When "Clase 406" became lame

I know most people won't agree with me, but I thought that "Clase 406" started to go down hill when Francisco (Jorge Poza) left the series after the first six months. Francisco Gattorno as Santiago never managed to fill the void left by Poza's departure and Michelle Vieth wasn't given anything to do except be the "girlfriend" in the storyline. The only good thing about the post-Francisco era was that it had Miguel Rodarte (of "Tigre de Santa Julia" fame) as the brutal villain Leonardo. Rodarte gave an outstanding performance, making him the second best villain in the series. (I always thought that Fabian Robles as the sleazy pimp Giovanni was the best villain). But it was only after the graduation episodes that the series realy became lame.

This isn't to say that there weren't some good parts. Juan David's fall from fame, Fercho's adjustment to his new life, Enrique and Jessica's problems, and Gato's experience on the police force were interesting storylines; Caballo's rise to fame was a little predictable but well done, while Daniela's marital woes started off plausible but became a little too melodramatic towards the end. If Pedro Damian had chosen to focus on the trials and tribulations of the youths in the real world, he could have still had a good series.

Unfortunately, Damian chose the melodramatic/exaggerated path with the entire Samsara vegance plot. Francesca Guillen (daughter of Alejandro Camacho, who still doesn't recognize her as his daughter) has always been good at playing villains, although she did play a sympathetic character in "Locura de Amor." As Samsara, Guillen seems to be acting "by the numbers" in that the part is somewhat cliched. The worst part, however, is that Samsara never really comes off as being a real menace. If the girls had wanted to, they could have all ganged up on her and beat her up easily because she's so short. But the real flaw with the premise is that it's never explained why do the kids of "Clase 406" give so much confidence and trust to a person they hardly know. I mean, they go to the extent of fighting with each other and turning against one another simply because they give so much credibility to the words of a total stranger. In essence, this is what screwed up the series.