La Casa de las Flores

    When I picked La Casa de las Flores, I was uncertain if it would contain traditional telenovela storylines. Within the first several episodes, there were twists and turns everywhere. There has been cheating, lying, suicide, and double-lives revealed, which has pulled my attention to a peak. I feel the emotions that viewers of telenovelas are supposed to feel; after only a few episodes, I am connected to these characters and am rooting for certain ones and feel hatred towards others. I did not realize that I would get so emotionally invested so quickly!

    When it comes to the typical telenovela themes, I have noticed the development of a few already. Most noticeably, there is clear racism to the main character's black boyfriend. The couple is engaged, but has been hiding their engagement due to fear of backlash from the family. Some of the members, such as the mother of Elena, very clearly says she does not like that Elena is dating a black man. At the very suggestion that the couple is engaged, Virginia (the mother) breaks down with deep sobs, like someone would upon hearing a loved one has tragically passed. I'm not yet sure if this will continue as a theme or if it was just a topic of the first episode. So far, the other episodes have not touched on it yet. There is also a major LGBTQ+ storyline with the son Julian. He has a long term girlfriend and is having an affair with the family's male financial advisor. When he decides he wants to move in with the financial advisor, he must tell his family that he is gay. He also tries to break up with his girlfriend and doesn't. At this time, he realizes that he is bisexual and his boyfriend is hurt- does Julian want to be with his boyfriend or girlfriend? Virginia takes the news of her son's sexuality horribly, desperately attempting to keep it quiet, while the rest of the family takes the news well. I believe this storyline will continue to grow and I am excited to see what happens.

    I would characterize this telenovela as realism (de raptura), as everything that has happened so far is entirely plausible, though not particularly likely. There is not a love triangle, and it is not extremely clear who is the protagonist from episode to episode. I would say that the three main characters are Virginia, the mother and definite head of the household, Elena, the only "normal" and "innocent" daughter, and Paulina, who may turn out to be the antagonist, though I am not certain yet. An overarching subject right now is the various family members choosing sides- do they care more to be with the powerful and controlling Virginia, or the cheating and lying husband Ernesto?

    I'm hoping that the next episodes show more of Paulina and her scheming. I want her to become the antagonist, as I have already developed a distaste for her. I want there to be more Elena, but she is just in the background at the moment, but I want her to have a stronger storyline that makes me really care about her. My roommate has also gotten pulled in to watching with me, as she was curious as to what my frequent gasps and gaping mouth were due to. We now discuss our theories and she has some different opinions than I do about how we feel about Paulina, specifically, and we are both hoping for different things. 

Overall, I am so excited to continue watching to notice more themes and examine what all these storylines mean. Even more, I am excited for the drama.