La Otra Mirada - General Discussion

[gingerella]

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Set in 1920s Seville, where Teresa, a woman with a mysterious past, flees to a young girls' academy with a secret goal related to the academy itself. This series portrays the journey of brave women finding their own voice.

Currently airing S01 on PBS, I'm finding this series really interesting despite the fact that I have to read the subtitles and keep up with what's going on at the same time. Set in an all girl's finishing school in 1920's Seville, there are all kinds of conflicts between what a good Catholic woman's duties are as an adult versus the changing social tide and what women should want for themselves. The show revolves mostly around the school's teachers and students, with some peripheral characters like the evil rich Peralta boys, who seem to be the hearthrobs on all the girls, but they're not nice boys.

The whole feminist awakening storyline is really interesting to me, is anyone else watching this show?

[AnimeMania]

Spanish-language drama  13 episodes airing on PBS on Saturdays, from Sept. 17 - Dec. 10, 2022 at 11 pm

[gingerella]

@AnimeMania Are you enjoying it?

[AnimeMania]

This is the first I have heard about it so I wanted to know what it was. I haven't watched it.

[gingerella]

On 10/10/2022 at 11:13 PM, AnimeMania said:

This is the first I have heard about it so I wanted to know what it was. I haven't watched it.

Get on it Missy, I think you'll enjoy it. 😉 

[Constant Viewer]

I am slowly catching up on this, but am liking it so far.

[gingerella]

I just finished S01 and was very surprised at how it ended....damn Roberta...

[AnimeMania]

La Otra Mirada Season 2      Thursdays, Jan. 5-Feb. 23      PBS

Teresa returns to school after being found innocent of her father’s murder. Her struggles, though, are far from over, as she deals with new secrets and new threats to the Academy. From Walter Presents, in Spanish with English subtitles. 

[izabella]

I've caught up on Season 1 - really like this show!  The push-pull between young and old Manuela, between Manuela and Teresa, Manuela and Luisa, and then the girls themselves feels so fresh though it is a story of women's rules and rights that unfolded across the world over decades.  I also like that the girls seem like girls - their antics are not over the top or unrealistic, and they each have distinct, believable personalities.

Angela...oh, her story is sad.  I don't know how she will recover from this, if she recovers.

I think the only one I truly was rooting against was Arcadio.  Jeez, how did he end up like that when raised by Luisa?  Maybe she spoiled him too much, and was too wishy-washy to stand up to him, but it's like he learned nothing but to be a parasite.

The ending with Manuela reading her time capsule letter was so lovely.  For a second there, I thought her object would be tissues to wipe away tears, lol.

Edited January 3, 2023 by izabella

[Dowel Jones]

So, my PBS just aired S2E1, and it looks like more danger in store for the School.  I wish they would have given a bit more backstory as to how Teresa was found innocent and released.

The students did not take well to the new kid, and she returned the favor.

[gingerella]

I watched S02E01 last night and yes, it was weird that nothing was said about Teresa's time in prison, but she is clearly shaken badly and they showed her with bad bruises on her shoulder/back so I'm guessing she was brutally raped and tortured because she wears pants and presents not as the typical Spanish woman of that time period. She is drinking away her fears, and it was heartbreaking to watch her drunkenly throw herself at Ramon, knowing how much he adores her, but him not willing to jump into bed with her because he sees she is dealing with heavy shit.

I agree @izabella, I love the girls because they are believable and not over sexualized or over aged like today's girls are often portrayed. They are on the cusp of womanhood but are still girls in their innocence of how the world works. Marguerita in particular, I had a difficult time with in this episode, because of her hostile and gross attitude towards Ines. And Luisa is right, that's not going to work out well for anyone methinks.

I'm a bit tired of the 'oh no, we're going to lose the school' storyline, and now with Manuela's old friend and class mate coming to sabotage the school in cahoots with the Peralta's? No thank you!

I'm sad that Angela is not back, but it's probably for the best. That was a really stupid move getting together with her lover in the school where anyone could see, and did see them, especially since David said she would have no more chances if she didn't stop seeing her lover. Such a sad situation.

[Constant Viewer]

I am sad not to see Angela back. I missed last night's episode though. I wanted to see what happened with Margarita and the boy who gave her the aloe vera.

[Dowel Jones]

So the postman stole some nitric acid and sulfuric acid.  Making a bomb with his conspirator, perhaps?  Maybe a bank robbery?

The girls get a chance to make a student film and the director goes all James Cameron on everybody.  I had to laugh when the visiting director quizzes them on movies and they barrage him with questions about how it's so unfair, etc.  He should have just said, "You know why movies like that are made?  Because the people with money want to see it like that. And that's what gets me paid.  You want to be an artist and make a small fortune?  Start with a large fortune."  But I get that it's within the overlying arc of the series, that girls must be woke up to their potential.

I think Teresa is on to Manuela's friend, but not entirely sure yet.  Poor Luisa, she does not have any luck at all.

[gingerella]

I'm sad that Luisa's postman is a nefarious asshole. I think he may actually be falling for her though...perhaps he has a change of heart. Or he gets bay burned with the sulfuric acid and that's how she finds out he's just another Arcadio, but older. I loathed Luisa when I first started watching this series but I've grown rather fond of her now, she actually shows real character growth.

Glad Terrsa finally showed Ramon her bruises, but sad he thought that was a good time to propose moving in together. And honestly, hiw could he think Tere was the marry and have a baby type???

I'm liking the budding romance between Tomas and Roberta. Still loathe Marg.

Getting tired of the school financial drama. Sort if sorry Manuela confessed to hubby she was not into the marriage, but also grossed out at that new lady and her weaseling her way into his life, and the schools.

[Dowel Jones]

For some reason I missed E4, about the 'forgotten women'.  I watched it on PBS Passport today.  That was an interesting test to determine pregnancy. Poor Flavia. 

The school staff certainly learned something about politics, didn't they?  The Peraltas definitely pushed that one over, and the new teacher was definitely part of it.  Oddly enough, the name Juan Varela does not come up at all in that time period, but he is a current painter of wildlife.  I wonder why they chose that name. 

Ines, more than the other girl, should have known better than to get herself trapped like that at the brothel.  She has street smarts, c'mon.

Edited February 23, 2023 by Dowel Jones

[gingerella]

I watched the last episode of S02 last night and was sad that this show is now over. I was also sort of 'meh' about the ending. Leaving it where Manuela had to step down as head mistress (I wasn't sure if she'd be allowed to be a teacher or not),  and allowing Peralta to still own the school even though he obtained it nefarious, that just didn't seem in keeping with the shows ethos of women pushing to pave their own life paths. 

I did like that Luisa and her postman seemed to be giving it a second chance even though he did an egregious thing by stealing chemicals from her lab. 

I really hated Carmen but st least she did the right thing on the end, albeit too late. 

I also had mixed feelings about Martin. He wasnt a bad guy. He just wanted kids and a traditional stay at home wife. But I think the only reason he cheated with Carmen was because she threw herself at him for revenge, and he was heartbroken over losing his wife and the life he thoguhtbhe was going to have.

I wanted to slap the stupid off Flavia's face after running off to thensxhool and back when people were taking so much care to hide her from being thrown in prison, and that doesn't even cover her stupidity where she tells her husband that she aborted his kid, how dumb. At least she and Tomas made it to NYC and made a life there. 

The whole thing with Marguerita and her gardener was heart warming in that she finally got off her high horse, and I liked that she was going to become a scientist and find a cure for schizophrenia. But no way would her parents allow her to be with a gardener so that was sort of weird and sad when. They parted. 

I suppose I liked that Teresa and Roberta went to Paris for the summer, and that they took Manuela with them. But I was left feeling bad for Ramon, he really loved Teresa and I think she loved him as much as she could. I really want another season but I don't think it's happening, alas. 

[Constant Viewer]

Sadly I think it was just two seasons.

I would love to see a Spanish drama about the Spanish Civil War. Cable Girls touched on it in their last season, but I was hoping for more.

[Dowel Jones]

That would be really interesting, especially since the nerves are still raw in some parts of Spain, even after all this time.