WWLD What Would Lola Do?

31 August 2009

 by Dr. Booker

Lola had a breakdown and moved to Barcelona
Silvia snapped, crackled and popped and stayed in San Antonio


In planning Season 7, the LHDP writers knew two things: Adriana Ozores, the brilliant actress who played Lola, had left the show and they needed a compelling story line for Pepa and Silvia. In drama there has to be two crucial elements: conflict and miscommunication, and if drama is successful, the perfect storm will be created.

My thesis is that the 13 episodes of Season 7 could not have happened if Adriana was still on the show. I am going to focus on how Lola's absence impacted the Pepa and Silvia story line.

Lola was not only Silvia's older sister, but in many ways, a mother figure as well. Lola was the person whom Silvia turned to when she had trouble with her love life, we all remember the kitchen scene ("I believe I am flirting with Pepa"). Even more importantly, Lola called Silvia on things and would cut through the crap.

Let's go to Season 7. We know that Pepa and Silvia have been together 14 months, they live together and everyone knows about their relationship. These two women have never discussed the case of the missing uterus. They have never talked about having children or the two scars on an otherwise perfect body.

If Lola had been around, she would have confronted Silvia after the slap fest and said "WTF?!!" She would have staged an intervention, locked them in a room until they talked, or at least act as a mediator. Instead, we waited until the fifth episode (a great PepSi episode) for them to actually talk. Who did Silvia have in her life to share her fears? Who did she turn to for advice? Sara. Sara?! And who did Pepa have? Sara and Aitor--who needs a therapist when you have these two? I believe that Lola would also have been there for Pepa. I am not saying that Lola could have controlled or changed everything, but she would have been the voice of reason, which was obviously lacking in this season.

The real crisis of Season 7 was the obvious fact that Silvia had never gotten over losing her baby. She felt humiliated and betrayed by Pepa, and that was what triggered her mini breakdown. Scene after scene we saw how fragile Silvia was, and how she had not forgotten the shooting. We had that memorable moment where Silvia looked at her two scars in front of the mirror. The scars were evident, but the wounds had not healed for Silvia. All through these traumatic scenes, we could see how much she not only needed Lola, but how much she depended on Pepa and felt her absence.

Silvia didn't know how strong Pepa was. Pepa was accused of being a stray bullet and yes, she could be impulsive. I believe that Pepa was a dependable person, but she had stumbled in her fear of losing Silvia and she felt that Silvia had abandoned her. Silvia tells Pepa that she can't have someone flying 3000 meters above her. Because Silvia knew that she needed someone in her life who was grounded, like Lola.

In NYC, there are these massive balloons that fly over the city on Thanksgiving Day. The balloons are tethered by hundreds of people on the ground holding ropes that guide the balloons. Silvia is one of those balloons, and Lola has always been on the ground keeping Silvia steady and on course. When Lola left, Silvia expected Pepa to do the same thing and I think that Pepa did that in many ways--until this crisis. These two characters are the perfect combination of balloon and grounds person. Sometimes Pepa will be flying above the city and Silvia will be holding the rope, and then the roles will reverse. That is what they eventually learned in Season 8, that they could be the Lola for each other.
When I look back on Season 7, I remember how painful it was to watch each episode. Every week we wondered if they would ever reunite. The best thing about this season were the two brilliant performances by our women. Marian was a raw, open wound and we all know that she doesn't need words to share what is in her heart. Laura showed us that she is more than flirtatious and funny--she dug deep and an actor was revealed. These two women had a difficult story line, and they raised the acting bar. And no matter how wonderful Marian and Laura were in Seasons 7 and 8, Adriane Ozores presence was missed--as an actor and as Lola.

Dr. Booker