End Scene

Wow. I can't believe that this semester is already over and this class is about to come to a close. I guess it's finally time to say 'end scene'.

Just reflecting on everything that I have learned this year... it ranges from newfound knowledge about telenovelas, to life lessons, to just learning in general.

When I first signed up for the class, honestly I had no idea to expect. I want to say that part of me thought we were just going to watch scenes of telenovelas every class and talk about them. That just proves how little I knew, and how little honor and credit I gave to the telenovela industry. I never imagined the amount of hard work, passion, time, and dedication went into each episode, and just being a part of this industry. Learning about consumption, production, themes and plots, story lines, different actors and writers and producers, behind the scenes, etc. Everyday is a production.

What I loved though the most, is just like there is a behind the scenes to the finished amazing telenovela episode you watch on your television... there is a behind the scenes personally for the actors, writers, directors, and producers. They have their own "production team" that leads them to do what they do. We caught glimpses of this during our Skype interviews. There are memories and childhood stories that inspire. There are people in their lives that inspire. There is the deep love of a country that inspires. And there is a passion and a love for the audience that drives their work.

I think what I fell in love with the most as I learned more and more about this industry, was the amount of emotion, heart, connection, and bigger picture story behind it.

Telenovelas are messages, are dreams, are happy ever afters, are hard truths, are escapes, laughs, tears, screams, and forever "I do's". It's almost impossible to not have a soft spot for the telenovela and what it stands for after learning what is between the lines and end scenes.

At our final class at Dr. A's house, when we watched final episodes, the ending to Cosita Rica was the perfect compilation of everything I had fallen in love with and came to believe in this class. It ended with the cast all together as a family, and on a simple stage in front of a part of the audience that loved them. It ended with a summary of each character's happy ending, and then a giant party with the cast and the audience. I really believe that, that right there is what telenovelas are all about. It was a beautiful visual of the heartbeat and reason behind why they exist.