Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Why am I becoming disengaged?

Going into our Consumption Presentations, I was excited to be able to share my love for "La Reina del Sur" with the class. I was watching episodes of the telenovela whenever I found spare time, and I enjoyed being able to analyze the show as both a scholar and a consumer. Recently, however, I sense myself becoming disengaged with the plot and story line. I am currently at episode 22 out of 63. So much has happened within the first 22 episodes, but I know that so much more is bound to occur within the remaining 41. Right now, Teresa is being held in the all-female prison. She was jailed for drug trafficking after she was "caught" in the explosion of Santiago's boat. I cannot seem to figure out exactly why my interest has weakened.

Maybe it's because Santiago has died? I loved consuming their love story and including it within my group's Consumption Presentation. Their story was polarizing because it was intense, quick, and admirable. They met and fell in love rapidly, which added to the impact that the characters had on the audience. As a couple, they could easily be related to because they came from similar pasts and had similar personalities. I miss his presence in the scenes, and it makes me sad to know that the characters will not be together any longer.

Maybe it's because of the prison environment? The production team of the telenovela did a good job of making the prison appear very "bland." The scenery is nothing like the beach and ocean scenes that I was used to seeing towards the beginning of the telenovela. In addition to the lack of cosmetic appeal, the environment is very hostile. As a viewer, I appreciated Teresa's resilient characteristics and dominant personality in the first episodes of the novela. In this prison section of episodes, she is treated as a target and "weak-link" by the other prisoners, which is upsetting to me as a consumer.

Maybe it's because of the lack of progression? I am so used to seeing Teresa's character on the move. Before she was jailed, she was always plotting her next step or thinking ahead towards a futuristic goal. Due to the fact that she is in prison, her adventures are stagnant. The story is lacking the energy that it once had, because Teresa is confined. I am longing to see her break out of jail and be on the run again, finding more adventures along the way.

Regardless of what the cause for my disengagement is, I plan on pushing through these next few episodes in the hopes of change for Teresa. The previews tell me that there will be another love interest, a change of environment, and more action to come, so I am hanging on to that hope!

9 comments:

  1. I completely understand what you're saying. I am having the same problem with my telenovela. When I first started watching, I couldn't stop. But now that I have taken a littler break from watching, I am not in a huge hurry to start up again. I think our 'American' attitude also has something to do with it. Telenovelas are shown everyday, but we are used to having only one episode a week. We get bored easily, which might be one of the reasons that you and I find ourselves becoming disengaged from our telenovelas.

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  2. Gabrielle,

    Sin duda, me entiendo. Es muy fácil perder el interés en un programa después de un tiempo. Como los episodios van en mi telenovela, me resulta difícil permanecer interesados. Yo solía ver episodios espalda con espalda, pero ahora los veo con moderación. La producción de la telenovela me haría perder el interés. Un paisaje diferente y el maquillaje pueden afectar la calidad de la telenovela. Tal vez hacia el final de su telenovela, su interés se incrementará. Me gustaba leer sus pensamientos!

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  3. I know exactly what you are talking about!! I know we all have many things going on in our lives, but around the prison time of la reina del sur I am simply less captivated. I also do think the love story could have something to do with it. Santiago.... it is sad without him there and we were so caught up in their love story it hurts to see him leave. Someone pointed out in a discussion that they only watch scenes with certain actors. So maybe he made the show??

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  4. Hey ladies!

    Thank you for all of your comments!

    Taylor - I have never considered my "American Mentality" as a part of the problem. I tried to put the blame on the telenovela, rather than myself. Your insight is very thought-provoking! Stacy - I agree that different scenery definitely effects my viewing of the telenovela, and I am glad to hear that you feel the same way. Hannah - I am glad that you feel the same way as I do about Santiago's absence from the story line. The love story between him and Teresa was not the only reason that I enjoyed the telenovela, but it was a big reason.

    Happy viewing!

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  5. I was in a similar situation with El Patron del Mal but actually took up La Reina del Sur recently. I think the fact that both of these telenovelas are readily available on Netflix might actually have something to do with our disengagement. The easy access makes it less urgent and seeing as we're accustomed to consuming series specifically tailored for quick, mass consumption, it may be difficult to keep with lengthy telenovela storylines.

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  6. I feel the same way!! I am currently watching Las Aparicios, which follows the storyline of three different women, at first the stories kept changing and Mercedes (the lawyer) always had a new cases which kept me engaged. I think that one of the reasons we as consumers stop watching novelas is because we don't like the way the storyline is going. Currently I am on episode 82 and they have been on the same issue for the past 5 episodes, compared to the paces of the previous issues which lasted at most 2 episodes it's feeling drawn out to me. I agree with Angela and Stacy in the fact that like Patron and Reina, my telenovela is readily available on Netflix so I don't feel the suspense of having to wait to find out what happens next.

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  7. Thanks for your thoughts Angela and Dina! Netflix is always portrayed in a positive light. It is interesting to think of it negatively in regards to easy viewing and access.

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  8. I meant to comment on this WAY earlier, because when I read it, it resonated so much with me! I became bored with Escobar, and I decided it was because of my lack of engagement with the love story. But it's interesting to note the Netflix aspect! I hadn't considered that as much. It's true though––I feel like I can go in and watch 3 episodes, then leave without urgency. But if I HAD to watch it every night on TV, I think I'd feel that suspense more.

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  9. I meant to comment on this WAY earlier, because when I read it, it resonated so much with me! I became bored with Escobar, and I decided it was because of my lack of engagement with the love story. But it's interesting to note the Netflix aspect! I hadn't considered that as much. It's true though––I feel like I can go in and watch 3 episodes, then leave without urgency. But if I HAD to watch it every night on TV, I think I'd feel that suspense more.

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