All crazy for Love 2 - a reflection
Sob.
Unluckily this year I cannot see the second season on tv, because of I work on Sunday night, s**t. So I've to wait for torrents and download and it's quite stressing, expecially when twitter population try to spoiler you everything and more.
After the first 6 episodes and the audience ratings, I want to express my opinion as I did last year.
So, here we are,
first impression and my reflection on
I was waiting this season for the night I saw the season finale of the first one. Yeah. Tutti pazzi per Amore was surely one of the best series I saw in 2009 and the best italian tv show so far, excluding "Montalbano". But this is not a huge sign, it's not really difficult to be the best show with RAI productions: a group formed by saints' lives, something with Beppe Fiorello, mini-movie you can like only if you are over 65 years old and narcolettic.
But I was quite sceptic about the results of second season. First of all, the female main actress, Stefania Rocca, was pregnant and she said she won't perfom her character until the end of the pregnancy. So, what Rai could do? Well, in this case the death/ the escape of character for an entire season was really problematic, because she is a mother with 2 children and so close to wedding. The staff decided to replace Stefania Rocca with Antonia Liskova, one of the most prolific actress in "traditional" rai fiction.
What I think about the replacement? It didn't work yet, but it wasn't supposed to be perfect after a whole season with another woman playing "Laura". Maybe after other 5/6 episodes it will be normal to see Liskova. I prefer Rocca's interaction with the sons, but Liskova is surely a better actress, she only need to take confidence with commedy/musical standards.
Fandom Reaction - She can't play Laura! Stefania was perfect for that role, she isn't able to perform in "hysteric" mode. This kind of reaction made me LOL, I passed an entire season, last year, reading comments like "Rocca isn't able to perfom this comical role, she doesn't fit Laura's dress at all" . Fandom. *rolleyes*
I was quite scared by the first reaction of the fandom, right after the premiere. They're saying the opening season episodes were too brutal, too far from the original, too fast, in a word: horrible. But I forgot one fondamental rule; italians are italians. The premiere was so brave in its writing process, brave and american. It's almost normal, in USA serialization, to jump some months from the first series. It's crucial, for adding new characters, changing the previous ones, finding something new for catching the audience. Italians? Nooo, they're complaining about "we lost some infos about the protagonists and they're friends, so we can't recollect the whole story". Guess? You don't need too! XD Maya is not a men-bulimic anymore? Monica and Laura decided to make an unique marriage? Carlo left the wife with 3 twin children? Where is the problem? You'll discover why, when and how in future episodes, of course. No, for italian audience the best choice sould be to copy the first season and changing something around the midseason ending. Oh, what I've to read in comments, someone helps me! *rolleyes*
The turning point (and most controversial moment) was Michele's death. We know, Michele was probabily the most loved character by the entire audience and his love story with Monica kept millions of fangirl in front of tv screen. It's predictable, such a reaction, from someone who didn't see a character die in his entire life, with the exception of "Murder, she Wrote" episodes. I find this death absolutely fantastic. On the hedge of the story, this illogical, unexpected, unpredictable climax was the real end of the first season. It's a corageous decision, and, if you think about for a moment, the best thing to do. After a season of fighting, another season of Michele making the good husband with his past of latin lover simply couldn't work (remember Gossip Girl's Chuck, please). No, this death changes all the rules and the pre-existing relationship; it's the key to keep the show fresh. And about the most frequent complanations "We won't see Michele anymore!", god, wait a second! He is dead in the second episode and we saw him in every single one until the sixth. Well, the setting is paradise, but it's funny and unconventional. And, I want to explain this point: there are lots of shows, out there, in with one important character died (or more than once). What happened? Nothing. You didn't see him anymore, and the show goes on. Like in real life. *shaking head*
I was quite surprised by the lack of reaction of fandom about new characters. The return of Ermanno isn't a surprize, ok, but (I know it sounds like a blasphemy) Pietro Taricone suits the role perfectly. I find all new entries at least interesting; seeing Camilla Filippi (playing Valeria Guerrieri) take the hell out because the vending machine didn't gave her change on Raiuno was astonishing. Claudia Alfonso is fantastic in her balancing role to Emanuele's character. I was quite surprised to see her dressed as a stilnovistic lady, because I had the same vision after her first appearance. But my favourite at all is Alessio Boni's character. Gosh, Alessio plays such a jinxed man, an ornitologist! Adriano is the ideal man for building gags with Monica, when he was playing with that thing that sounds like birds twitting, I was near to death for lol. XDDDDD
So, this season is perfect? Not at all. I really appreciated the courage of the writers, but I hope the rhythm in next episode will become more fluent and the turning point less predictable. But after 6 episodes, there are few series can claim perfection, so lets wait. I really don't like this spoiler management, you can find spoiler synopys until the midseason episode. Why?
...
Ok, let's be caustic.
Tthe fact that over65 rating always chosed other programmes freaks me out. Wildely. 2 bad words, a sex scene, some musical moments are really too innovative for these kind of people? Or it's the fact none of the character is played by Beppe Fiorello/is a saint? Holy s**t, there are "old" characters in this show too, you can sympathized with them! Atfer this proof, no one can say me again it's wrong to assume that after 65, brain fucks out (I don't know is this expression exits, I wanted to translate Maccio Capatonda's statement "Ti si fotte il cervello") Not everyone, ok, but a 30% of over 65 has this problem.
An exaple? Elections.