"Masquerade! Every Face a Different Shade...Masquerade!"

Masks. We all wear them at various times and situations throughout our life. Sometimes masks gives us the strength to be bolder and stronger than we normally are. Sometimes they protect and shield us from getting hurt. No matter when we put them on or for what purpose, the masks we wear help define who we are and who we want to be. Pepa is no different. She has donned several masks that have helped her adapt to and survive each situation she's been placed in throughout her life. Masks such as:

The badass agent. Just in case there are any of you out there who might say, "Really? We haven't really seen Pepa do much police work so can you really say she's badass?" I would simply reply that Pepa + gun = total badass. And then I'd direct your attention to the following pictures to prove my point:

The despontenciada. Pepa earned herself a reputation as a "despotenciada" from Don Lorenzo based on her actions as a youth. While we never saw any flashbacks or heard much about Pepa's childhood, I suspect that she adopted this mask as a coping mechanism to deal with the problems between her parents. I also suspect that Pepa has kept this mask for times when she's needed it in her adult life. For example, in Ep. 82 when Pepa makes a list of possible guys to impregnate herself, it seems like an utterly crazy idea. The same can be said in Ep. 86 when she files the bogus mobbing charge against Silvia. In both situations, her methods may have been extreme and crazy, but it was Pepa's way of coping with the possibility that she might lose Silvia.

The fun aunt. It's no secret that Silvia and Sara have a special bond - Silvia is Sara's beloved tita (although I kinda question that with the way Sara handled her crush on Lucas). When Pepa returns to San Antonio, she knew she could never replace Silvia (and she never wanted to), but she also recognized that she could still be a good aunt to Sara in a different way. She's the aunt who will take Sara to a street festival; the aunt who will suggest that you cry, because "the more you cry the less you pee." She's the aunt who will take you to the shooting range to cheer you up; the aunt who will laugh at the fact that you "married" your lover in her fiance's wedding dress.

The protector. Pepa wears this mask a lot, especially when it comes to her family. She's turned in her badge several times in support of Paco and Don Lorenzo, and when Paco was concerned about leaving Lola in order to pursue El Kaiser, she volunteered to stay behind with Silvia to watch over Lola. In Ep. 100, Pepa put both her despontenciada and protector masks on when she pointed her gun at "Jota's" head. I believe she did this partly to find out where Paco was, but I also suspect she did it as a defense mechanism to protect herself from her own fears, hence the reason why she would even consider pulling a loaded weapon on a fellow agent.

The supportive friend. When Pepa finds out that Aitor and Sara having an affair, she doesn't lecture either one of them. She may not necessarily approve, but she doesn't judge them either. In fact, when Aitor confesses to Pepa that Paco caught him and Sara together, she makes a joke in an attempt to give him some relief: "Look Aitor. In 1997, at Sara's first communion, Don Lorenzo, my dad and Paco caught me with my tongue down Silvia's throat. And nothing happened. They just didn't speak to me for seven years." She then pats him on the shoulder and tells him that things will work out in the end. It's certainly not the route I would've taken if I were in Pepa's shoes. Especially if Aitor had taken advantage of me in my drunken state or rudely interrupted my girlfriend's proposal by getting poisoned. But Pepa is a better person than I and she recognized that what Aitor needed at that moment wasn't someone to lecture or judge him. He needed a friend and their support, so that's the mask she put on.

The caring lover. As I mentioned in a prior lecture, when Pepa falls in love, she falls hard. And when she does fall in love, she puts on the mask of a caring lover and wears it proudly. She's attentive to her lover's needs, like when she knew Silvia needed some comfort and reassurance as they rode in the van to capture El Kaiser or when she showed Silvia pictures of happily married couples to assuage Silvia's fears about their upcoming nuptials. She's patient, as she showed throughout the initial months when she and Silvia began dating. And she's supportive, like when she held Silvia in her arms after Silvia was suspended in Ep. 98 before turning in her badge in support of Silvia and Don Lorenzo. Oh yeah, she's also very passionate - see any of the numerous PepSi make out scenes.

Tomorrow marks the start of a new year and with it the beginning of a new season of LHDP. The new season will resolve some storylines and bring new ones, and it will also provide Pepa with some new masks to wear. For at least one episode we'll get to see Pepa don the mask of a vengeful widow, but I hope we'll get to see some other masks as well. Masks that reflect the changes Pepa has had to deal with since the S8 finale, like the mask of a grieving widow. Or the mask of Don Lorenzo's daughter-in-law. Or the mask of a leader in the precinct (or at least an elite agent who's talents are utilized more often). Or the mask of Aitor's ass-kicker, a.k.a "the person who gets to dunk Aitor's head into the loo." Okay, I doubt the last one will happen but what can I say? I guess I'm still working through my Aitor management issues. It might be a new year, but old habits die hard.

kalike

*The title for this lecture is based on lyrics from the song "Masquerade" from the Broadway musical The Phantom of the Opera.

PS. I wanted to thank Dr. Piper for creating PepSi U and allowing me to be a part of it. I also wanted to wish everyone a safe, prosperous and very Happy New Year!