¡¡¡La Madrastra!!!

(The Godmother!!!)

It just doesn't sound as stunning in English. (As it happens to other words in English, they don't sound as good in Spanish, like "Awesome!", there is actually no translation for that word, but its equivalent would be "¡Brutal!" (brrrootahl), and "brutal" is an awesome word, and awesome is a "brutal" word). (ok, I went on a trip).

¡¡¡La Madrastra!!! (try to roll the "R's" a lot!)

La Madrastra is a soap opera. My soap phase is long gone when cable came into my house, thank God. But there is something about the actress who is La Madrastra. Her name is Victoria Rufo, and she is hot. She's like 40 or 50, but I've always thought she is beautiful, and has a scenic presense that no one can compare. I remember watching her soaps when I was little. And then, there was this looong gap of years when she wasn't in soaps anymore, and when she came back I couldn't resist watching. She has always done the "good" characters, and most often than not, her characters are called María. (In Mexico, there is something very subliminal and unconcious about naming the lead, most sufferable characters María. Like the virgin Mary? I dunno, a random thought that just waltzed by my mind).

Ok, so. La Madrastra, aka: María (Victoria Rufo, woohoo!!) is such a compelling soap that even Americans are watching it. (I don't know many, but I know they mention the soap in some American shows, like E!'s "The Soup") That's good. It shows that the Mexican soaps are slowly taking over viewers from other languages. It also shows that they are good. Actually, they are not good, they are just MADE so that you just HAVE to keep watching.

Mexican soaps, as many others from other Hispanic countries, are full of cliché (outloud monologues anyone? or voice-over thoughts? hmm). And the stories are mainly all the same: someone keeps a secret and everyone is trying to find what it is, and when it comes out into the open, hell breaks loose.

So, La Madrastra is no different. It's just that the acting, and actors (actresses) are kindda better than in other soaps. (and of course, is Victoria Rufo, she can do a soap by herself!). And also, the characters are, the most of them, evil, even María is kindda hard headed... so that is an appealing thing. I guess.

The main storyline revolves around María, whose children don't know she is their mother, but she can't tell them that she is, because they think their mother is dead, among other reasons that I don't know yet. I don't want to watch the damn soap, I don't, but everyday it sucks me into turning on the tv, little by little, and watch, it's inevitable.

So, now that I have seeded your brains, find La Madrastra. If you are in PR, turn on the TV on Univision (11) at 8 PM. If you are somewhere else, tune in those spanish-speaking cable channels, turn the close caption on, and if you understand at least a quarter of they are saying, iIassure you, you'll be hooked. Don't fight it, like I am. I'm saved today cause it's weekend... that soap is haunting me!

¡¡¡La Madrastra!!! It sounds so "brutal", like The Godfather, it's bigger than itself. Awesome!