"We've Come a Long, Long Way Together"

Don Lorenzo. Merely mentioning the name of San Antonio's comisario can send a chill down the hombres' backs. It can cause Paco to reach for his trusty handkerchief, Mariano's eyes to pop out and his jaw to drop, and Pove to stutter like a frightened little boy. Don Lorenzo is a man with a strong character, "a man that likes order." He lives by a strict code of moral and ethics and because of this it usually doesn't take much to offend him or his santos cojones.

Pepa doesn't really have a code - she lives life as it happens - so it's not surprising that Don Lorenzo wasn't very pleased when she showed up in San Antonio. At the Miranda-Castro family dinner to celebrate Pepa's return, all Don Lorenzo could see was the girl who came to her niece's first communion dressed inappropriately. The girl who "tricked" Silvia into smoking weed and later made out with his precious hija. The girl who caused her parents' divorce and didn't care enough to attend her father's funeral. The girl who just wasn't "normal."

Pepa's presence in San Antonio really unsettled Don Lorenzo, and perhaps the reason why they butted heads so often is that they are alike in many ways. Don Lorenzo's temper is legendary - he isn't afraid to "say things to people's faces." Pepa's the same way. When Don Lorenzo gave her a bogus assignment, Pepa wasn't afraid to ask him, in front of the entire precinct, if he was trying to "fuck (her) over." Don Lorenzo is also known to be very loyal to his men, and Pepa surprised in him Ep. 67 when she turned in her badge in support of Paco, Mariano and him. Her act of solidarity is the first time you can see him view Pepa in a different light - someone more than the "despotenciada" he thinks she is.

Of course, Pepa turning in her badge wasn't going to change Don Lorenzo's opinion of her overnight. His disdain for Pepa was strong, so strong that he seriously believed she was trying to seduce Sara, her own niece! And while he was probably relieved that this wasn't the case, he certainly wasn't thrilled when he found out that Silvia had feelings for Pepa. He went through an array of emotions (which Angie covered brilliantly in a previous lecture) before he accepted the fact that Silvia was truly in love with Pepa and that Pepa made Silvia happy. So when Don Lorenzo confronted them in the countryside in Ep. 76 and wished them the best, you knew it was genuine and a turning point in his relationship with Pepa.

Don't get me wrong. Don Lorenzo still thought Pepa was a "despotenciada," but knowing that she loved Silvia more than life itself changed the way he interacted with her. When Pepa filed mobbing charges against Silvia, he saw the situation for what it really was: Pepa's attempt to use "legal channels to solve a personal problem." But he wasn't mad at Pepa for trying to get back together with Silvia; he was mad that she was using the precinct's time and resources to do it. And in Ep. 98 when Pepa arrives at Los Cachis to help him find Aitor, they share a glance similar to the one in Ep. 67. But this time Don Lorenzo's expression isn't one of surprise at her display of loyalty and support - it's one of pride and respect.

Ep. 100 is one of the strongest signs of how far Don Lorenzo and Pepa have come in their relationship. He scares everyone when he seems upset at the idea that Pepa and Silvia are engaged before he takes their hands and joins them together, where they belong. Later, when Pepa has her gun pointed at "Jota's" head, he gets her to lower her gun by placing his hand gently on her arm and calling her "Pepa." To me, this is a huge step in their relationship, because up until that point Don Lorenzo usually called her "Miranda." The use of her nickname shows that he truly accepted Pepa, not only as Silvia's girlfriend, but as her fiancé, the person Silvia chose to spend the rest of her life with - his future daughter-in-law.

I don't think Don Lorenzo and Pepa would have made it through Ep. 104 if their relationship hadn't improved. When Pepa went into shock, she needed Don Lorenzo to remind her that "you're her girl and I'm her dad." They needed to trust each other and work together in order to save Silvia's life. They needed to give each other hope as Silvia got weaker by the second. And they needed each other the most in that fateful moment when they both realized that Silvia was going to die and they couldn't do anything else to save her.

Pepa and Don Lorenzo have come a long, long way together since Pepa's return to San Antonio. Their relationship evolved from one of disdain for a relative by marriage to one of a father and daughter who love and respect each other. They've been through hard times and good times together, and in S9 their relationship will be critical in helping each other deal with Silvia's death. As difficult as that will be, the point is that they've built a relationship that allows them to lean on each other, and for that I have to praise them both for how far they've come.

kalike

*The title for this lecture is based on lyrics from the song "Praise You" by Fatboy Slim.