It's been a long time since I haven't been hooked on a Spanish show like I'm with this one. Very well produced with a great script and actors.
Everyone in Spain (and many Latin American countries) knows who Cristina "La Veneno" (Poison) was, to a greater or lesser extent. Many will remember her for her famous intervention in the long-gone "DEC" hosted by Jaime Cantizano on Antena 3 and the iconic phone prank she was played there, in which a woman posing as her neighbor insulted her to piss her off. I certainly recall the times in which she faced Nova, another trans woman who criticized Cristina for not standing up for Trans rights. Others may remember her for her appearances on "Esta Noche Cruzamos el Mississippi" (Tonight we cross the Mississippi), Pepe Navarro's well-known program thanks to which she came out of her anonymity.
From her first appearance on television until her death in 2016 under strange circumstances, many things have been said and published about the life of Cristina Ortiz, but the truth is that they have never been told with such sensitivity and respect for her figure. Cristina worked as a streetwalker, one of the few outlets that hundreds of trans women in Spain were forced to go to in order to make a living.
Inspired by the book of her memoirs: "¡Digo! Ni puta ni Santa: Memorias de la Veneno" (I Say! Neither a whore nor a saint. The memoirs of La Veneno), "Veneno" is much more than an autobiographical show about the life of Spain's most famous trans woman. The mini-series, of 8 one-hour episodes, paints a faithful portrait of the skeevy, homophobic, and ultra catholic Spain of the late Francoism that mistreated and humiliated anyone who did not meet or fit certain standards. The series is a work of great maturity that mixes comedy, tragedy, and kindness in just the right doses to create a cocktail that, as a whole, is balanced and satisfactory.
One of the highlights of "Veneno" is in the successful cast of actresses who give life to Cristina throughout her life (from younger to older; Jedet, Daniela Santiago and Isabel Torres), as well as Paca la Piraña (played by herself), a mythical friend of Cristina's, who provides the comic relief of the series. Special mention should be made of the young Guille Márquez and Marcos Sotkovski who bring to life the Cristina of childhood when she was still known as Joselito; and of course Lola Rodríguez and Mariona Terés, two actors who grow up and shine even more with the course of each episode.
This new series by "The Two Javis" (Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo) is certainly the most original and groundbreaking work they have done to date, both in terms of script and production. The fact that a series like "Veneno" has managed to see the light (and even reach the big screen) is a milestone in the Spanish audiovisual scene. Because although it is true that we see more and more gays or lesbians or bisexuals in series and films, we finally find a series that features transgendered people as the main event. Equally or more important is the openness with which the series shows and raises awareness about this reality that is so important and so mistreated: transgender issues.
"Veneno" is an unprecedented revolution in the Spanish audiovisual industry. It gives us sex, violence, and insecurities without any concealment, with all the rawness with which it is sometimes associated, without leaving room for imagination. Probably, this series has also achieved more than any public awareness campaign promoted by many NGOs.
But the important thing is that "Veneno" exists and is necessary. You should see it, regardless of whether you like the character of La Veneno or not. Cristina Ortiz is just one more example of how much trans people suffer throughout their lives, of how difficult it is for them, physically and emotionally, and of the challenges they face every day. And so I would like to end by congratulating Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo for making this series that brings to light a reality that, unfortunately, many still see as taboo.
I’ve watched the first episode and didn’t even bother checking it in. I was literally waiting to see some hardcore sex scenes because this show looks EXACTLY like one of those “high budget” XXX films. The costumes, the VFX, the story, the acting… everything screams porn movie, except that there’s no porn. So… what’s the point? I’ve always wondered what the pitch of TV shows like this one are like, that there are people who actually think it could be a great idea.
This show is freaking joke… hahahaha such bad writing, bad acting… I don’t even know where to begin. The protagonist is a freaking disaster, she doesn’t even know what she wants to do with her life. I guess majoring in Psychology didn’t help her that much. I can’t even believe I went through all the episodes. And the ending? It’s the cherry on top. It’s an absolute WASTE OF TIME!
I’ve only watched two episodes and I’m hooked. While the acting isn’t the most salient thing about it, the characters are all very strong. I like the way in which the story unfolds around them. Maybe it’s because I’m also a teacher, and I’ve seen many things shown in the series. I think it’s a bold series that isn’t afraid to tackle a very complicated issue.
I’m not even going to check it in.
The first episode lasts 19 minutes and I could only get to see 14 minutes. I told myself “it’s not even 20 min”, if it’s bad, I won’t continue. But no… not even that. Really… bad…
The show’s ok. As a stand-alone series, it isn’t very strong, but just because it’s connected to the MCU, it automatically becomes better. By the way, I truly hope that the musical stays in this series… good lord! It’s cringeworthy!
Watched the first episode and this is not for me. Too disturbing in my opinion.
I went for a chronological order viewing experience. Even so, I realize that it was the right thing to do for me because I would’ve learned what happened to everybody (Pink episode) before watching the actual heist (White episode) and none of the characters really stuck up to me to really care about what happened to them. I think the concept of choosing your viewing order experience is interesting and I could watch a second season provided it’s a different story, with better character development. And please, stop forcing situations just to benefit a certain storyline, I hate it when writers make characters do “convenient”, but IMPLAUSIBLE things just for the sake of stirring drama. I can smell plot twists from a country mile when the do that.
This show should’ve had 5 episodes. It has so much added stuff that makes it go so slowly. The acting is great. Evan Peters and Niecy Nash shine above anything else, but the show gets quite boring. Sorry but I wasn’t convinced by it.
Just finished the first season. With all the time they’ll take to bring season 2, and the mixed feelings I got from the season finale, I’m not sure if I’ll continue. I gave it a 6/10 because there are things that can be salvaged. But despite knowing very little about what happened during the first half of the Second Age, meaning that writers had quite a leeway to take their licenses, they decidedly wanted to screw up the timeline we already know. I wasn’t expecting the creation of the 3 elven rings of power so soon. Where is the storyline with Annatar? I sincerely felt robbed of seeing Sauron act as The Lord of Gifts in a possible second season. Then the destruction of Numenor in the third season, the creation of Angmar and the fall of Minas Ithil in the fourth season to finish with the Last Alliance battle in the fifth one. Dunno… I feel cheated.
I know I said in a previous comment that this show was ok, that it was quite faithful to the spirit of the comics. How...eeeeeever... this is literally going nowhere. They had to bring Matt Murdoch in the last episode (#8) to inject a little action and life. Kevin Feige is kind of losing his mojo because Moon Knight and Ms Marvel were a hot mess.
I’m into the third episode and the show is sooooo lackluster. The only Queer as Folk thing is the lesbian couple having kids and the name of the show. I give ZERO f:asterisk_symbol:ck about any of the characters. If Brody is supposed to be the reimagining of Brian Kenney, at least make him a successful medical student. The guy’s is just freaking loser who knows nothing about what he wants in life. I think I’ll just stop watching it.
I actually had to force myself to finish this… and it’s only 6 episodes. Not even the final battle between Ben and Anakin, and Liam Neeson’s cameo made me change my mind. I’m not going to continue.
It’s obvious that Paraíso draws from the same nostalgia used by Stranger Things. It’s set in the early 90s, which is roughly a time comparable to the 80s in the US. It’s a group of kids that want to unravel a mystery, paranormal forces but that’s pretty much where similarities go. The circumstances and events unfold quite differently to the point of giving this show its own personality.
The series has some great elements: the acting is decent, the photography is good, the soundtrack is the best part. Mecano and OBK were THE bands to follow in those years. The fact that the producers brought Mecano’s lead singer, Ana Torroja, to sing the title song was a great touch. The song is named after the show, and the tune, which was created especially for this, even seems like it was created by Nacho Cano himself.
In terms of the story, I like the general feeling and the original elements it has but I think the twists are sometimes too contrived. There are characters that take you nowhere and storylines that need a bit more of background. The gay storyline was a bit shoehorned, considering that I’ve always loved the inclusion of LGBT stories, especially among teenagers, I believe that it needed more justification.
All in all, it’s very watchable and if it has a second season (by the looks of how it ended…) I hope the writers offer a bit more answers.