Here is my confession: I have rarely watched any Pepsi scenes since Silvia died. It was too hard for me to watch them fall in love, flirt, kiss and get married. It was too hard to walk down that memory lane, because I missed Pepa and Silvia so much.
I was a fan who watched the Pepsi scenes over and over. I was also a major fan of the numerous music videos made by some very talented Pepsi viewers.
I went through a Pepsi withdrawl...cold turkey. I could have used a Pepsi Patch! But the best thing for me was not watch any Pepsi at all.
But when Dr. Piper and I discussed doing a lecture series on what "Pepsi meant to us", I knew I would have to contribute something.
There are only two things I watched to prepare myself for this lecture--the famous bathroom scene at Pepsienglish2 and "The One" video at MStrong0623. That was all I needed to remind me why I loved this show so much.
I have written many lectures and posts about specific scenes and why these characters are significant. But I have not written about how LHDP personally impacted my life. I could write thousands of words on what has happened to my life because of the people I met. But I am not going to do that.
I will tell you this--Pepsi gave me a peek into a window I never thought I would look into. Pepsi opened my eyes to seeing love in a new way. In a very silly way (now that I think of it) I wanted to be the Pepa in Silvia's life. To have that kind of connection and to cause that kind of reaction with another woman. I didn't realize it at the time, but I think that watching Pepsi wasn't just about a fantasy, I think it made me wonder who I am.
There are many reasons to love Pepa and Silvia and their storyline. It was very entertaining, it was exciting to see lesbians on TV, and it gave all of us a community we did not have before. But for me, it was even more. Of all the people I met through Pepsi and PepsiU, the person I got to know the best was me. I learned a lot about myself and it was life changing.
Sometimes a TV show is just a TV show. Sometimes it reaches into a corner of your heart and stuns you. It is up to each of us to accept or deny what has happened.
My heart and arms are open. And I have much gratitude...to Spain, LHDP, Marian Aguilera and Laura Sanchez, and the AE and PepsiU communities.
And we go on.
That's Entertainment
I’ve been thinking for some time now about how to sum up what PepSi’s meant to me, and I realized that first I’d have to figure out why it’s meant so much to me. It’s something that’s difficult to pare down; there are just so many good things about the PepSi storyline that I and others have discussed at length before – the wonderful actresses and their chemistry, the way their relationship was handled like any other relationship on the show, the passion and playfulness that was written and acted into each of their scenes…and did I mention the wonderful actresses and their chemistry? Outside of the show itself, there’s also been the awesome recognition that I wasn’t the only one so affected, that there are hundreds of other people – off all genders and sexuality - who were also touched by PepSi’s love story. It’s amazing to see and be a part of something that’s brought people together in a way that they would have never connected before.
I’ve personally never been overtly involved in a fandom before, and I owe it to PepSi for bringing me out of lurkdom…and it’s been a great ride since I first stepped out of the shadows. I’ve gotten to discuss, converse, and interact with people from different parts of the world – people from cities and countries that I’ve never known anyone from before. I’ve even started to contribute in my own creative way, writing my own fanfic, which is something I never thought I would do. I’ve realized that I don’t have to be a professional writer to write…I enjoy doing it, and that’s what matters most, so I hope I continue to do so for some time. Of course, I have PepSi to thank for giving me this productive outlet…and speaking of thanking PepSi for things, I also have to give this whole PepSi phenomenon thanks for helping me to improve my Spanish. Seriously. And my parents are thankful for it, too.
But after all this lofty exposition, I think what I concluded was that primarily, to me, PepSi was pure, satisfying entertainment. It was just fun to watch. It had been a long time since I had last been so engaged in a tv show, waiting with such eagerness and building enthusiasm to see what happened in the next episode. And I’ll never forget all those hours I spent in front of the computer, getting sucked into Pepa’s and Silvia’s relationship, smiling like a giant, sappy goober during their romantic scenes…or getting all worked up into a tizzy when things weren’t going well for them. I’ll never forget rushing to work the day after the Garage Frisking scene to send some of my friends links to the videoclip and forcing them to watch it just so I could gush over how magnificently sexy and sweet it all was (and lament the fact that American tv had not offered anything that was justifiably equivalent in super fantastic-ness). And that’s basically it. First and foremost, PepSi was an enjoyable story, for various reasons, on a quirky Spanish tv show…and I laughed, and I cried (boy, did I cry), and I’ll never forget how much Pepa and Silvia made me feel.
I’ve personally never been overtly involved in a fandom before, and I owe it to PepSi for bringing me out of lurkdom…and it’s been a great ride since I first stepped out of the shadows. I’ve gotten to discuss, converse, and interact with people from different parts of the world – people from cities and countries that I’ve never known anyone from before. I’ve even started to contribute in my own creative way, writing my own fanfic, which is something I never thought I would do. I’ve realized that I don’t have to be a professional writer to write…I enjoy doing it, and that’s what matters most, so I hope I continue to do so for some time. Of course, I have PepSi to thank for giving me this productive outlet…and speaking of thanking PepSi for things, I also have to give this whole PepSi phenomenon thanks for helping me to improve my Spanish. Seriously. And my parents are thankful for it, too.
But after all this lofty exposition, I think what I concluded was that primarily, to me, PepSi was pure, satisfying entertainment. It was just fun to watch. It had been a long time since I had last been so engaged in a tv show, waiting with such eagerness and building enthusiasm to see what happened in the next episode. And I’ll never forget all those hours I spent in front of the computer, getting sucked into Pepa’s and Silvia’s relationship, smiling like a giant, sappy goober during their romantic scenes…or getting all worked up into a tizzy when things weren’t going well for them. I’ll never forget rushing to work the day after the Garage Frisking scene to send some of my friends links to the videoclip and forcing them to watch it just so I could gush over how magnificently sexy and sweet it all was (and lament the fact that American tv had not offered anything that was justifiably equivalent in super fantastic-ness). And that’s basically it. First and foremost, PepSi was an enjoyable story, for various reasons, on a quirky Spanish tv show…and I laughed, and I cried (boy, did I cry), and I’ll never forget how much Pepa and Silvia made me feel.
"Open Your Eyes"
When Dr. Booker first approached me about this new lecture series and asked me to write about how PepSi changed my life, I didn't have to think very hard to find an answer to that question. Simply put, PepSi opened my eyes. It's not that my eyes were closed before - PepSi wasn't the first lesbian couple I'd ever seen on TV. However, like I stated in my "First Time" lecture, they made me realize how underrepresented gays and lesbians truly were on American television. PepSi were the first gay characters I ever saw who were a part of the main cast and treated as equally as the other couples on the show. Yes, I had seen the occasional gay character/couple on TV before, but they were usually guest roles (during sweeps) or secondary (and largely invisible) characters. On the rare occasion that there was a recurring lesbian character, I rarely saw her in a relationship or saw that relationship treated with the same affection (and screentime) as the heterosexual characters on the show - "diet PepSi" as I like to call it.
PepSi opened my eyes by showing me an example of how our world can and should be today: people being allowed to love whomever they choose without judgment. LHdP wasn't a sci-fi/fantasy show (at least it wasn't until S9) where a lot of problems that plague humanity don't exist anymore. The world of LHdP existed in our world today - the 21st Century - and yet, for the most part, all of the characters on LHdP never judged or questioned the validity of PepSi's relationship or Pepa and Silvia's sexuality. Sure there was Don Lorenzo, who initially wasn't keen on Pepa and Silvia's relationship (or Pepa in general), but even he was willing to open his eyes (and his mind) and see things from a point of view other than his own: Silvia's. And by doing so, he realized that Pepa made Silvia happy and that his daughter was in love with Pepa, and it didn't and shouldn't matter that Pepa was a woman.
I'm not saying that people shouldn't be entitled to their opinions, but I do believe that in order for change to occur people on both sides of an issue need to be willing to look at things from the another's perspective. I also believe that media can be a great source for social change (and oppression) because it covers two of the most common ways that people learn - auditorily and visually - and PepSi was one of the best entertainment visual aids I've ever seen in the fight for equality. Through Marian Aguilera and Laura Sánchez’s portrayal of PepSi, we could see the love that Pepa and Silvia had for each other every time they were on screen together through every look, every touch, and every word.
PepSi changed my life in many other ways - the music it's introduced me to, the friendships I've developed through the PepSi community, etc. - but, for the most part, LHdP's honest and equal treatment of PepSi was a lesson to me that homosexuals can successfully be and should be the norm, not the "others" as they are so often portrayed as on American shows. That just as one shouldn't judge a person by their race, gender or the God they choose (not) to worship, they also shouldn't judge another by their sexual orientation. That a homosexual couple experiences the same ups and downs as any other person in a relationship. That two women and two men can love each other just as much as a man and a woman and that love is no greater or worse - it's just love. That a world of equality truly can exist as long as one is simply willing to open their eyes.
kalike
*The title for this lecture is based on the song "Open Your Eyes" by Snow Patrol.
PepSi opened my eyes by showing me an example of how our world can and should be today: people being allowed to love whomever they choose without judgment. LHdP wasn't a sci-fi/fantasy show (at least it wasn't until S9) where a lot of problems that plague humanity don't exist anymore. The world of LHdP existed in our world today - the 21st Century - and yet, for the most part, all of the characters on LHdP never judged or questioned the validity of PepSi's relationship or Pepa and Silvia's sexuality. Sure there was Don Lorenzo, who initially wasn't keen on Pepa and Silvia's relationship (or Pepa in general), but even he was willing to open his eyes (and his mind) and see things from a point of view other than his own: Silvia's. And by doing so, he realized that Pepa made Silvia happy and that his daughter was in love with Pepa, and it didn't and shouldn't matter that Pepa was a woman.
I'm not saying that people shouldn't be entitled to their opinions, but I do believe that in order for change to occur people on both sides of an issue need to be willing to look at things from the another's perspective. I also believe that media can be a great source for social change (and oppression) because it covers two of the most common ways that people learn - auditorily and visually - and PepSi was one of the best entertainment visual aids I've ever seen in the fight for equality. Through Marian Aguilera and Laura Sánchez’s portrayal of PepSi, we could see the love that Pepa and Silvia had for each other every time they were on screen together through every look, every touch, and every word.
PepSi changed my life in many other ways - the music it's introduced me to, the friendships I've developed through the PepSi community, etc. - but, for the most part, LHdP's honest and equal treatment of PepSi was a lesson to me that homosexuals can successfully be and should be the norm, not the "others" as they are so often portrayed as on American shows. That just as one shouldn't judge a person by their race, gender or the God they choose (not) to worship, they also shouldn't judge another by their sexual orientation. That a homosexual couple experiences the same ups and downs as any other person in a relationship. That two women and two men can love each other just as much as a man and a woman and that love is no greater or worse - it's just love. That a world of equality truly can exist as long as one is simply willing to open their eyes.
kalike
*The title for this lecture is based on the song "Open Your Eyes" by Snow Patrol.
PepSi Fan Fiction – The Power of Fandom and Why It Still Matters
Hola PepSi University chicas! (And any chicos as well!) First of all, a huge thanks to kalikeca for broaching my idea to be a guest lecturer this time around and Dr. P for allowing me to come and play. Seriously, y’all rock!
With the end of LHDP and the season 9 clusterfuck (sorry, there’s just no other word for it!) fast approaching, I’ve been thinking a lot recently about all this fandom has given me. Granted, I’ve only been a fan of PepSi for less than a year – ep 104 was the first one I ever watched, believe it or not! – but my time in this fandom continues to be increasingly gratifying and rewarding. I’ve been able to witness the unparalleled chemistry of Laura Sánchez and Marian Aguilera as they portrayed one of the most beautiful, realistic lesbian relationships ever seen on screen. I’ve found a fan community that loves to analyze every PepSi look, glance, word of dialog and more – while the folks in this fandom I’ve found to be alternately hilarious, profound, silly and just plain awesome. But beyond that, one of the most important things PepSi did for me was to rekindle my creativity.
I’ve been a writer all my life, but admittedly a chickenshit one. I’ve written dozens of fanfics on various fandoms since I was a kid, but have never showed them to anyone beyond a few select friends. Until I became a PepSi fan. Something about Pepa and Silvia’s onscreen magic fueled an insatiable urge in me to create more stories – to fill in the gaps that might have happened between scenes or episodes or to take the characters in a new direction. Tentatively, and then with growing confidence, I started posting my PepSi fanfic on my LiveJournal. I was afraid that I’d irrevocably ‘messed up’ these two beloved characters with my first attempt and wondered if anyone would hopefully enjoy or even read what I had to offer. But I kept writing more PepSi stories, unable to stop. And the feedback I received was not only gratifying, but helped give me a huge boost in my self-confidence as a writer. My PepSi fanfic entitled In Love’s Defense was not only the longest piece I’d ever written, it was the most substantial piece of writing I’d been able to finish in over 15 years – just about all of my other writing has been left by the wayside, unfinished and gathering (virtual) dust in the depths of my hard drive.
Now, I’m not only chomping at the bit to keep on writing PepSi fanfic, but have the fortitude and conviction to return to my own original novel (a lesbian romance) after having not worked on it for almost a year. And now I have the confidence that I will actually finish it. I’ve been able to have become more comfortable in my own skin as a woman who’s not only out, but is able to thoroughly enjoy the fantastical creative process that comes with being a writer.
I know that my experience writing PepSi fanfic is not unique. So many awesome fanfic writers have taken Pepa and Silvia on their own journeys – whether filling in the blanks of that missing year in between seasons 6 and 7, creating little slice-of-life domestic moments, or just plain hot, sizzling smutty ones! :D With the end of LHDP upon us, I believe that PepSi fan fiction and fan creativity in all its forms is not only more important, but more necessary than ever. Fan contributions will continue to keep Pepa and Silvia happy, alive and in love. They’re a way of healing and catharsis after the disaster of episodes 104 and season 9. But most importantly, they will keep this community engaged and lively long after the show ends.
A friend of mine who runs one of the most foremost Xena: Warrior Princess sites wrote after the ending of the series (pardon me, I’m paraphrasing): “Rob Tapert [Xena series creator] may have created the show, but it’s the fans who hold the legacy and will carry it forward.” Like Pepa and Silvia, Xena and Gabrielle also had a similar, tragic ending to their relationship, with Xena’s gruesome death and separation from her soulmate. Fans also felt hurt, enraged and betrayed by the series they loved so much. But I think what my friend said is also true in this case – a lot of us hate what Alex Pina has done to a series and couple that started out so beautifully, but we as fans, can create the ending we want. We can write the ending where PepSi goes off into the sunset on their honeymoon, make a happy ending video or create PepSi artwork that portrays them together and eternally in love. We can keep introducing LHDP and PepSi to others, which can in turn continue to affect people on a personal level, as it has in my case.
I’ve always believed that the story of Pepa and Silvia is more than a television show – beyond the relationship portrayed on screen, it’s a socially important story that needs to be told. How many people have found the courage to come out because of watching Pepa and Silvia? How many have had their horizons expanded or their opinions broadened because of watching this couple? How many have found their muse again? Probably more than we’ll ever know. So let’s keep on writing those fanfics, making those videos, that artwork, or whatever tickles your fancy. Even if it’s the first time you’ve ever written or made a video, give it a try. It may be more of a positive change than you can ever imagine.
Thanks for reading, PepSi peeps. I love this show, but more than that, I love the community it has created.
-lenageek
With the end of LHDP and the season 9 clusterfuck (sorry, there’s just no other word for it!) fast approaching, I’ve been thinking a lot recently about all this fandom has given me. Granted, I’ve only been a fan of PepSi for less than a year – ep 104 was the first one I ever watched, believe it or not! – but my time in this fandom continues to be increasingly gratifying and rewarding. I’ve been able to witness the unparalleled chemistry of Laura Sánchez and Marian Aguilera as they portrayed one of the most beautiful, realistic lesbian relationships ever seen on screen. I’ve found a fan community that loves to analyze every PepSi look, glance, word of dialog and more – while the folks in this fandom I’ve found to be alternately hilarious, profound, silly and just plain awesome. But beyond that, one of the most important things PepSi did for me was to rekindle my creativity.
I’ve been a writer all my life, but admittedly a chickenshit one. I’ve written dozens of fanfics on various fandoms since I was a kid, but have never showed them to anyone beyond a few select friends. Until I became a PepSi fan. Something about Pepa and Silvia’s onscreen magic fueled an insatiable urge in me to create more stories – to fill in the gaps that might have happened between scenes or episodes or to take the characters in a new direction. Tentatively, and then with growing confidence, I started posting my PepSi fanfic on my LiveJournal. I was afraid that I’d irrevocably ‘messed up’ these two beloved characters with my first attempt and wondered if anyone would hopefully enjoy or even read what I had to offer. But I kept writing more PepSi stories, unable to stop. And the feedback I received was not only gratifying, but helped give me a huge boost in my self-confidence as a writer. My PepSi fanfic entitled In Love’s Defense was not only the longest piece I’d ever written, it was the most substantial piece of writing I’d been able to finish in over 15 years – just about all of my other writing has been left by the wayside, unfinished and gathering (virtual) dust in the depths of my hard drive.
Now, I’m not only chomping at the bit to keep on writing PepSi fanfic, but have the fortitude and conviction to return to my own original novel (a lesbian romance) after having not worked on it for almost a year. And now I have the confidence that I will actually finish it. I’ve been able to have become more comfortable in my own skin as a woman who’s not only out, but is able to thoroughly enjoy the fantastical creative process that comes with being a writer.
I know that my experience writing PepSi fanfic is not unique. So many awesome fanfic writers have taken Pepa and Silvia on their own journeys – whether filling in the blanks of that missing year in between seasons 6 and 7, creating little slice-of-life domestic moments, or just plain hot, sizzling smutty ones! :D With the end of LHDP upon us, I believe that PepSi fan fiction and fan creativity in all its forms is not only more important, but more necessary than ever. Fan contributions will continue to keep Pepa and Silvia happy, alive and in love. They’re a way of healing and catharsis after the disaster of episodes 104 and season 9. But most importantly, they will keep this community engaged and lively long after the show ends.
A friend of mine who runs one of the most foremost Xena: Warrior Princess sites wrote after the ending of the series (pardon me, I’m paraphrasing): “Rob Tapert [Xena series creator] may have created the show, but it’s the fans who hold the legacy and will carry it forward.” Like Pepa and Silvia, Xena and Gabrielle also had a similar, tragic ending to their relationship, with Xena’s gruesome death and separation from her soulmate. Fans also felt hurt, enraged and betrayed by the series they loved so much. But I think what my friend said is also true in this case – a lot of us hate what Alex Pina has done to a series and couple that started out so beautifully, but we as fans, can create the ending we want. We can write the ending where PepSi goes off into the sunset on their honeymoon, make a happy ending video or create PepSi artwork that portrays them together and eternally in love. We can keep introducing LHDP and PepSi to others, which can in turn continue to affect people on a personal level, as it has in my case.
I’ve always believed that the story of Pepa and Silvia is more than a television show – beyond the relationship portrayed on screen, it’s a socially important story that needs to be told. How many people have found the courage to come out because of watching Pepa and Silvia? How many have had their horizons expanded or their opinions broadened because of watching this couple? How many have found their muse again? Probably more than we’ll ever know. So let’s keep on writing those fanfics, making those videos, that artwork, or whatever tickles your fancy. Even if it’s the first time you’ve ever written or made a video, give it a try. It may be more of a positive change than you can ever imagine.
Thanks for reading, PepSi peeps. I love this show, but more than that, I love the community it has created.
-lenageek
9x13 LHdP 66.6: The Rip-off - "In the End, It Doesn't Even Matter"
There was one major rip-off in this episode, so I'm going to discuss that and get it over with before examining the S9 storylines in our last rip-off lecture together.
Ep. 117: El Acabose de los tiempos (The last straws of time)
Rip-off: Angels and Demons
Summary: After Pope Pius XVI dies, the four Preferiti in contention to succeed him are kidnapped by the secret brotherhood of the Illuminati, who promise to kill one Cardinal each hour culminating in an explosion of Vatican City with stolen antimatter - revenge for the persecution the Illuminati suffered at the hands of the Church. While the conclave remains in seclusion to determine who will be the new Pope, symbologist Robert Langdon (from The Da Vinci Code), along with physicist Vittoria Vetra are summoned by the Vatican police and Camerlengo Patrick McKenna to aid in the rescue of the Preferiti and stop the antimatter from exploding. Langdon and Vetra use clues to trace the "Path of Illumination", hoping it will lead them to the missing Cardinals and the antimatter. They manage to rescue the fourth Preferiti from death, but by the time the find the antimatter bomb, it is minutes away from exploding. Camerlengo McKenna takes the vial in a helicopter and parachutes out just before it explodes, saving everyone and becoming an instant hero. However, it is soon revealed that Camerlengo McKenna was behind the whole thing, using the Illuminati as a ploy to bring people back to the church by showing that the church, not science, should dictate moral creedence. When his plans are revealed, he immolates himself.
LHdP spin: Paco has spent all of S9 using clues to track down Damián Jr., who believes he is Satan incarnate. Each clue leads Paco and the hombres to another victim, which we learned each gave blood to Damián Sr., Damián Jr.'s father. Paco is the final donor and the last victim Damián Jr. believes he must kill in order for his reign of darkness to begin. He decides that the opportune place for this to occur is at a church - the sixth and final point on the pentagram - which results in the hombres infiltrating the church as Cardinals. During the climax of the episode Damián Jr. learns (from his father) that he is not Satan, but a mere mortal. Rather, Damián Sr. is a member of the secret organization, The Witness of the Resurrection, who "created" Damián Jr. by raping his mother and raising Junior to believe he was the devil so that he and his organization could use the public's fear of Satan to renew their faith in the church. Damián Jr. doesn't take this revelation very well and kills his father before confronting and stabbing Paco. In the end, he dies after being shot by all the hombres.
Epic fail: Angels and Demons worked (as a film and book) because its premise was both intriguing and legit. The camerlengo is a religious fanatic who believes that faith trumps science and, to prove his point, he uses the Illuminati as a ploy to get that message across. In that respect, the sudden twist that Alex Pina & Co. chose to take with the "66.6" storyline actually makes sense. Like the camerlengo, Damián Sr. is also a religious fanatic, but one who simply believes more people need to go to church. And because of that belief, he and his secret group generate a plan in which he spends his life raising a guy to believe that he's Satan in order to get that message across.
Here's the thing though. In Angels and Demons, Camerlengo McKenna hasn't spent half his life planning his "faith trumps science" scheme. Everything takes place over a short period of time and is triggered by his discovery that the late-Pope (a) considered using the antimatter research to show, through science, that Man and God are connected, and (b) used the science of artificial insemination to conceive a son. In LHdP's warped "66.6" storyline, we're led to believe that Damián Sr. has been planning this thing for decades. He and his group went through the trouble of (a) creating this plan of getting more people to go to church, (b) rape some poor girl in order to (c) raise that child, making him believe that he is the devil, including (d) manipulating thousands of Satan worshippers around the world to make it appear that Satan is on Earth only to (e) say "psyche!" in the end. And they wonder why Junior didn't react so well to the news that he's not Satan. That's a hell of a lot of planning and scheming just to get more people to go to church. I can think of several other ways they could've accomplished their goal without giving the church a bad rap - the Jehovah Witness door-to-door way, the Sister Act giving your choir a makeover way, or even the simple giving back to the community way to name a few. It also doesn't help their cause that during all this time they actively encouraged Satanists. At least in Angles and Demons the camerlengo achieved his goal: the public, unaware of his true motives, perceives him as a hero and demands that he be canonized. I don't think any of Damián Sr.'s action got more people in Spain to go to church - it certainly was a turn off for me.
Finally, in Angels and Demons, Langdon went through the trouble of trying to find each Cardinal in order to save them and stop the antimatter bomb from exploding. We didn't get anything near that with LHdP. The "66.6" storyline may have started off that way (as I'll discuss below), but it eventually developed into a Paco-Damián Jr. showdown that frankly I (and it seems most other viewers) could care less about. Despite the fact that Paco had Father Sistiaga's "journey book", which seemed to lay out exactly where each point on the pentagram was (in other words, where each death would occur), he and the hombres kept running around like chickens with their heads cut off instead of staking out each location. And, with the exception of the novice, they never came close to discovering or protecting any of the intended victims - they always arrived well after the fact.
Storyline: "66.6"
Summary: Throughout the course of this season, Paco and the hombres discovered/witnessed the murders of: a philanthropist, a negotiator, a priest, a novice, and a bomb squad expert. Initially, the hombres believe that each victim represents one of the seven virtues. However, their investigation leads them to discover that each victim donated blood to the killer's - Damián Jr. - father, and thus, that is their real connection to each other. Paco, being the last donor alive, believes that only he can stop Damián Jr. and has a showdown with him, which leads to Paco being stabbed by Damián Jr. and Junior being shot by almost every hombre before he dies. During Don Lorenzo's retirement ceremony one year later, we learn that Paco has survived his encounter with Damián Jr. and will be taking over as Comisario of the precinct.
Analysis: I don't even know where to begin, but I'll try. The entire "66.6" storyline actually sounds good in theory and may have worked if LHdP were a sci-fi/fantasy show. Well, I should rephrase. It started out as a good idea, but from the way it unraveled, it was like Alex Pina & Co. were doing a "choose your own adventure" with this arc. First, it comes off as an inverted Se7en rip-off, making it appear that each victim was chosen because they represent one of the seven virtues. They string the viewers along with this idea until Ep. 112 (I think) when we learn that Paco was a blood donor to Junior's daddy and begin to toy around with the idea that all the victims may have given Senior some blood. Then we're supposed to believe that these two things are connected - the blood donations and the virtues, which suddenly become six virtues instead of seven, and theological virtues instead of heavenly ones. *Side note: Thank you, Dr. P, for pointing out that there are, in fact, seven heavenly virtues (and that there are only 3 theological virtues). I didn't think it was possible, but Alex Pina & Co. have made me dislike simple math, because I couldn't figure out why Rita said there were seven victims (and how she got that number - if you take Amadeo into account there's only six at that point, and if you count the two dead cops Junior killed when he kidnapped Deker, that puts you at eight) or how the hell Paco could be the "final victim" when there were only five deaths. It fucking drove me crazy trying to figure it out until they revealed that they went and changed the script by saying there are only six virtues and that it was the theological virtues.*
Putting aside all the plot points they brought up and dismissed like Dr. P mentioned at the end of the recap - the elephant, the opium dream, Paco's ability to see Ghost Silvia, an invalid Senior who turned out to be faking as penance!?!, Paco's paralysis in Ep. 113, etc. - when one considers the explanation Alex Pina & Co. chose as their "big reveal", it was this season's biggest failure IMO. In the end, it didn't fucking matter what you called the virtues or how many there were, because the whole thing was one big sham in a plot to get more asses in church on Sundays. I actually think it's a good metaphor to describe this whole season. Damián Sr. and his merry band got together and decided that the best way to convince people to go to church was to stage several decades worth of Satanic acts and make Damián Jr. believe he was Satan, and while we don't know the outcome - if more people, in fact, are attending church - I'm to going to venture a guess that it probably didn't work as well as they hoped. Similarly, Alex Pina and his merry band of writers got together and decided that the best way to keep his remaining viewership interested was to create a totally unrecognizable show that focused on nothing that made viewers want to tune in to begin with - the comedy, the relationships, etc. - and we definitely know the outcome of that little idea.
Storyline: The CNI and "Zebra"
Summary: The CNI are aware of the fact that Pepa killed El Gordo and use that information (and the fact that she made Aitor her accomplice in El Gordo's murder) to blackmail Pepa into becoming an assassin for them. They make Marina Salgado Pepa's "handler", based on her relationship with Pepa and Paco. Pepa proves to be difficult, doing whatever she can to avoid carrying out her orders, forcing the CNI to bring in Aitor, who decides to carry out the job for Pepa. However, Aitor can't go through with the assassination either, and he and Pepa (along with Reyes and Deker) decide to gather intel from the intended target (a scientist) instead. They discover the CNI wants the scientist dead in order to cover up Spain's involvement in nuclear development. Salgado ends up shooting the scientist herself (with Pepa's gun in Aitor's place) but provides a cover story clearing both Pepa and Aitor of any involvement before giving Pepa all the information she has linking her to El Gordo's death. Salgado then reveals that she is a part of a secret CNI unit called "Zebra" and intends to expose them. She almost dies in the process before being saved by the mysterious Blackman.
Analysis: This was a storyline that fit better into what LHdP was about and started off very well. Sadly though, it ended as badly as the "66.6" storyline IMO. This arc began with a great backstory: Pepa was being blackmailed into doing the CNI's dirty work because she murdered El Gordo. It gave Pepa something else to deal with in conjunction with her grief, something the writers could've explored more but failed to do so. It got even more interesting once we learned that the intended target - the scientist - was the key to some big CNI secret that even Salgado was hesitant to participate in.
However, once Salgado assassinated the scientist, this subplot took a huge nosedive. Pepa and Aitor are absolved from participating in the story because Salgado gives Pepa all the the CNI's evidence that links her to El G's murder, and suddenly "Zebra" is a focal plot point which is explained and resolved all in one episode. Blackman appeared out of nowhere - as he tends to do - and injected himself into the story without explanation (although that's pretty consistent with his character, so I'll give them that). The plot then focuses more on Salgado and two new, random CNI dudes that no one cares about because (a) they're not Pepa (or Aitor) and (b) they're not part of the show in general. Everything gets wrapped up in one ugly bow and *poof* storyline over. This subplot had the potential to be really great, but it ended up suffering the same fate as everything else this season - poor writing and another failed attempt to rip-off a show/movie.
Parting thoughts:
While I was back home recently, I watched an old episode of CSI:NY with my sis who loves that show. The episode was titled "Boo", and one of the plots dealt with zombies (it was their Halloween episode). The CSIs are called to a zombie flash mob where one of the zombies has died. They determine that the "zombie" died from a blunt force trauma to the head, but his body temp indicates that he had been dead for 8h, which is inconsistent with witness reports that he died 3h ago. It makes one believe that this guy could really be a zombie, right? Well, since CSI:NY is a show that takes place in NYC in the 21st Century, viewers discovered that - surprise! - there's no such thing as zombies. Instead, the victim faked his death after being drugged to make it look like he suffered a congenitive heart failure. After "rising from the dead", he discovers his wife in bed with his doc and drugs them both, but not before being beaten on the head several times. Thus, he was able to stumble out into the street where witnesses saw him before he died for reals. While watching that episode, I couldn't help but think This is how Alex Pina & Co. should've/could've tackled the whole "66.6" storyline. At least that way, it would've actually fit into the premise of a cop show. So perhaps instead of gathering all the horror/thriller/sci-fi rip-offs they could find, they just should've watched CSI.
I've already expressed some of my thoughts on the finale here and in the latest weekend update, but it did leave me with several questions, although I'll admit they're irrelevant. Where the fuck was Blackman? They create a storyline with him and Amaia but don't resolve it in any way - he just "flys" away at the end of Ep. 116!?! Okay. Adios, I suppose. Where was WIN-E during the finale, and where does he go and what does he do when he's not at the precinct? Yes, I realize WIN-E's character is extremely minor, but I was more interested in him than the four newbies combined and would much rather know what he does during his off time than watch Lis pine over Aitor or Amaia cry over Blackman. On a positive note, one thing I recently noticed was that aside from Deker, Aitor was also absent during Damián Jr.'s takedown and he wasn't a part of the "fucking rowing team" at the end. Now, his absence from the showdown makes a little sense - he was probably with Sara - but I found it somewhat amusing that they boy who seemed to be Alex Pina's "face of the show"/Lucas replacement/boy-crush was the only character absent from the rowing team. I guess Aitor's ego couldn't fit in their boat and he had to go. It's just a shame he couldn't take his wife Lis with him.
Finally, despite the title I've chosen for this lecture, I believe that what happened this season (as well as the S8 finale) does matter. It matters because I firmly believe in George Santayana's quote that "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Regardless of what it turned out to be in the end, LHdP had some really good moments and some really good lessons on the way people should (not) be treated. I don't hate Alex Pina - there's too much of that in the world as it is - but I am disappointed that he (appears to have) let his ego get in the way of being true to his show and the beautiful relationships he created. I have no idea if Alex Pina will learn (or cares enough to learn) from the mistakes he's made, but hopefully others will. Hopefully other writers, producers and execs will take the good from what this show was able to do - both in its style and relationships - and learn from the bad this show became. After all, isn't that one way change happens? And if future storytellers can create stories like PepSi and treat it with the same sincerity and honesty as LHdP did without falling into the same pitfalls, then while the S8 finale and "66.6" storyline themselves may not have mattered in the end, the message it taught us of what us not to do will have, and perhaps that will make the heartache we've endured a little worth it.
kalike
*The title for this lecture is based on lyrics to the song "In the End" by Linkin' Park.
Ep. 117: El Acabose de los tiempos (The last straws of time)
Rip-off: Angels and Demons
Summary: After Pope Pius XVI dies, the four Preferiti in contention to succeed him are kidnapped by the secret brotherhood of the Illuminati, who promise to kill one Cardinal each hour culminating in an explosion of Vatican City with stolen antimatter - revenge for the persecution the Illuminati suffered at the hands of the Church. While the conclave remains in seclusion to determine who will be the new Pope, symbologist Robert Langdon (from The Da Vinci Code), along with physicist Vittoria Vetra are summoned by the Vatican police and Camerlengo Patrick McKenna to aid in the rescue of the Preferiti and stop the antimatter from exploding. Langdon and Vetra use clues to trace the "Path of Illumination", hoping it will lead them to the missing Cardinals and the antimatter. They manage to rescue the fourth Preferiti from death, but by the time the find the antimatter bomb, it is minutes away from exploding. Camerlengo McKenna takes the vial in a helicopter and parachutes out just before it explodes, saving everyone and becoming an instant hero. However, it is soon revealed that Camerlengo McKenna was behind the whole thing, using the Illuminati as a ploy to bring people back to the church by showing that the church, not science, should dictate moral creedence. When his plans are revealed, he immolates himself.LHdP spin: Paco has spent all of S9 using clues to track down Damián Jr., who believes he is Satan incarnate. Each clue leads Paco and the hombres to another victim, which we learned each gave blood to Damián Sr., Damián Jr.'s father. Paco is the final donor and the last victim Damián Jr. believes he must kill in order for his reign of darkness to begin. He decides that the opportune place for this to occur is at a church - the sixth and final point on the pentagram - which results in the hombres infiltrating the church as Cardinals. During the climax of the episode Damián Jr. learns (from his father) that he is not Satan, but a mere mortal. Rather, Damián Sr. is a member of the secret organization, The Witness of the Resurrection, who "created" Damián Jr. by raping his mother and raising Junior to believe he was the devil so that he and his organization could use the public's fear of Satan to renew their faith in the church. Damián Jr. doesn't take this revelation very well and kills his father before confronting and stabbing Paco. In the end, he dies after being shot by all the hombres.
Epic fail: Angels and Demons worked (as a film and book) because its premise was both intriguing and legit. The camerlengo is a religious fanatic who believes that faith trumps science and, to prove his point, he uses the Illuminati as a ploy to get that message across. In that respect, the sudden twist that Alex Pina & Co. chose to take with the "66.6" storyline actually makes sense. Like the camerlengo, Damián Sr. is also a religious fanatic, but one who simply believes more people need to go to church. And because of that belief, he and his secret group generate a plan in which he spends his life raising a guy to believe that he's Satan in order to get that message across.
Here's the thing though. In Angels and Demons, Camerlengo McKenna hasn't spent half his life planning his "faith trumps science" scheme. Everything takes place over a short period of time and is triggered by his discovery that the late-Pope (a) considered using the antimatter research to show, through science, that Man and God are connected, and (b) used the science of artificial insemination to conceive a son. In LHdP's warped "66.6" storyline, we're led to believe that Damián Sr. has been planning this thing for decades. He and his group went through the trouble of (a) creating this plan of getting more people to go to church, (b) rape some poor girl in order to (c) raise that child, making him believe that he is the devil, including (d) manipulating thousands of Satan worshippers around the world to make it appear that Satan is on Earth only to (e) say "psyche!" in the end. And they wonder why Junior didn't react so well to the news that he's not Satan. That's a hell of a lot of planning and scheming just to get more people to go to church. I can think of several other ways they could've accomplished their goal without giving the church a bad rap - the Jehovah Witness door-to-door way, the Sister Act giving your choir a makeover way, or even the simple giving back to the community way to name a few. It also doesn't help their cause that during all this time they actively encouraged Satanists. At least in Angles and Demons the camerlengo achieved his goal: the public, unaware of his true motives, perceives him as a hero and demands that he be canonized. I don't think any of Damián Sr.'s action got more people in Spain to go to church - it certainly was a turn off for me.
Finally, in Angels and Demons, Langdon went through the trouble of trying to find each Cardinal in order to save them and stop the antimatter bomb from exploding. We didn't get anything near that with LHdP. The "66.6" storyline may have started off that way (as I'll discuss below), but it eventually developed into a Paco-Damián Jr. showdown that frankly I (and it seems most other viewers) could care less about. Despite the fact that Paco had Father Sistiaga's "journey book", which seemed to lay out exactly where each point on the pentagram was (in other words, where each death would occur), he and the hombres kept running around like chickens with their heads cut off instead of staking out each location. And, with the exception of the novice, they never came close to discovering or protecting any of the intended victims - they always arrived well after the fact.
Storyline: "66.6"
Summary: Throughout the course of this season, Paco and the hombres discovered/witnessed the murders of: a philanthropist, a negotiator, a priest, a novice, and a bomb squad expert. Initially, the hombres believe that each victim represents one of the seven virtues. However, their investigation leads them to discover that each victim donated blood to the killer's - Damián Jr. - father, and thus, that is their real connection to each other. Paco, being the last donor alive, believes that only he can stop Damián Jr. and has a showdown with him, which leads to Paco being stabbed by Damián Jr. and Junior being shot by almost every hombre before he dies. During Don Lorenzo's retirement ceremony one year later, we learn that Paco has survived his encounter with Damián Jr. and will be taking over as Comisario of the precinct.
Analysis: I don't even know where to begin, but I'll try. The entire "66.6" storyline actually sounds good in theory and may have worked if LHdP were a sci-fi/fantasy show. Well, I should rephrase. It started out as a good idea, but from the way it unraveled, it was like Alex Pina & Co. were doing a "choose your own adventure" with this arc. First, it comes off as an inverted Se7en rip-off, making it appear that each victim was chosen because they represent one of the seven virtues. They string the viewers along with this idea until Ep. 112 (I think) when we learn that Paco was a blood donor to Junior's daddy and begin to toy around with the idea that all the victims may have given Senior some blood. Then we're supposed to believe that these two things are connected - the blood donations and the virtues, which suddenly become six virtues instead of seven, and theological virtues instead of heavenly ones. *Side note: Thank you, Dr. P, for pointing out that there are, in fact, seven heavenly virtues (and that there are only 3 theological virtues). I didn't think it was possible, but Alex Pina & Co. have made me dislike simple math, because I couldn't figure out why Rita said there were seven victims (and how she got that number - if you take Amadeo into account there's only six at that point, and if you count the two dead cops Junior killed when he kidnapped Deker, that puts you at eight) or how the hell Paco could be the "final victim" when there were only five deaths. It fucking drove me crazy trying to figure it out until they revealed that they went and changed the script by saying there are only six virtues and that it was the theological virtues.*
Putting aside all the plot points they brought up and dismissed like Dr. P mentioned at the end of the recap - the elephant, the opium dream, Paco's ability to see Ghost Silvia, an invalid Senior who turned out to be faking as penance!?!, Paco's paralysis in Ep. 113, etc. - when one considers the explanation Alex Pina & Co. chose as their "big reveal", it was this season's biggest failure IMO. In the end, it didn't fucking matter what you called the virtues or how many there were, because the whole thing was one big sham in a plot to get more asses in church on Sundays. I actually think it's a good metaphor to describe this whole season. Damián Sr. and his merry band got together and decided that the best way to convince people to go to church was to stage several decades worth of Satanic acts and make Damián Jr. believe he was Satan, and while we don't know the outcome - if more people, in fact, are attending church - I'm to going to venture a guess that it probably didn't work as well as they hoped. Similarly, Alex Pina and his merry band of writers got together and decided that the best way to keep his remaining viewership interested was to create a totally unrecognizable show that focused on nothing that made viewers want to tune in to begin with - the comedy, the relationships, etc. - and we definitely know the outcome of that little idea.
Storyline: The CNI and "Zebra"
Summary: The CNI are aware of the fact that Pepa killed El Gordo and use that information (and the fact that she made Aitor her accomplice in El Gordo's murder) to blackmail Pepa into becoming an assassin for them. They make Marina Salgado Pepa's "handler", based on her relationship with Pepa and Paco. Pepa proves to be difficult, doing whatever she can to avoid carrying out her orders, forcing the CNI to bring in Aitor, who decides to carry out the job for Pepa. However, Aitor can't go through with the assassination either, and he and Pepa (along with Reyes and Deker) decide to gather intel from the intended target (a scientist) instead. They discover the CNI wants the scientist dead in order to cover up Spain's involvement in nuclear development. Salgado ends up shooting the scientist herself (with Pepa's gun in Aitor's place) but provides a cover story clearing both Pepa and Aitor of any involvement before giving Pepa all the information she has linking her to El Gordo's death. Salgado then reveals that she is a part of a secret CNI unit called "Zebra" and intends to expose them. She almost dies in the process before being saved by the mysterious Blackman.
Analysis: This was a storyline that fit better into what LHdP was about and started off very well. Sadly though, it ended as badly as the "66.6" storyline IMO. This arc began with a great backstory: Pepa was being blackmailed into doing the CNI's dirty work because she murdered El Gordo. It gave Pepa something else to deal with in conjunction with her grief, something the writers could've explored more but failed to do so. It got even more interesting once we learned that the intended target - the scientist - was the key to some big CNI secret that even Salgado was hesitant to participate in.
However, once Salgado assassinated the scientist, this subplot took a huge nosedive. Pepa and Aitor are absolved from participating in the story because Salgado gives Pepa all the the CNI's evidence that links her to El G's murder, and suddenly "Zebra" is a focal plot point which is explained and resolved all in one episode. Blackman appeared out of nowhere - as he tends to do - and injected himself into the story without explanation (although that's pretty consistent with his character, so I'll give them that). The plot then focuses more on Salgado and two new, random CNI dudes that no one cares about because (a) they're not Pepa (or Aitor) and (b) they're not part of the show in general. Everything gets wrapped up in one ugly bow and *poof* storyline over. This subplot had the potential to be really great, but it ended up suffering the same fate as everything else this season - poor writing and another failed attempt to rip-off a show/movie.
Parting thoughts:
While I was back home recently, I watched an old episode of CSI:NY with my sis who loves that show. The episode was titled "Boo", and one of the plots dealt with zombies (it was their Halloween episode). The CSIs are called to a zombie flash mob where one of the zombies has died. They determine that the "zombie" died from a blunt force trauma to the head, but his body temp indicates that he had been dead for 8h, which is inconsistent with witness reports that he died 3h ago. It makes one believe that this guy could really be a zombie, right? Well, since CSI:NY is a show that takes place in NYC in the 21st Century, viewers discovered that - surprise! - there's no such thing as zombies. Instead, the victim faked his death after being drugged to make it look like he suffered a congenitive heart failure. After "rising from the dead", he discovers his wife in bed with his doc and drugs them both, but not before being beaten on the head several times. Thus, he was able to stumble out into the street where witnesses saw him before he died for reals. While watching that episode, I couldn't help but think This is how Alex Pina & Co. should've/could've tackled the whole "66.6" storyline. At least that way, it would've actually fit into the premise of a cop show. So perhaps instead of gathering all the horror/thriller/sci-fi rip-offs they could find, they just should've watched CSI.
I've already expressed some of my thoughts on the finale here and in the latest weekend update, but it did leave me with several questions, although I'll admit they're irrelevant. Where the fuck was Blackman? They create a storyline with him and Amaia but don't resolve it in any way - he just "flys" away at the end of Ep. 116!?! Okay. Adios, I suppose. Where was WIN-E during the finale, and where does he go and what does he do when he's not at the precinct? Yes, I realize WIN-E's character is extremely minor, but I was more interested in him than the four newbies combined and would much rather know what he does during his off time than watch Lis pine over Aitor or Amaia cry over Blackman. On a positive note, one thing I recently noticed was that aside from Deker, Aitor was also absent during Damián Jr.'s takedown and he wasn't a part of the "fucking rowing team" at the end. Now, his absence from the showdown makes a little sense - he was probably with Sara - but I found it somewhat amusing that they boy who seemed to be Alex Pina's "face of the show"/Lucas replacement/boy-crush was the only character absent from the rowing team. I guess Aitor's ego couldn't fit in their boat and he had to go. It's just a shame he couldn't take his wife Lis with him.
Finally, despite the title I've chosen for this lecture, I believe that what happened this season (as well as the S8 finale) does matter. It matters because I firmly believe in George Santayana's quote that "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Regardless of what it turned out to be in the end, LHdP had some really good moments and some really good lessons on the way people should (not) be treated. I don't hate Alex Pina - there's too much of that in the world as it is - but I am disappointed that he (appears to have) let his ego get in the way of being true to his show and the beautiful relationships he created. I have no idea if Alex Pina will learn (or cares enough to learn) from the mistakes he's made, but hopefully others will. Hopefully other writers, producers and execs will take the good from what this show was able to do - both in its style and relationships - and learn from the bad this show became. After all, isn't that one way change happens? And if future storytellers can create stories like PepSi and treat it with the same sincerity and honesty as LHdP did without falling into the same pitfalls, then while the S8 finale and "66.6" storyline themselves may not have mattered in the end, the message it taught us of what us not to do will have, and perhaps that will make the heartache we've endured a little worth it.
kalike
*The title for this lecture is based on lyrics to the song "In the End" by Linkin' Park.
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