Yo Soy Betty... La Diabla?
For the seminar, I chose Yo Soy Betty, La Fea as the telenovela I wanted to analyze and describe in my final paper. I knew from the moment I watched the introduction in class that this telenovela was a romantic comedy that I was searching for. In the first part of the pilot episode, I concluded that a clothing company rejected Betty for their secretary position simply because she did not physically appear as the other interviewees, who were actual models also applying for a job. Betty was so desperate to find a career that would support her and her family. During the first few minutes, the show already grasped my attention, and I knew I wanted to watch more. Unfortunately, the only way I could watch the show was with Spanish subtitles only. While I could understand part of the plot from the first episode, I could not grasp the important details and could only comprehend the story superficially. I expected this to be true for the remaining episodes. This added to my list of complications in finding a telenovela!
Upon searching for a different telenovela, I switched over to Santa Diabla, which thankfully had the English subtitles I needed. By the first episode, I recognized the characteristics and behaviors of what we discussed makes a telenovela. Santa Martinez almost resembled Cinderella, a beautiful and poor woman, but instead of seeking a glass slipper and finding her prince, she sought to avenge her murdered husband, Willy. Her plan was to act as a different woman by calling herself Amanda and to marry into the Cano family that imprisoned Willy with their well-known law firm. Her target was Humberto, the son of the patriarch, and he immediately fell in love with her.
Why is Santa so determined to accomplish her revenge? Humberto's evil sister, Barbara, wrongly accused Willy of sexual assault. The family took the case to court, and the case was publicized. Once Humberto found out that it was all a lie, the Cano family decided to continue the case anyway. What would have happened if they revealed that the assault was all made up? They would lose the good and powerful reputation of the law firm and of their family. From then on, the Canos decided to keep up with this lie and have no remorse for imprisoning Willy. After keeping the true story to herself, it was then that Santa knew she had to correct what was done to her family. Like the Canos, Santa has to keep up with her lies of being wealthy and being named Amanda to protect her true identity for her plan to work.
All of these details and more were introduced in the first couple of episodes alone. They were so thrilling that they captured my attention, which is the true intention of any telenovela. I have observed many obstacles and unexpected turns, including lying, dark secrets, and plot twists. Every character in the story has a dark secret. Any secret that is revealed will ruin someone’s life. Will Santa accomplish the revenge she deliberately planned, or will an obstacle like death or even love prevent her from finishing her mission?
By default, anyone could recognize that Santa Diabla is so different than Yo Soy Betty, La Fea. They both have very different plots and characters but accomplished one of the main goals of really any telenovela: luring in their audience.
Hi Andrea, speaking of a telenovela's ability to hook you in, just imagine the challenge that presents for the writers. For one, they have to give every character some sort of secret that ties into the greater plot. They have to make every little twist and turn work within the established plot and timeline of the show, and they have to be believable. There are also so many telenovelas that it must be hard to come up with new and totally original twists. I think though that the hardest job has to be timing all the mini twists/revelations with commercial breaks. There's probably a commercial break every 6-7 minutes, meaning they have to create intrigue in the story every 6-7 minutes. It has to be incredibly challenging and mentally exhausting, but telenovela writers are incredible at what they do and it's very impressive.
ReplyDeleteAndrea,
ReplyDeleteI am also watching "Santa Diabla" as my telenovela for the report. As you said in your post, it really is thrilling! I look forward to continuing watching it even after this class ends, and finding out if Santa will finally get her revenge. In your post you write that "Santa Diabla" and "Yo soy Betty, la fea" are drastically different, however, I believe they have some similarities as well. Though I have not seen any episodes of "Yo soy Betty, la fea", I do know the basic plot. Yes, the two shows are very much different genres, and "Santa Diabla" is quite dark, but Santa and Betty are not as different as they might seem. Both Santa and Betty change who they are to win over a man and get what they want. Santa, of course, is playing the role of Amanda to destroy Humberto. She wants revenge. Betty, on the other hand, eventually gets a makeover and is no longer considered "ugly". When she gets this makeover she is finally seen in the public eye as successful and concludes her epic love story by finally ending up with Armando (the male lead).
What is interesting about this is that in both novelas the female protagonist has to fundamentally change everything about herself to get her way. To me, this does not seem like a positive message to give to younger viewers. I wrote in another discussion post about how the entire plot of "Yo soy Betty, la fea" is toxic and promotes oppressive beauty standards. Why is it that both Santa and Betty have to become a new person? In the case of Santa, she has to transform into a rich woman to win over Humberto. This clearly shows the socioeconomic gap in the US (Santa Diabla being set in south Florida). She had been unable to fight back against the upper class Humberto during the court battle, so now her only choice is to become "rich" (as we know it is all an act) and destroy him. As for Betty, she is seen as such an ugly person that everyone dislikes her. Betty is unable to be in a public relationship with Armando without ridicule. When she finally becomes "beautiful", she is accepted by society. This is a clear issue of beauty standards and shows us just how toxic they are. Other questions I asked in a previous comment include why is Betty considered so ugly? Who decides the beauty standards in our society?
To conclude, I agree that both of these novelas are vastly different, but they also are similar as they show us issues in today's society. By depicting their female leads in a position where they must become a new person to survive, "Santa Diabla" and "Yo soy Betty, la fea" blatantly point out socioeconomic issues and problems with societal ideals. This was a fascinating post and I would love to hear your further thoughts! Have a wonderful afternoon!
Thanks so much,
Noah