MovieChat Forums > Velvet (2014) Discussion > Sick of parejas estrellas in these shows

Sick of parejas estrellas in these shows

posted 8 years ago by valerieAhecht
8 replies | jump to latest

The Alberto y Ana storyline was already old in Season 1. The fact that they are in love does not make them heroes, good people, or even very interesting. i'm not sure why they turned Christina into la mala. she really did nothing to deserve being treated the way she did. Nor did the main characters do anything special to deserve all the good things they get. So boring! there I said it. And that said, I love the secondary characters and wish they would get more air time. I don't know why Anna has all the good things happen to her every single time. She gets to sit back and get credit for her designs when her friends are actually doing all the work and she goes to fancy parties with her boyfriends. Alberto is not a great business person. He takes advantage of others. But nothing about them is ever questioned. I guess I just have a thing against these main characters who are very flat.

[–] theydosay 8 years ago

TOTALLY agree with you about VELVET. For starters I just don't find Alberto appealing... he is too surly of spirit and I even think he has a vicious side. I s'pose the actor's a hunk and all, but I just don't find him attractive.

[spoilers ahead] By the beginning of Season 2, I thought this show might be going in the daring direction of having the "star-crossed lovers" fall in love with others who turned out to be wonderful for them, and developing a friendship instead. I liked the way Cristina was not villainous at all, but a loving and likeable character that Alberto might truly fall for. And CARLOS, oh my! Now there is a charming and handsome guy. I thought Ana would realize that she could move on.

I was more than a little annoyed by the way the writers just began to let out-of-character meanness and snobbery creep into (the justifiably hurt) Cristina's character, but I was majorly peeved at the sudden addition of a hint of violence in Carlos, just to turn viewers away from him... I really don't think an abusive guy could have hidden that so thoroughly and convincingly!

Like you, I love the secondary characters. Thought the stretching-out of mistaken intention between Pedro and Rita was a bit strained, but they're still adorable. The friendships are lovely. Raul is an utter delight! It is very interesting, how downplayed his gayness is; is Spain a bit more cautious in that regard than the U.S.?

[–] winepooh96 8 years ago

Alberto isn't the nicest person and he is not a warm and fuzzy character, but that's the point. I feel like that's why his connection with Ana, and Mateo for that matter, is so strong because he lets very few people in. It's also why a marriage to Cristina would never have worked, regardless of Ana, they are two complete opposites as far as personality. Cristina couldn't separate her fantasy of him from the reality of who he really was. I personally find the actor who plays Alberto gorgeous and he conveys so much with his eyes and facial expressions.

I don't see how you can say Cristina's meanness was out of character! The show didn't beat you over the head with it, but there were a thousand clues leading up to S3 that Cristina was not as she appeared. When things were going her way she was nice and sweet, but the minute someone messed with her perfect little fantasy world, she would turn on them. Remember Raul and Ana on her wedding day? She is incredibly overbearing, spoiled, controlling and patronizing, this was shown throughout the first 2 seasons. She was always in Alberto's face, never left Ana alone in S1, constantly interferred with the business and pushed her family on Alberto. When Alberto's mother was dying, she didn't really want to take her in and, when she did, proceeded to ask her to help with marital problems after she and Barbara shared a nasty laugh at the woman's expense. Cristina was a completely selfish character from day one who was only out for herself. Ana, OTOH, sacrificed the love of her life to save dozens of jobs. Cristina to me was beyond pathetic, trying to force a man who clearly didn't love her to stay in a marriage that was bought and paid for by her father.

As for Carlos, abusiveness can manifest later and his jealousy over Alberto was a warning sign. I was disappointed in the direction they took him in. I didn't want him with Ana as end game, but they made him into the male image of Cristina as a crazy, obsessed stalker. What he did in S3 was so OTT. He seriously creeps me out and the fact that Ana would allow him back into her life in S3 is ridiculous after his past behavior. He's a successful guy, he should've moved on when she dumped him, it didn't seem very realistic to me. BTW, I don't find him attractive, just as you don't Alberto. Different tastes is what makes the world go round I guess:-)

To the OP, why shouldn't Ana get credit? Just like Raul, she designs and the seamstresses make the dresses. She was paying them, so it's not like they're working for free. Ana was treated like garbage in the S1, it wasn't until S2 that she started to have some success. Did Alberto give her opportunities? Yes. However, she has to have had the talent to see them through successfully. Ultimately, Ana and Alberto ended up paying the biggest price for the entire Cristina distaster, so I don't think all good things happen to her, certainly not for him. I love the show because no character is black or white, they all have shades of gray and are flawed.

I'm not a huge fan of P/R together. I enjoy Rita separately, but Pedro is an annoying bore and their s/l are stretched out to the max. I love A/A, Mateo and do enjoy all the friendships. The only characters I hate are Cristina and Carlos, not big on Enrique either. I love Raul too. I think he is somewhat eccentric, but it's the 1950s, a time where many had to hide their homosexuality. As we saw with Toni, you could face jail or worse being homosexual in those days.

[–] valerieAhecht 8 years ago

Hey there,

Thanks for the reply.

It's great to enter into discussion. I guess I can address your statement "I don't see how you can say Cristina's meanness was out of character!" this way:

The characters change and develop. You may like the direction the writers took some their creations while I like others.

The beauty of viewing a show, in community (and that is indeed what we do when we choose to post on a board), is that every viewer will bring her/his own interpretation. We view, read, etc. through the lenses formed by our backgrounds and experiences.

This, like all telenovelas and series, have characters that we respond to. I just happen to respond negatively to Ana and Alberto.

I like to see other characters developed. Also, most series like these rely on tropes, characters are often flat who are made to reinforce the ideas of who and what are "bad" or "good", according to what our societies have come to see as normal, or the way to be.

I am glad that you are able to see those "shades of gray" consistently. I sometimes see them and then get annoyed when characters revert back to stereotype. Yet, on the other hand, the absolute predictability is what keeps us watching these things! Sometimes I may want clear-cut, black and white characters as contrast to my own messy contradictions!

The fact that I am impatient means that I probably need to back off of these kinds of shows. I have yet to see in them anything innovative, other than setting...

[–] valerieAhecht 8 years ago

Yes! The violence was a bit contrived and exaggerated.

Raúl is great! I hope they'll explore his possible gayness in future seasons.

Spain, now, is not cautious at all, compared to the U.S.! But since this show is set in the 1950s-1960s, smack in the years of the conserative, ultra super Catholic Franco regime, sexualities outside the norm would be very much covered-up - penalties could be severe.

[–] valerieAhecht 8 years ago

[–] Avatar19 8 years ago

I agree, the secondary characters were the ones stealing the scenes. I was more excited to see Clara and Rita's parents than Alberto by the end of Season 3. He and Ana were very flat, and I liked in the Season 3 finale that Cristina told Ana that she was the victim of their love story. She was right that she got completely used and tossed aside, and it drove her off the edge.

Alberto was a terrible person in general, and he acts like a child more than a savvy business owner. He is always willing to throw everything away at the drop of a hat. He seems to have no appreciation for anything in his life, why are we expected to take his romance with Ana seriously? Ana is pretty much a Mary Sue. There's not too many layers to her, she isn't funny like the other workers, so she gets boring very fast.

Cristina was always trying to make everything perfect, and it was hinted that she was used to having this perfect life and even if it wasn't she'd pretend it was even back in Season. I think the whole plot with her getting pregnant went too far into crazy town territory, and she takes no time to reflect on where her actions would lead, especially since she got pregnant three months later than she claimed... Barbara was clearly leading her astray, but she refused to see it. She wasn't even a fun villain like Patricia and Gloria, she was just a mess.

[–] valerieAhecht 8 years ago

Avatar19:

I had not heard the term a "Mary Sue"! Thanks for that!

I wanted Cristina to heal and emerge stronger, realizing that the two main characters sort of deserve each other - in sense of deserving to be happy with each other and deserving to live with the sort of person who would be deceptive to save a business. Yes, the jobs of the workers were saved, as well, but these two aren't totally altruistic!

Love the Montesinos parents!

[–] ssheikh_11 7 years ago

Good discussion! I always enjoy other people's view on how the story unfolds. I just finished the three seasons on Netflix and want to share my view.

I agree that the Ana and Alberto romance was not entirely convincing for me. Ana's character is not that great and the supporting cast plays a major role in making her likeable, especially in the end of season 3. Christina on the other hand was quite believable. Her spiralling out of control towards the end was not out of line especially considering Barbara's coaching. As for Alberto he was quite the star in my opinion, the actor did a great job showing the internal struggle he went through in all seasons. The hospital scene in season 3 spoke volumes and I don'think he did anything out of character. The part I did not get is that if Ana and Alberto grew up together they should have had more of an understanding of each other. Most of the times Ana did not get Alberto or made any effort towards him. Alberto had much more to loose but he was never afraid to do so. It was quite realistic to show that often times it is our self pride and ego that end a relationship. My favourite couple on the show were Mateo and Clara. They were quite believable and their whole arc was fun to watch.

Eagerly awaiting season 4 now :)