Ep. 112: El ABC del Satanísmo (The ABCs of Satanism)
Rip-off: The Exorcist
![](http://static.guim.co.uk/Guardian/film/gallery/2008/dec/03/scariest-children-movies/Kexorcist1973450-3808.jpg)
LHdP spin: The girl that Paco and Pove rescued at the abandoned school in Ep. 110 turns out to be a novice (aka. a nun-in-training). Throughout the episode, she displays behavior indicating that she's possessed by Satan, such as prophetic abilities, slipping occasionally into a demonic male voice, and having the typical "possessed black eyes". Deker remains skeptical that the girl is possessed or that their case involves paranormal activity until the novice starts sharing personal knowledge about his life.
Epic fail: This time Alex Pina & Co. have taken The Exorcist rip-off to the next level by creating a scenario that's almost an exact duplicate of the film. You have Deker, the skeptical doctor, and a young woman who clearly displays signs of being possessed. All we need is to resurrect Father Sistiaga so that he can die again when he tries to exorcise Satan from the girl's body. And, as Drs. Piper and Beke pointed out in their recap of this episode, some of the dialogue was taken directly from the film. What this tells me is that Alex Pina & Co. have gotten so lazy that they can't even be original in their dialogue. And, IMO, if you find yourself creating characters that are nearly exact duplicates of their rip-off counterparts and stealing the dialogue from those rip-offs, it's a clear sign that you shouldn't do the rip-off to begin with.
Rip-off: Harry Potter films
![](http://moviesmedia.ign.com/movies/image/article/798/798766/harry-potter-and-the-order-of-the-phoenix-20070622072329282_640w.jpg)
LhdP spin: We learn that eight years ago, Paco and Mariano assisted in the rescue of victims involved in a multiple car crash. We also learn that Damián Sr. was one of the injured victims in that crash and that Paco is a universal blood donor, implying that Paco's blood saved Damián Sr.
Epic fail: Not only is Paco the "Chosen One" like Harry, now he's bonded to Damián Sr. like Harry is bonded to Voldemort - by blood. And given that Damián Sr. and Damián Jr. are evil personified, I'm guessing that in the end Paco or Damián Jr. will kill the other. We can even say that the novice's possessed state of being is similar to when the memory of teen Tom Riddle (aka. Lord Voldemort) possessed young Ginny Weasley's soul in The Chamber of Secrets. I guess that makes Don Lorenzo Dumbledore and Mariano Ron Weasley. And Pove might be Hermione. Actually, Pove kind of reminded me of Harry at the beginning of this episode with his scarf and glasses, but I digress. All we need for this rip-off to be complete is a telepathic connection between Paco and Damián Sr. and/or Damián Jr. The main reason why this rip-off continues to fail is because, aside from the fact that the film series is way better than this show and Paco and the hombres can't beat a bunch of charming kids with British accents, the last time I checked, LHdP wasn't about wizards or demons. On a completely unrelated note, I don't really read the HP books - that's what the movies are for - so do me a favor and don't spoil the last two films for me if you comment on this below, vale?
Rip-off: Nikita (film) and La Femme Nikita (TV series)
![](http://www.parlonstv.com/sites/default/import/emission/la-femme-nikita.jpg)
LHdP spin: Mariana Salgado is a Commander in the CNI, Spain's intelligence agency. She blackmails Pepa (and later Aitor) into doing the CNI's dirty work, but you can tell that she doesn't like having to do so, possibly because she's romantically involved with Pepa's brother, Paco. When Pepa and Aitor save and protect the scientist that Aitor was supposed to kill, Salgado reveals that the orders to execute him came from people above her. When Pepa tells her to do her own dirty work, Salgado does so by killing the scientist herself and extracting a chip from his dead body.
Epic win: It's no secret that I like this rip-off, but the developments in this episode have made me love it. As I've stated before, Pepa's character is very similar to Nikita's character, but I've come to believe that she's not the only Nikita in this rip-off. We don't know much about Salgado's background or how she got recruited by the CNI. All we do know is that she's been with them for quite some time. Salgado's guilty expressions in the past two episodes, especially her reactions to reading Pepa's letter to Paco shows her reservations about what she's forcing Pepa to do. She seems vulnerable in those moments, like she's struggling with herself because of her love for Paco. I think Alex Pina & Co. did a nice job in contrasting the compassionate, moral side of her as a person with the emotionless, unforgiving side of her as a CNI agent. And thus, I believe that Salgado is also Nikita, but a seasoned Nikita. Pepa is a newly recruited Nikita - one who wants to hold onto her humanity and is therefore resistant to complying with the CNI by telling them, "Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me." Salgado represents Nikita from the latter part of the series - she's resigned herself to the fact that she's under the CNI's control and, while she might not like or want to do the jobs they assign her, she does it anyway. She's the cautionary tale, if you will, of what Pepa might become and it makes the entire storyline intriguing. It's still a rip-off, but by showing Salgado as an example of what Pepa could become, Alex Pina & Co. have injected some originality into it, and by doing do they have created a rip-off that actually succeeds.
Feel free to add any other rip-off you may have spotted, as well as your thoughts in agreement or dissent.
kalike
*The title for this lecture is based on lyrics from the song "Killing in the Name" by Rage Against the Machine
3 comments:
Do you think that we will ever find out what makes Salgado tick?
Super K , good job.
Where are the pictures, KC? I want the pictures!
If Paco's blood is in Damian, Sr., Junior couldn't have it too. Is this arc going somewhere? Does Junior think that Paco is now his Papi? Is this just another stupid, pointless piece of useless information?
Great work as usual, babe! Thank you!
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