I'm a Telenovela junkie, and I haven't even started watching!

When I signed up for this class, I thought I had a pretty good handle on what a telenovela was. In my arrogant mind, Telenovelas were even sappier imitations of melodramatic day-time soaps, only with Spanish-speaking actors and  less cash to spend on production. Studying abroad in Spain and Costa Rica, I watched teles occasionally with my home-stay families, taking in the lunacy of what was happening on the screen while carefully discerning what the characters were saying with my not-quite-there Spanish skills.  When asked what I thought of the shows, I nodded my head and replied with a simple, "Si mama, me gusta mucho,"always concealing what I really thought-- "Thank goodness there is better t.v in America!"

Coming back to the states, I would settle into my old ways, new gadgets and pick up with my beloved primetime shows. Flipping through the channels, bowl of popcorn in hand, I'd revel in my ability to understand the English language, each monotone and expressionless syllable like music to my ears. I didn't need a translator to comprehend Carrie Bradshaw's anger towards "Mr.Big" or captions to be captivated by  the treacherous love story between Meredith Grey and Dr. Shepard. "This," I thought,  " this is good t.v."

However, with the Grey's Anatomy craze dwindling, and after seeing countless re-runs of Sex and the City, I decided to try my hand at the new HBO thriller series, True Blood.  Introduced by friends, I hesitantly dipped my feet into the sensational, hideously corny, ridiculous plot line that mixed present-day life with the shapeshifters, mindreaders and yes, vampires. Holding myself to higher standards, I tried to resist the intriguing love triangles between human and immortal,  battles between good and evil and incredibly hunky actors...but eventually I  caved. Before I knew it, I was re-watching episodes and hosting True Blood parties, sharing anxiety with friends after each cliff-hanging episode. 

Needless to say, after only two weeks in class, I learned that I am no different than any other avid Telenovela watcher. In fact, I have been one all along! Bullet point after bullet point, I realized my favorite shows actually mirrored characteristics of the latino tele. Although my guilty pleasure only airs once a week, there is still unconditional romance, suspense and cheesy plot lines that are incredibly hard to refuse.  The glaring difference? My dramas are in my first language-English!

So, before I sink my teeth into the  lurid world of teles for this class, I'll approach with caution and set up specific times to watch ( observe!) each juicy episode. Afterall, I'm a Telenovela junkie...and I haven't even started watching yet.