Tag: Cristobal

La Sombra del Pasado comes to an end

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Unlike a lot of novelas, La Sombra del Pasado didn’t turn into a Shakespearean tragedy. In its final weeks, we said goodbye to Adelina and Dr. Zapata. A couple of others also died, but I’ll save that for my recap of the finale.

As much as I enjoyed La Sombra del Pasado, the finale is one of the worst I’ve ever seen. It’s a shame because it was well acted, but the editing of the finale was horrendous, which I’ll discuss further in my rant.

Let me start with the recap.

Recap

The finale opens with Aldonza holding a gun on Severiano. I know I said I would rant later, but this scene frustrated me to no end. Aldonza finally has the upper hand and she lets Severiano get the best of her. The tables are turned and Aldonza is crying again while Severiano holds a gun on her.

Had I written this scene, Aldonza wouldn’t have lost the gun. She would have been holding it when Candela showed up. Candela would have killed Severiano and lived to reconcile with Cristóbal. Instead, I got Candela and Severiano shooting at each other at the same time and both of them dead.

Cristóbal shows up in time for a quick reconciliation with his mother just before she dies in his arms. I guess I’m supposed to be happy that Candela saw the light and saved Aldonza. I think she could have still been the hero and lived. Frankly, I would have enjoyed seeing Candela and Aldonza deal with each other.

After Candela dies, the sun rises on a new day and a new beginning for Cristóbal and Aldonza. They work both ranches, which one they live at is unclear. I would have sold both of them because of all of the tragic memories. Anyway, life goes on. Father Jerónimo returns to Santa Lucía. Tomás goes to seminary to become a priest. Renato ends up with Silvia and Mari ends up with Patricio.

A few months go by and Aldonza and Cristóbal get married in the church. Emanuel then marries Lola and from here on out the finale falls apart.

Rant

The last 15 minutes of this finale were a chopped up mess. Two weddings and a honeymoon in less than 15 minutes. They wanted us to see Cristóbal and Aldonza happy together. It would have been fine if it hadn’t jumped from one scene to the next. At one point, Cristóbal didn’t even have his line out of his mouth before the scene was cut off. If there was that much to get in, then there should have been another episode.

We didn’t even get ending story lines for Prudencia and Valeria. Tomás found Prudencia on the street after she lost everything. What happened to her after that? Do we assume she managed to turn her life around?

Valeria had the baby, which ended up with Abelardo’s parents. She kept seeing her father’s ghost and constantly was sedated. I guess we’re supposed to assume she spent the rest of her life in prison, even though she was insane and should have been institutionalized. More of a conclusion for Valeria would have been nice. I felt the writers left everyone hanging.

In the end, I was glad to see Cristóbal and Aldonza finally together, but I think they deserved a better finale.

What did you think of the finale?

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La Sombra del Pasado: Cristóbal and Aldonza Are Brother and Sister, Not

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Yes, the writers have finally done it. They have introduced the brother and sister storyline. I knew it was coming, but had hoped something would happen and Aldonza and Cristóbal would find out the truth before the bogus DNA test came back. It didn’t happen.

Now, we must watch Aldonza and Cristóbal cry over this lie for several episodes until Father Jerónimo saves the day. I’m not sure he’ll be the one to uncover the truth, but it seems likely because he found out the truth about Emanuel.

We will also have to suffer through the many attempts by Candela to get Cristóbal together with Valeria. Everyone keeps telling Candela that Cristóbal will never love Valeria, but it’s not enough. It’s not even enough for Valeria. How many times does Cristóbal have to tell her that he’s not into her? You would think by now she’d be embarrassed at how many times she’s thrown herself at him and he’s rejected her. But for Valeria, Cristóbal is nothing more than a piece of property. She wants the status and money that would go along with being his wife.

Frankly, I would love to see Aldonza and Cristóbal happy for a little awhile before being split apart. It’s been torture. We get a few episodes of happiness and then another obstacle gets in their way.

Please don’t make us wait until the last few episodes to finally see Aldonza and Cristóbal together.

What do you think of the latest twist? Do you like Valeria?

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La Sombra del Pasado – A Modern Day Romeo and Juliet

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Let me start off by saying I’m a sucker for a good Romeo and Juliet story. What’s not to love? A couple finds love in the face of their feuding families. It’s classic and it’s the story behind La Sombra del Pasado.

I’ve been watching for a couple of months. I wasn’t sure if I would get hooked like I did with Lo Que la Vida Me Robó, but every time Cristóbal looks at Aldonza, I melt a little bit with her.

Cristóbal is the son of Candela and Severiano and they hate Aldonza. Why do they hate Aldonza? Because as Cristóbal and Aldonza recently discovered, Aldonza’s mother, Roberta, and Severiano were once lovers. It is also because of Roberta that Severiano lost his arm.

Even though Roberta is dead and the affair was 20 years ago, Candela and Severiano have placed the sins of her mother on Aldonza.

Aldonza lives with her aunt and she grew up hearing her mother constantly say how much she hated Severiano and that Severiano ruined her life. Later, to keep Cristóbal away from Aldonza, Severiano raped her, a fact Cristóbal is not aware of because she hasn’t told Cristóbal. It’s a huge secret and one I hope she tells Cristóbal soon. Aldonza left town because of what Severiano did and broke Cristóbal’s heart in the process. Cristóbal needs to know that his father is a monster.

What I love about their relationship is that they both realize that neither one of them is to blame for their families’ faults and the ongoing feud has nothing to do with them. Despite everything his mother has said, Cristóbal’s feelings for Aldonza haven’t changed. In fact, he’s told his parents that they should respect Aldonza. Yes, Cristóbal has a back bone and he’s shown it in recent episodes.

The one unbelievable aspect is that Cristóbal asked Aldonza to marry him and she said yes. They haven’t dated and have barely had any relationship at all. Cristóbal claims he knows that there will never be another one for him. She is the love of his life. I’m a romance wirter so, of course, I love the romance behind that notion.  But I would have liked a tad bit more in the relationship department before they got engaged.

I’m sure something will get in their way before the wedding. After all, it is a novela. But I’m confident that Cristóbal and Aldonza will always find a way to each other and they will have a happy ending.

What do you think of La Sombra del Pasado?