeniz ha sido uno de mis programas de televisión favoritos, y también tengo a mi compañera de cuarto y a mi tía adictos. Creo que me enamoré porque es un programa realista que no solo es adictivo desde el punto de vista de la audiencia, sino que también (desafortunadamente) personas pueden relacionarse con esto. No me gustaba La Impostora o El Clon porque ambos eran programas que tenían muchas cosas extremas al azar, y las posibilidades de que eso ocurra en el mundo real son mínimas. Me duele decir que muchas mujeres pueden identificarse con Sen Anlat Karadeniz, pero también pueden sacar fuerzas de ella y esforzarse por ser como Nefes. No voy a mentir, cuando la Profesora A mostró por primera vez los trailers en clase, los odiaba y no estaba segura de por qué alguien querría ver algo así o revivirlo si hubiera sido algo que habían experienciado en el pasado. Sin embargo, me di cuenta de que este programa podría inspirar a otros a hablar y ayudarse a sí mismos. Junto a todo esto, puedo decir honestamente que el programa también me enseñó algunas cosas sobre un país del que realmente no sabía nada, lo que creo que también fue parte de la apelación.

A pesar de que el semestre está terminando, estoy muy feliz de haber podido compartir este semestre con todos, y aunque COVID19 nos dejó sin vida, aún pudimos reunirnos con Leonardo Padrón. Honestamente, tengo mucho más que decir sobre esta clase, pero no sé cómo dejar de ramble en mi blog post, así que concluiré con esto:

Gracias Dra. A por presentarme al mundo de las telenovelas (especialmente las turcas!!). Gracias por siempre estar disponible para reunirse después de la clase (o zoom) y por hacer lo mejor para sus alumnos. Usted ha sido uno de mis profesores favoritos y, aunque me gradúe en una semana, espero tener el privilegio de seguir tu trabajo a través de Instagram.

ENGLISH

As the semester comes to an end, so does my experience with telenovelas. Well, kind of. I have yet to finish Sen Anlat Karadeniz (and I gave in and bought YouTube premium so I could watch it without ads, so I WILL be finishing it) and I’m contemplating selling my soul to Kara Para Ask since it is on Netflix. After my experience with La Impostora I have to admit that I’m not too keen on starting another Latin telenovela, but I may one day eat my words. 

I picked this class up last minute as a way to fill a requirement, and I’ve been so happy I chose this over the psych class I was considering because I learned so much and came to love all of the characters in this show. I think my favorite character would have to be Asiye, because she brought sass and lightheadedness to a telenovela which was heavy with the drama, and she’s funny as heck. 

Sen Anlat Karadeniz has been one of my favorite TV shows I’ve ever watched, and I got both my roommate and my aunt addicted to it as well. I think I fell in love with it because it is a realistic show which isn’t only addicting from a viewer standpoint, but can also (unfortunately) be relatable to many women around the world. I didn’t like La Impostora or El Clon because those were both shows that had a lot of random extreme things, and the chances of those ever happening in the real world are slim to none. It pains me to say many women can relate to Sen Anlat Karadeniz, but they can also draw strength from it and strive to be like Nefes. I’m not going to lie, when Profesora A first showed the trailers in class I hated them and I wasn’t sure why anyone would ever want to watch anything like it, or re-live it if it had been something they had experienced in the past. However, I did come to realize that this show could inspire others to speak up and help themselves. Alongside all of this,  I can honestly say that the show also taught me some things about a country I really didn’t know anything about, which I think was also part of the appeal. 

Even though the semester is wrapping up, I am so happy I was able to share this semester with everybody, and even though COVID19 threw all of our lives out of whack we were still able to meet with Leonardo Padron. Honestly I have so much more to say about this class, but don’t know how to without rambling on in a blogpost, so I’ll conclude with this:

Thank you, Dra. A for introducing me to the world of telenovelas (especially turkish ones!!). Thank you for always being available to meet after class (or zoom) and for doing what is best for your students. You’ve been one of my favorite professors, and even though I graduate in a week, I hope I get the privilege to follow your work via instagram.

Blog 5

Telenovela Remakes are Causing the Industry to Die

While I do not believe that the telenovela industry is currently dead, I do in fact believe that the constant remakes of stories are causing a slow decline in telenovela popularity. After reviewing the "Future of the Telenovela" slides posted by Dr. A, it dawned on me just HOW many remakes there have been. While I did know remakes existed, even in American culture as well, the amount of remakes done of certain stories truly blew me away. 

Looking at the three specific opinions from Salvador Mejía, Fernando Gaitán, and Alberto Barrera, the main thing that stood out to me was that both of the writers (Fernando and Alberto) shared similar negative opinions about remakes, while the producer (Salvador) had the opposing viewpoint. This is because, as Dr. A said in the slides, producers are the key component in a remake because they were not the ones that came up with the story, and instead are trying to change or tweak it. 

In my opinion, I fully agree with the writers in this case. I feel as though writing a true and original telenovela is a difficult task, and only creative people can execute this successfully. It can take months and years to create such complex stories, and when successful, the credit is due to the writers. While in the past some remakes have been successful, (again, this is true in American society as well. ie. Cinderella) it is crucial for the telenovela industry to constantly be issuing new and original ideas. As Fernando said, "remakes don’t give any space to tell the story of what happens in Latin America and impedes telenovelas to transmit what Latin America is about." I do believe this to be true as well. 

photo credit: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/fernando-gaitan-dies-creator-yo-soy-betty-la-fea-was-58-1181076 

Una reflexión sobre esta clase y pensamientos finales sobre mi telenovela

De todas las clases que he tomado en la universidad este ha sido mi favorito. Y la parte más divertida fue al principio del semestre en la que no tenía ninguna idea de lo que me estaba metiendo. En DegreeWorks todo lo que tenía para esta clase las descripciones eran "español a través de las desapasquerías" con sólo 8 asientos disponibles para esta clase, lo que me pareció extraño. Cuando intenté inscribirme en esta clase tuve que obtener un permiso especial de la Dr. A para registrarme y ella respondió muy rápidamente a mi solicitud.

El primer día que llegué a esta clase pensé que estaba en la habitación equivocada y revisé múltiples antes de darme cuenta de que se trataba de telenovelas. No tenía idea de cómo sentirme al respecto porque nunca he estado realmente expuesto a este género de la televisión y realmente no entendía por qué era tan importante. Lo único similar a una telenovela hasta este momento fueron soap operas y programas de televisión estadounidenses como 90 Day Fiance. Cuando comenzamos esta clase no me di cuenta de lo mucho que no sabía y lo grande que era el mundo de las telenovelas. Aprendí mucho sobre producción, historia, comunicación, influencias culturales, representación e identidad, consumo y regulación. Las experiencias de Dr. A y la perspectiva que proporcionó también fue increíble. Me he ganado tanto respeto por este género de televisión y el mundo de las telenovelas y nunca he querido ser parte de un mundo que no conocía tanto.

Otro de mis trabajos favoritos para esta clase fue ver la telenovela en sí. Mi telenovela en sí siguió perfectamente lo que estábamos aprendiendo en esta clase que lo hizo mucho mejor. Mi telenovela Celia, fue una telenovela sobre la vida de Celia Cruz. Su historia fue contada vibrantemente a través de la música, la danza, el carácter estelar y el diseño vestuario y una gran escritura de guiones. La vida de Celia Cruz estaba muy bien representada hasta el punto que siento como si pudiera haberla conocido a ella y a sus luchas. También me gusta mucho cómo la telenovela representaba las relaciones ya sean amistades, relaciones sexuales, asociaciones, LGBTQ+, relaciones entre género e identidad y dinámica familiar. Además, esto me gusta mucho cómo la telenovela representaba las relaciones ya sean amistades, relaciones sexuales, asociaciones, LGBTQ, relaciones entre género e identidad y dinámica familiar.

Al final tendría que decir que he aprendido más sobre la cultura española en esta clase que cualquier otra clase de español por lo crudo y nuevo que es el material para el mundo. También tendría que decir que voy a extrañar mucho a todos en esta clase y tal vez después de esto todavía podamos encontrar una manera de reunirnos y celebrar nuestros logros.

Muchas gracias Dr. A!

Sydney Higginbotham

La representación de la comunidad LGBTQ en La Reina del Sur

Dentro de La Reina del sur, el programa ha estado cambiando entre un actitud bien con los homosexuales y un actitud mal a los homosexuales. Por ejemplo, hay escenas en las que Teresa y su amiga Patti, que es lesbiana, tienen estas conversaciones sentidas y hablan sobre cuánto valoran su amistad y luego hay escenas en las que el programa se distancia de hacer que ser gay sea bueno. Por ejemplo, aunque Teresa no dice nada directamente homofóbico, insinúa que no entiende por qué las personas son homosexuales. Del mismo modo, existe el problema de criminalizar a las mujeres lesbianas y crear una narrativa de que son depredadoras. Por ejemplo, Teresa está en prisión y su amiga Patti usa drogas para obligar a una niña a tener relaciones sexuales con ella.

El villano principal de la prisión es una lesbiana llamada Makoki, conocida por tratar de "convertir" a las mujeres en homosexuales. Sin embargo, es interesante que a medida que avanza el programa, Teresa se siente cada vez más cómoda con la sexualidad de Patti, ya sea eso o simplemente no reconoce que existe. No creo que esta sea una buena representación de la comunidad LGBTQ en absoluto. Me pregunto si el programa recibió reacciones negativas por esto debido a los siguientes episodios en los que Teresa parece aceptar más la sexualidad de Patti.

(Makoki izquierda, Patti derecha)

Junto con La Reina del sur, he estado viendo un programa español llamado Locked up. El espectáculo tiene lugar en España en una prisión para mujeres como Orange es el nuevo negro. El personaje principal tiene miedo / negatividad hacia que alguien sea lesbiana y luego, más adelante en el programa, ella realmente tiene una relación con una mujer. Esta fue una progresión muy interesante porque el programa pasó de demonizar a las lesbianas a hacer que el personaje principal entrara en una relación homosexual. El espectáculo también es mucho más reciente que La Reina del Sur.

(la programma "Locked Up")

Goodbye... But Not Really

As this semester comes to an end, I get more and more saddened to be leaving such an amazing class. This class introduced me to a new world of media as well as reconnecting me to the media that I grew up with. I never knew about Turkish dramas and now I'm so excited to dive into the genre as soon as I finish up my telenovela [I'm not the kind of person that can watch multiple intense storylines].

As far as my telenovela goes, I'm so happy that I chose it. El Clon has brought me stress, anger, relief, and happiness. I've been on an emotional rollercoaster ever since I started this show. There were times where I've had to take breaks from the show because the emotions were so overwhelming. Jade never fails to stress me and Lucas and Doctor Albieri never fail to make me question their actions. In all honesty, I've been putting off watching the telenovela because I just don't want it to end. I've grown so attached to the storyline and the love and conflict. I cannot even fathom what the ending will be like. There are so many twists and turns that I genuinely don't know if it will end with a happy ending or not.

In regards to this class, it was such a gem to have in my schedule. I am truly saddened that it came to an end so fast. I appreciate all the research and knowledge Dr. Acosta has acquired over her years of study and that she gets to share it with us. I never dreaded this class. It never failed to put a smile on my face and I always felt refreshed as I walked out of class in the transition to the next. I'd have to say my favorite part of the class was the clips she shared. I always got a little sad that we couldn't see the full extent of the videos. I was always left on the edge of my seat. These clips have definitely introduced me to so many new things and developed a new hobby [if binge-watching can be considered a hobby].

Although the semester and the class are coming to an end, this is not a goodbye. This is a thank you, to our professor and to my peers. The discussions and knowledge shared in class was my favorite part of the week. I will keep watching telenovelas after this class and think of the potential discussions they would have brought about in class. Who knows, maybe I'll start a mini club with my friends where we watch and discuss telenovelas together. Once again, thank you.

THE CLIMAX OF KARA PARA ASK (*spoilers*)

I am here to tell you about a stormy, solitary night on which I wept in my living room profusely. Was it caused by loneliness and delirium? - no! They were tears of joy shed at the sight of the heroic rescue of our long lost (and dearly loved) Nilufer.

I had spent a long and pleasant day biking outside and reading one of my favorite books, prepared a nice meal, and planned to settle in for the night by watching *one episode* of Kara Para Ask. I've never been much of a binger; I like to savor things and enjoy them over a long period of time. I've enjoyed following along with Omer and Elif's adventures but did not anticipate what lay ahead.

The episode began with a cell-phone video received by Elif in which Nilufer warned her that if she continued to go to the cops for help, she would be hurt very badly. Despite Elif's hysteric reaction, Omer remained calm and examined the video closely. He noticed that there was a bag of sushi in the background, zoomed in, and uncovered the restaurant where the captor and his victim had been for dinner. Elif and Omer proceed to run around to every sushi location in town until they find the man who worked delivery the night the video was delivered. In a hushed tone, veiled by the dark of night, he tells the two where Metin (the captor) came from, providing the final step needed to pursue Nilufer and set her free!

Elif, ecstatic with anticipation, demands that she be brought along on the mission, despite her past inability to follow Omer's instructions in dire situations. Knowing this unpredictability could lead to her own harm, Omer and his police-partner, Pelin, lock Elif in a local public restroom so they could proceed to the island where Nilufur was held hostage, alone. Banging on the door, wailing and screaming with anger, Elif is left to her own devices. I felt deep pangs of empathy and frustration with Elif, who simply desired nothing more than to set her sister free, but wouldn't allow anyone else to do it for her.

Elif tells her sister in code over the phone that help is on the way. She instructs that she must sleep with her pants on that night - freedom calls.

Blinded by isolation and confusion, Nilufer INFORMED HER CAPTOR of her sister's plan to set her free, causing the men standing watch to prepare with ammunition for the battle ahead. The tension began to rise right as the episode ended, and I knew I couldn't sleep without knowing where the story would go.

 The small army of police officers arrives on the scene, creeping up to the entrance of where Nilufer was kept. Gunfire follows and Omer's own brother is shot and wounded as he tries to protect him! Metin escapes and jumps into the sea, leaving Nilufer helpless and alone in the hut at the center of the conflict. After a long and bloody battle, Omer enters the site and finds Nilufer shaking beneath a table. He reaches out to her with gentleness and love, taking her into his arms and bringing her to safety.

When he returns to shore, he unlocks the bathroom where a distraught Elif still sits. Before she can begin to unleash her wrath toward him, she sees her beloved sister standing behind him, bursts into tears and embraces her. Through joyful, relieved sobs, she glances over her shoulder at Omer, who stands satisfied, watching the two reconnect. Suddenly, a man who was once stubborn and arrogant in her eyes becomes a hero, one worth revering and even loving. Her mask falls away, and she will never see him the same way again.

This is the moment I had been waiting for for so long - the moment in which Elif realizes how much Omer sacrificed to set her sister free, and the underlying affection behind his actions. I am thrilled to see where the journey will continue to take them, and now I have my roommate here to cry and eat popcorn with me.

I have gained a whole new appreciation for streaming vs live television. It must have been torturous to watch such a series at the excruciating pace of one episode per week! I couldn't stand to wait and see what happens, but viewers in the past had no choice! Self-control once was forced, but now it is a choice ... one I have surely abused during this quarantine. ;)

Queer Representation - So Far So Bad

Queer Representation - So Far So Bad

The machismo runs rampant within the men of Pasion de Gavilanes. With so much exaggerated testosterone crammed into each individual scene, it’s easy for an audience member to forget that men like the 3 brothers aren’t the only male archetype in the scope of telenovelas. I was surprised to see that gay men can exist within the excess of grumpy, hulky, passionate men. 

A queer character was introduced in my telenovela looking for a “beard” (a partner used to conceal one’s sexual orientation). Leandro entered their storylines with his overweight brother, both seeking to get hitched in order to have access to their inheritance. It took me a minute to work through the language barrier and see that this man was not, in fact, just friendly and fashionable, so hey at least they didn’t completely over do it. However, in no way will I be applauding this representation.

Both Leandro and his brother, Benito, don’t have personalities outside of what makes them undesirable to the sisters. Leandro says things that basically scream I’M GAY and Benito’s only lines are literally about food. Granted, this telenovela was made in the early 2000’s in a country far less accepting than my own. But what does this mean for the LGBTQ community watching this? Is there a cultural impact?

Gay rights were gradually advancing through 2000-2016, however that doesn’t mean that violence against the LGBTQ is not prevalent. Actions against LGBTQ individuals can be reflections of the treatment they receive on popular media. Leandro being constantly called a fairy (and most likely much worse words were lost in translation) could’ve inadvertently shown Colombians the “expected” way to treat a gay man. While I can’t speak for any queer person watching these things that are so sensationalized in the media, I can only imagine the harm this representation could give.  

Rethinking the power of media

As a journalism major, I have always been interested in telling stories. I have always wanted to go into news because I think that what's going on in the world is incredibly important and I want to help more people be accurately informed and help them develop the skills to interpret and understand the news in our current media environment as well.

This class has really opened my eyes to entertainment media and has made me take a harder look at the best way to impact people through digital media. Seeing the impact that telenovelas have on Latin American societies and how they not only entertain but engage in political commentary and have an influence on the political atmosphere in society has made me question and reconsider how I want to be telling stories and sharing the news.

While I am not saying I have decided to join the world of telenovela production or even television show production in general, I am saying that I think that the media, outside of the news, have a unique ability to touch people and make them engaged and passionate citizens. I think we have blurred the line between traditional news and entertainment, which is how we ended up with news hours that are filled with commentary instead of facts, which in turn has created the confusion of what is and what isn't actual news, or facts.

We are increasingly becoming disengaged from the news for a variety of reasons which I find incredibly frustrating and is part of what has made me really reflect on everything we have learned in this class in relation to my future.

I think part of why telenovelas and other forms of media are so effective in getting people engaged and can create political commentary is that they function off of human connection. People cannot and will not be engaged with things that they don't care about - facts alone do not make people pay attention to an issue. This class has not only been very interesting but has made me learn to take a more critical and analytical look at the media around me, especially for forms of media that may on the surface seem to be just entertainment. Things are never quite what they seem.

How Telenovelas Cured My Senioritis

While senioritis is a fictional concept, the term captures the idea of a very strong sentiment. I have generally enjoyed school from the time I was a little kid. Still, January was dark, cold and slow as I dragged myself back into one last semester of being a student.

However, I think taking telenovelas my last semester of college was one of the best decisions I ever made. 

Why? Telenovelas provided the cure to my senioritis.

Coming into this class, I assumed telenovelas would be a more interesting topic of study. Thinking about courses you have to take in college like statistics and history, telenovelas doesn’t have a ton of competition for being the most exciting. I assumed I would learn a lot about telenovelas and how they affect general populations, mostly in countries like Mexico or Colombia. 

What I did not expect to learn in this class was how authors are using these love stories to dare to conquer topics like domestic abuse, drug cartels and classism. I quickly was much more intrigued in the realistic telenovelas that used a traditional form of media to reach huge audiences and convey messages that were not only relevant, but important.

Domestic Abuse in Turkish Drama, Sen Anlat Karadeniz

Studying telenovelas became especially engaging as the semester progressed because the topic is more specific than a lot of college courses. I enjoy learning about all aspects of telenovelas. Starting with a broad What exactly is a telenovela? of course, but also learning about all these more detailed aspects like ratings and premiere parties and how globalization affected telenovela remakes. Most of the topics I enjoyed were details of media I wouldn’t have even thought about.

Learning about the material became interesting to me for more than a grade. I wasn’t learning this material for a test; I was truly asking questions because I was curious how things worked - a luxury in a college course, believe me. Even writing blog posts was a nice change of pace. In Grady, we often do not get the chance to write with a strong voice of our own as much as we would like. This class provided a nice opportunity to take a more creative writing approach to a topic most would consider outside the box already.

Even with Coronavirus cutting our semester short, I enjoyed learning about different cultures before I entered into the “real world” post college. I especially liked learning about Turkish dramas and how different something as simple as television changes so much when you change countries. Turkish dramas provided me with a cool snapshot into a culture I previously knew nothing about.

We are Gen Z tech babies. If there is one aspect of life we have a strong general understanding of, it is media. Telenovelas worked as a bridge to help us understand other cultures in the context of something we already, almost innately, understand. 

We, as students, had a chance to take an interesting topic and look at it from all angles to help us understand a culture different from us in a context we could understand. That is not something you can say you leave a lot of college courses with. I walked into this semester thinking I had learned what I needed to learn about PR and just needed to power through one more semester to get my very expensive piece of paper. Telenovelas changed this. There is a lot that can be learned in unexpected places and through different lenses of stories - yes, even love stories.

No es un adiós tradicional

 

Sinceramente, no puedo creer que esté  escribiendo mi última publicación de blog. La realidad de que la universidad llegue a su fin en solo una semana parece aún más surrealista en este entorno. Tan caótica como ha sido nuestra realidad, no puedo negar que esta pausa en la vida ha sido tan beneficiosa para mi salud mental y mis relaciones. He echado de menos el aspecto "en persona" de esta clase, ¡y les deseo lo mejor en el futuro! 




Lo último también es lo que quiero discutir en esta publicación final del blog, cuando se trata de telenovelas. Me encanta que hayamos terminado el curso en los episodios finales. Si bien ese es el punto final obvio para las telenovelas, hay muchas maneras diferentes de alquilar el episodio final de una telenovela. Creo que es seguro decir que nadie sabe cómo se verá este capítulo de nuestras vidas o nuestro "épsiodo final" de cuarentena. ¿Obtendremos nuestras resoluciones de subtrama como Juana la Virgen? Ya hemos visto que las presiones de esta pandemia hacen que las personas tomen medidas drásticas, incluso autolesiones, como en Sin Tetas No Hay Paraíso. Nos enfrentamos a muchas presiones económicas derivadas de la cuarentena y me preocupa que continúe agotando la esperanza de la gente. 




En las telenovelas, los episodios finales pueden variar enormemente en todos los ámbitos. Sin embargo, aún obtiene la satisfacción de que le digan "esto es todo", incluso si la historia no se desarrolla como le gustaría. Desafortunadamente, la vida no es tan simple, o en algunos casos predecible. Hay muchas cosas que están fuera de nuestro control, pero es nuestro deber manejar lo que está bajo nuestro control y escribir nuestra parte del "episodio final" de cuarentena y esta pandemia.




Una vez más, les deseo todo lo mejor, y he tenido un semestre maravilloso aprendiendo junto a ustedes del mejor profesor (Dr. A !!)

Cómo Netflix podría ayudar a la industria de las telenovelas

Una de las innovaciones más recientes en la industria del entretenimiento es la aparición de muchos nuevos servicios de streaming, como Netflix, por ejemplo. Servicios como estos ofrecen unas oportunidades únicas para que la misma serie se traduzca a cualquier idioma que quiere el espectador. Aunque los subtítulos a veces pueden restar del valor intrínseco de una serie, las telenovelas suelen hablar a todos de alguna manera. El doblaje también es una posibilidad, y personalmente he usado un servicio de streaming que me permitió elegir entre audio en inglés o español. Si Netflix incorporara esta tecnología en sus telenovelas, podría complacer a las audiencias internacionales que prefieren el doblaje en lugar de leer los subtítulos. Quizás esto podría ayudar a las telenovelas de Netflix a llegar a un público más amplio, lo que ayudaría a los futuros escritores a escribir con el mismo formato de la telenovela, pero con mayor alcance. Dado que Netflix está contratando escritores de telenovelas experimentados, como Leonardo Padrón, y les da la libertad de elegir la duración de su serie, tiene el potencial de ayudar a la telenovela en general.

¿Qué pensáis sobre el uso de servicios de streaming no específicos como Netflix en distribuir algo como telenovelas, que han mantenido el mismo formato general durante muchas décadas?

Zoom Chats with Leonardo Padrón

     Having the privilege to speak Leonardo Padrón is something I will forever treasure. Though I didn’t actually get to voice my question (he did answer one of them throughout the chat), I really enjoyed being in his presence virtually. He touched a lot of the topics we discussed in class and continue to learn about through the powerpoints. It was a privilege to have him share his thoughts on these topics to further bring them to life before us.
     It was very interesting to learn about Leonardo’s dislike of remakes as he has done his fair share of them now. Though, this has obviously been propelled by his employer. I think the thing to treasure about remakes is the way that the stories can be taken, overlapped onto a new era, generation, time in place and have them adapted to tell a story that is quite realistically nothing like the old one. It will take some of the plotline structure, but what the remake is carrying over pales in comparison to the new material made around the novela. I think, from a standpoint of someone trying to garner success for a new thing, they do see the success of previous things and relate them once again. Some writers have some freedoms like Leonardo had when writing Amar a Muerte, in that he kept the essence of the novela as that was his job, but he was also able to insert a new subplot that reflects more of the place we are in now. It makes me wonder if there will ever be a telenovela with LGBTQ+ representation at the forefront. For now, the overwhelming success of plotlines like the one Leonardo inserted into the remake show the executives there can be more to those types of stories if given the chance. These remakes can be vessels for unlikely stories to gain exposure and test the waters of how the audience receives them. In the powerpoint, Alberto Barrera shared that “There’s a desperation for success, and a great fear of failure,” in regards to remakes. This holds truth in countries like Mexico who are known for still being antiquated in their ways, but we can also see some reception to new stories that push new narratives.
     Then, there are other entities that challenge the success networks believe they have with remakes. Netflix is entering the telenovela scene, and they are not holding back on what they want to do. The future of telenovelas can be believed to be stumped at only making remakes, but then comes along others who are willing to take creative risks in creating brand new content. Leonardo now finds himself juggling these two worlds. He is doing another remake, but he also now has the chance to create whatever world he envisions with the help of Netflix. I wonder if the word ‘telenovela’ perhaps will be the one to fade if newer non-Latin American companies like Netflix make novelas, but maybe they won’t be advertised as such or people just chose to call them series. A really interesting turn of events in my opinion when thinking about challengers to the network's remake stability is also the way a Turkish drama took up a prime slot and has been a success. It was shocking to me when we learned about it, and I wonder if that has opened up the door for more foreign dramas/novelas to enter the Latin American market at the level that it did. There should be a healthy balance, perhaps not equal though, with remakes and originals because if people feel like they keep seeing the same stories told over and over, their attention span will not be one networks can count on. The future of telenovelas is not on whether the novela will die out, but which kinds of novelas will survive the world we are in now.
     The opportunity we had to talk to Leonardo is one for the books. He brought forth many interesting takes on topics we talked about in class ranging from the reality of the interrelating aspect telenovelas have with society and what this quarantine means for creatives. It was a chance like no other, and I am very happy we were able to get to do it. 

Blog post #5 / Remakes

Antes que todo muy buenas tardes a todos mis compañeros! Espero que todos se encuentren bien y bien de salud. Lamentablemente ahorita con la pandemia todos estamos pasando por cosas difíciles especialmente con esto lo de “Online learning”. Les deseo lo mejor y muy agradecida de haber tomado este curso con ustedes! Cuidense todos!

Ahora si a empezar mi último blog post!

Que piensan ustedes sobre los remakes?

Bueno al principio en mi opinión esto no me parecia nada mal. Les explico el porque. Creo yo que cada generación es diferente. Creo que cada escritor escribe conforme la generación y la época en que estamos. Por ejemplo en la telenovela “Corazón salvaje” primero en el 1957 comenzó como un libro. La verdad que yo soy fanatica de los libros y prefiero leer y tratar de imaginarme una escena en vez de ver la telenovela o película. Aunque yo tenga mi opinión les aseguro que en esta época hay más gente que prefiere evitar leer un libro y verlo cuando sale en estreno en la televisión, Netflix o en los cines. Esta bien yo no reniego al ver que hacen un remake del libro y lo tratan de mejorar. Si la mayoria de gente quiere eso y así es el éxito en las telenovelas entonces que así sea. Otra cosa que note es que la versión 1 de “Corazón salvaje” esta hecha en blanco y negro. Que piensan ustedes sobre esto? Les gustaría seguir viendo hoy en dia una telenovela de blanco y negro? Creo que su respuesta es un no. Por esa razon tambien existe los remakes. Otra razon podria ser por los actores. Que tal si no hay la misma química entre los protagonistas que había en la primera versión de “Corazón salvaje” al hacer versión 2. Le parece a ustedes que todavía deberíamos quedarnos con versión 1? Creo que no. Así que version 3 es hecha por este motivo. Para mejorar. La verdad yo estoy de acuerdo con la opinión del productor Salvador Mejia. “En un remake siempre es importante actualizar la historia” es lo que opina Salvador. No es por nada pero Partricio Wills también opina que “la audiencia quiere remakes”. Aunque el escritor Fernando Gaitán no le parezca la idea de un remake yo en lo personal no le veo nada de malo. Estoy de acuerdo con la idea de remakes mientras que no abusen y no hagan como 3 remakes sobre una telenovela en menos de 5 años. La idea de un remake es para tomar riesgos y cambiar un poco la telenovela de alguna manera y para que la nueva generacion tambien disfrute un poco de lo que había en la generación anterior.

Un ejemplo de un remake que han hecho en 3 diferentes países es Good doctor. Al ver la escena del aeropuerto en versión Coreana, Americana y Turca me doy cuenta que a veces un remake no es ni buena ni mala idea. Por ejemplo en la versión Coreana me di cuenta que enseñaron hasta el más mínimo detalle del accidente con el niño que le había caído vidrio. Cuando digo esto me refiero a que literalmente demostraron los pedazos de vidrio en el cuerpo del niño y la sangre que estaba perdiendo. Al ver esto a mi me dio un poco de cosas ya que yo trato de evitar de ver escenas con sangre. También incluyeron la perspectiva del “Doctor” y de la gente que veían a su alrededor. Quiero decir que habían 2 pantallas demostrando las 2 perspectivas a la misma vez. Después vi la misma escena version Americana. La verdad que a mi no me gusto esta version porque siento que no hubo tanta emoción. Como que no fue tan conmovedor y muy corta la escena. No vi nada de sangre en esta versión y eso fue lo único que me gusto. En la versión Turca de esta escena me di cuenta que la calidad de esta versión fue mejor que las 2 anteriores. Tambien no habia señal de sangre. En Turquía no puede ver sangre en los episodios. Siento que esta versión fue más conmovedor que las 2 anteriores. 

En conclusión los remakes pueden ser buenos o malos. Creo que es opinión ya de cada quien. No creo que las telenovelas desaparezcan solo porque hay remakes. Estoy de acuerdo cuando la Dr. Acosta dice “Todos necesitamos una dosis diaria de ficción”. Es verdad! Ahora en esta cuarentena es hora de poner esta frase en pie. Bien empiezan a ver una telenovela no querrán salir de la casa hasta que lo terminen de ver. Y si esque quieren ver una telenovela que ya no está en la televisión lo pueden ver por Netflix o Amazon gracias a OTT! Ahora las plataformas digital nos ayudan ver las telenovelas a la hora que queramos. Bueno como decia sobre los finales de las telenovelas siempre yo me imagino un final feliz pero lo que no sabía es que las telenovelas Turcas no siempre son así. Me llegué a enterar el final de mi telenovela en una presentación que la Dr. Acosta nos dio. Hasta ahorita estoy impactada con el final de “Amor Eterno” pero bueno que se va ser. No siempre habrá un final feliz...

Blog Post #4: Telenovelas in the age of COVID-19

These last few weeks have been a whirlwind for all of us, as I'm sure we can all agree. For me at least, it's hard to remember what we talked about before COVID-19. It's been tragic to watch this virus sweep through the nation like a tornado, leaving so much destruction and turmoil in its wake. As a journalism major, I can't help but focus on the media and how the coverage of the pandemic is taking shape. The media industry as a whole is taking a huge hit, along with pretty much every other industry honestly, but it has been sad, yet interesting to see how media companies, television studios, and other titans of media try to continue to survive in this brave, new world. Due to hazards associated with COVID-19, hundreds of televisions programs across the world have had to halt production, leaving millions of people jobless. Rede Globo is just one of the stations that have had to adjust to these new circumstances. They have suspended filming for all of their telenovelas and they have cut their scheduled entertainment programming to allow more time for news coverage. In result, the current telenovelas that were airing were replaced by older telenovelas and the airing of any new telenovelas was postponed. The company has, however, attempted to accommodate for their employees, telling journalists over the age of 60 to telework. Several telenovela stars from multiple countries have shared their experiences with COVID-19. Danna Garcia, of Telemundo's "El señor de los cielos", posted her experience on Instagram of being trapped in Madrid during the city's shutdown. She shared her frustrations after being met with huge lines and ridiculous prices when trying to fly home to her family in Mexico. Another Mexican actress, Cecilia Romo, was hospitalized after testing positive for COVID-19. Televisa has suspended the recordings of all of their telenovelas to avoid the dangers associated with the virus. In terms of Telemundo and their broadcasting, La Doña continues to air its second season as the show has already been shot and no more filming is taking place. Now, more than ever, people all around the world are turning to film as a welcome distraction and a way to escape their current reality. As for me, I'm hoping that maybe I'll have that luxury soon, as I continue to steadily plow through the mountain of online school work I currently possess. (thanks COVID) I hope everyone is staying safe and attempting to stay sane during this crazy time.

La pregunta del futuro

El futuro es un tema interesante en el clima actual. Nosotros, como país y mundo, apenas podemos comprender nuestro presente y al mismo tiempo preguntarnos, ¿qué nos espera en el futuro? Bueno, el futuro de las telenovelas es un tema mucho más brillante a considerar. Por supuesto, hay muchas opciones creadas por corona. ¿Todo volverá a ser "normal" nuevamente, incluida la industria de producción, o nos estaremos asimilando a una "nueva normalidad"?

Ya hemos sentido ajustes a una nueva normalidad, aunque puede ser temporal, ha impactado todos los aspectos de nuestras vidas. Las clases son virtuales, las empresas están cambiando a Internet, y estamos viendo cuán creativa puede ser la comunidad de entretenimiento para mantener la lealtad.
En nuestra nueva forma de "clase", se planteó la pregunta: "¿Están muriendo las telenovelas?".Y estoy de acuerdo con Dr. A en que todos necesitamos nuestra dosis diaria de ficción. Esta necesidad, argumentaré, solo aumenta a medida que recibimos más y más noticias. Todos quieren y necesitan escapar de esta realidad que se siente como ficción y necesitamos ver algo que sea ficción concreta.

Para mí es fascinante rastrear los patrones y las reacciones de las empresas e incluso de industrias enteras. Es rápidamente obvio quién podría haber estado ligeramente preparado para un cambio futurista como este, solo contenido y entretenimiento en línea. Creo que la programación tiene la capacidad y las finanzas para beneficiarse a un gran cambio en su creación de contenido. No creo que las telenovelas estén muriendo, solo tendrán que adaptarse y evolucionar en la forma en que se consume su contenido, como dijo el Dr. A, los patrones de consumo lo son todo.

Debido a que este tema es tan fascinante para mí, ¿hay industrias o incluso compañías individuales que haya notado que se recuperan más rápido en la forma en que comparten contenido durante este tiempo? ¿Cuál crees que es el primer medio de entretenimiento en "morir" por la forma en que el mundo está cambiando?

Musica - Emociones de las Telenovelas

Ada Milla

ESPAÑOL

Cuando comencé esta clase, estaba viendo La Impostora, y hablé brevemente sobre música en una de mis publicaciones de blog. Ahora que estoy viendo una telenovela turca, he visto algunas similitudes / diferencias en cómo usan la música, y quiero discutir cómo el uso de la música afecta a ambas telenovelas. Ver telenovelas me ha hecho creer firmemente que la música es una parte esencial de ella. Si bien los programas estadounidenses como La Anatomía de Grey  son famosos por tener una variedad de canciones (este programa específicamente nombra todos sus episodios después de una canción), se usan de manera diferente a las telenovelas.

Mientras miraba a Sen Anlat Karadeniz, ME ENCANTÓ escuchar la canción principal. Aunque no tengo idea de lo que dice, he llegado a un punto en el que canto (o voy dadadaataaaaa, al igual que en la canción del tema Juego de Tronos). La telenovela no comienza con el tema musical, sino que pasa a los minutos después de que se transmitió el programa. Los productores de La Impostora también hicieron esto. Si bien ambos telenovelas son teatrales, la canción de Sen Anlat Karadeniz pasa de un ritmo rápido y lleno de acción a una porción de canto más lenta donde provoca la sensación de romance. Como no tengo idea de lo que he estado cantando en las últimas semanas, finalmente busqué la letra de la canción y saqué lo que consideraba el versus más importante

"Ah, este amor

Ah este amor

...

Todos hablarían de tu ser querido,

Pero ella no se quemaría

...

La mayoría de tus montañas no permiten un paso libre.

Las olas surgen pero no devuelven nada

Mi aliento está prohibido, el fuego dentro de mí no disminuirá

Usted dice, el Mar Negro, mi aliento no es suficiente (para decir) "

Estas letras comienzan informando a la audiencia que este programa tendrá una historia de amor. Continúa insinuando que la pareja enfrentará obstáculos, especialmente cuando se trata de chismes. Finalmente, el público recibe el simbolismo para mostrar cómo se desarrollará la acción y el romance: "La mayoría de sus montañas no permiten un paso libre / Las olas crecen pero no devuelven nada" podría estar insinuando cómo los protagonistas aman va a ser difícil, pero también un amor abrumador.

En La Impostora la canción es mucho más tranquila y casi "aburrida" si no estás acostumbrado a las baladas latinas. Al igual que Sen Anlat Karadeniz, la canción insinúa / cuenta al público una historia, incluso antes de que veamos algo que se desarrolle.

De mentiras se lleno mi mundo,

de apariencias y de falsedad.

Cambio de color,

para engañarte y poder infiltrarme

en tu corazón.

 …  

Mi ilusión se despertó en un beso,

desnudaste mi fragilidad.

Me robe tu olor,

y ese recuerdo lo llevo en mi cuerpo,

como un tatuaje dentro de mi corazón.

Soy la impostora de este gran amor,”

Estas letras cuentan la historia mucho más directamente que el drama turco, lo que hace que sea más fácil para el público comprender lo que sucederá durante la serie.

En segundo lugar, la forma en que se usa la música dentro de la telenovela se usa de manera diferente en ambos dramas. En La Impostora, el programa se basa en gran medida en la música para presentar nuevos personajes o para que el público sepa que algo está sucediendo / a punto de suceder. Por ejemplo, Blanca Guerrero (protagonista, Impostora) se presenta con una canción romántica. Raquel Altamira (antagonista), recibe una introducción dramática de la canción. Finalmente, Eduardo Altamira ("príncipe azul") es presentado con una canción divertida y casual. Junto a esto, si alguno de ellos hace algo particularmente drástico, hay música que los acompaña para exagerar el estado de ánimo. Ej- Blanca miente y está molesta porque habrá música lenta y triste. Raquel descubre algo y está molesta, nos da música ruidosa "enojada". En esta telenovela específica, me molestó la frecuencia con la que se usaría la música para acentuar a una persona / evento, pero entiendo cómo pueden ayudar a dar forma a la perspectiva de la audiencia de un evento o personaje específico.

Sen Anlat Karadeniz, por otro lado, enfoca la música en sentimientos y recuerdos. Lo usan para presentar un personaje, pero no tan a menudo como lo hizo el programa latinoamericano. Sin embargo, pasan mucho tiempo recordando al público los sentimientos que los personajes han sentido al reproducir un collage de escenas con música para adaptarse a la emoción del personaje.

En general, entiendo completamente por qué la música es tan frecuente en la cultura de las telenovelas. Agrega una dimensión completamente diferente a los eventos y personajes que no hubieran existido sin él. Si bien a veces puede ser un poco demasiado, siempre preferiré una telenovela con pistas musicales en lugar de una sin música.

ENGLISH

When I started this class, I was watching La Impostora, and I briefly talked about music in one of my blog posts. Now that I’m watching a Turkish telenovela, I’ve spotted some similarities/differences in how they use music, and I want to discuss how the use of music affects both of these telenovelas. Watching telenovelas has made me a firm believer that music is an essential part of it. While American shows like Grey’s Anatomy are famous for having a variety of songs in it (this show specifically names all its episodes after a song), they’re used differently from telenovelas.

While watching Sen Anlat Karadeniz, I’ve LOVED hearing the theme song. Even Though I have no idea what it’s saying, I’ve reached a point where I sing along to it (or go dadadaataaaaa, much like in the Game of Thrones theme song). The telenovela doesn’t start with the theme song, but rather it transitions into it after a few minutes of the show being aired. The producers of La Impostora did this as well. While both shows are theatrical, Sen Anlat Karadeniz’s theme song transitions from a fast action-filled pace to a slower singing portion where it provokes the feeling of romance. Since I have no clue what I’ve been singing these past few weeks, I finally looked up the theme song lyrics and pulled what I considered the most important versus.

“Ah, this love

Ah, this love

… 

Your loved one would be talked about by everyone,

But she would not burn

…

The most of your mountains does not allow a free passage

Waves surge but don't give anything back

My breath is forbidden, the fire inside me won't subside

You tell, the Black Sea, my breath is not enough (to tell)”

https://lyricstranslate.com

These lyrics start off by letting the audience know that this show is going to have a love story in it. It continues by hinting that the couple is going to face obstacles, especially when it comes to gossip. Finally, the audience is given symbolism to show how the action and the romance will play out- “The most of your mountains does not allow a free passage / Waves surge but don't give anything back” could be hinting to how the protagonists love is going to be difficult, but also an overwhelming love. 

In La Impostora the song is much calmer, and almost ‘boring’ if you’re not used to latino love ballads. Just as Sen Anlat Karadeniz the song hints / tells the audience a story, even before we watch anything play out.

“My world was full of lies,

of appearances and falsehood.

Color change,

to trick you and infiltrate me

in your heart.

....

The lies revolve around me

and the only truth was that kiss

that split my life in two.

I am an impostor of this great love”

These lyrics tell the story much more directly than the Turkish drama, which makes it easier for the audience to grasp what is going to be happening during the series.

Secondly, the way music is used within the show is used differently in both dramas. In La Impostora, the show heavily relies on music to introduce new characters or to let the audience know that something is happening / about to happen. For example- Blanca Guerrero (protagonist, Impostora) is introduced with a romantic song. Raquel Aktamira (antagonist), gets a dramatic song introduction. Finally, Eduardo Altamira (“prince charming”) is introduced with a fun and casual song. Alongside this, if any of them do something particularly drastic, there’s music to accompany them to exaggerate the mood. Ex- Blanca lies and is upset by it there will be slow sad music. Raquel finds something out and she’s upset, gives us loud “angry” music. In this specific telenovela, I got annoyed by how often music would be used to accentuate a person/event, but I understand how they can help shape the audience’s perspective of a specific event or character. 

Sen Anlat Karadeniz, on the other hand, focuses music on feelings and flashbacks. They do use it to introduce a character, but not as often as the Latin American show did. They do, however, spend a lot of time reminding the audiences of feelings characters have felt by playing back a collage of scenes with music to fit the character emotion.

Overall, I completely understand why music is so prevalent in telenovela culture. It adds a whole nother dimension to the events and characters which wouldn’t have existed without it. While it can be a bit much sometimes, I’ll always prefer a telenovela with musical cues rather than one with no music at all.