How many TV series could seriously be called a feast for the senses? Not many; a show can be visually stunning but a dud to watch, or well-acted but literally hard to watch. But there are shows that not only have both amazing visuals and a well-acted, well-written story, but it stimulates other senses, as well. That’s the case for a new Mexican series, debuting on HBO Latino and Max in the U.S.
LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Opening Shot: Clouds and farmland. A voice says, “I learned long ago that stories are neither entirely true or false.”
The Gist: The person who is saying that is telling the story of how her great aunt Tita was supposedly born, in 1892. The tale is that her mother gave birth to Tita while cutting onions, and that she shed enough tears to flood the kitchen.
As she grew up, she spent more time with the cook, Nacha (Ángeles Cruz) than her mother, Elena (Irene Azuela). After we see Tita meet Pedro, who would become the love of her life, we flash forward to 1908, when a 16-year-old Tita (Azul Guaita) is making cream fritters with Nacha. The love that she has for the person she’s making them for goes into making them so delicious. Tita eagerly brings them to Pedro (Andrés Baida), who is now 18 and is ready to go to the city for college. He promises to write Tita every day.
Two years later, Pedro is at a rally for opposition leader Pedro Madero when the police raid it and start shooting. He barely escapes and ends up coming back home to stay at the Múzquiz estate to live with his influential father, Pedro Sr. (Mauricio García) and study for his law degree. Tita sees him in church that Sunday and ignores him. Obviously something happened — or didn’t happen — to lead to that reaction.
Elena has three very distinct daughters: She has designated Tita, the youngest, to take care of her into her senior years. Middle daughter Gertrudis (Andrea Chaparro) is truly a free spirit. Elena is determined to marry off her oldest, Rosaura (Ana Valeria Becerril) first, even though she’s the “plainest” (relatively) of the three.
Those issues come out at a society dance, where Elena instructs her daughters to direct any dance request to Roasura. Pedro, of course, asks Tita to dance and the same spark that was between them before returns. She eventually tells him that she never got one letter from him in the years he was away, and he replies by saying he sent letters every day, as promised, until he got tired of not getting Reponses.
This reignites their romance, and leads to a proposal. But Elena has no use for the entire Múzquiz family, due to a dispute over the sale of two cows to Pedro Sr. when she was desperate for money. But Pedro Jr. persuades his father that he loves Tata and intends to marry her no matter what. A deal is worked out; someone is getting married to Pedro Jr., but it won’t be Tata.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Like Water For Chocolate, based on Laura Esquivel’s novel of the same name, was also a universally-praised 1992 film. Despite the early-20th-century setting, the feel is more of a sensual take on Bridgerton.
Our Take: Francisco Javier Royo Fernández is the head writer for this version of Like Water For Chocolate, which boasts Salma Hayek Pinault as one of its executive producers. With the space offered by a limited series, Fernández and his writers offer up a lingering visual smorgasbord of revolution-era Mexico, along with a well-thought-out setup of exactly what was at stake when Tita learned that the love of her life, Pedro, was going to be married to her older sister Rosaura instead of her.
Guaita, who plays Tata, communicates the longing her character has for Pedro, which will be funneled through her efforts in the kitchen as she gets older, frustrated that her mother has so much control over her destiny. She’s great at communicating the struggle of women in that era, who were asserting independence but still constrained by the strong bias at the time towards gender norms. Add the society aspect to Tata’s upbringing — despite the fact that Maria struggles to stay financially stable — and Tata’s battle is certainly a difficult one.
But the chemistry between Guaita and Baida, who plays Pedro, is undeniable. Watching them share the cream fritters that Tata made is as sensual a scene as you’re ever going to see, even though the most sexual thing that happens during the scene is some kissing. That’s the power of food, isn’t it? The entire series will proceed like this, with Tata increasingly making sumptuous and delicious-looking dishes that are infused with her love for Pedro and the frustration that she can’t have him.
The show’s easygoing pace gives the audience a chance to really get to know Tata, Pedro, Elena, Rosaura and Gertrudis, along with the people around them, and surround themselves with not only their story but the environment it’s told in. We usually don’t love slower-paced shows, but given that the story of Like Water For Chocolate involves romantic love, revolution and amazing food, the pace is just right this time around.
Sex and Skin: Does seeing a closeup of Tata and Pedro eating cream fritters count?Parting Shot: The camera pulls quickly away from a horrified Tata as she watches Pedro and his father ride away from her family’s ranch.Sleeper Star: Ari Brickman is Pedro’s uncle Felipe, who is a top police official. The two of them will likely be in conflict as the revolution plays out.
Most Pilot-y Line: When Pedro talks to a stable hand who’s been a friend since they were both kids, Pedro Sr. tells the stable hand to start calling his son “Mr. Pedro” or “boss” from now on. Yes, Pedro Sr. is that much of a jerk.
Our Call: STREAM IT. We don’t often call a TV series “luscious,” but that’s a perfect word to describe Like Water For Chocolate. From the setting to the food that is integral to the plot to the performances of the show’s leads, the series is a feast for the senses.
Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.
