A writer, four bffs, steamy romance, and a hell lot of conflict. Feels like you’ve been there, done that? Why wouldn’t it? After all, it was all about that and more in the 90s when one of the most groundbreaking sitcoms ruled the entertainment industry.
90s kids will get what I am saying. Right, Millennials? You’d be lying if you told me you weren’t smitten by the vibe of Sex and the City, or thought there could ever again be a character as iconic as Carrie Bradshaw.
Highlights
- Valeria is an 8 episode long Spanish dramedy on Netflix
- It unabashedly evokes Sex and the City.
- The series has been green-lit for a second season.
Taking its cues from Sex and the City, the brand new dramedy Valeria dabbles in love, relationships, friendship, homosexuality, career-issues, and dysfunctional families: all the ideal ingredients for a major coming-of-age series.
The plot, anyone?
Based on the novels by Elísabet Benavent, the storyline revolves around Valeria, a struggling writer, played by Diana Gomez, who believes she’s suffering from Imposter syndrome. In her quest to write her debut novel (naturally a work of erotica), she gets rejected by her publisher and eventually decides to explore the narrative herself in order to write a more grounded and real story. This is where things twist and turn. Her growing interest in another man, Victor, pushes her marriage to husband Adrian to the verge of collapse. The distance between husband and wife widens each day, as Valeria gets increasingly closer to Victor. Sex and the city vibe, eh?
In the midst of this, her three friends Carmen, Lola, and Nerea are busy dealing with problems in their own lives. Lola, (Silma Lopez) is dating a married man because it is “exciting”, the self-conscious and unassertive Carmen (Paula Malia) has a massive crush on her coworker Borja, and Nerea (Teresa Riott) is struggling to repay the costs of her Masters, the money for which was leant to her by her parents, for whom she works, and to whom she has still not come out of the closet as a lesbian.
What really happens?
Valeria’s friends are all supportive of her and keep encouraging her to complete the novel that she set out to write. Valeria is a story of a woman who is struggling to find connection with everything in her life; something that has constantly alluded her with her husband, her work, her parents, and herself. A little different than the whole shebang in Sex and the City though.
The actors have assimilated their characters well enough to give realistic portrayals in their roles. The dialogue is sophisticated and will resonate with viewers.
Skip it or stream it?
Although witty, this female-led romantic series sometimes gives the feeling of having seen similar tropes play out. Drama and romance keeps the narrative alive; but it still leaves a lot to be desired. While the first season comes to a desired conclusion, the sudden cop-out fails to justify the progress of the series till the final moments. The cliffhanger may be enough to maintain a buzz of anticipation for the second season, though.
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