The Show: El Rostro de la Venganza (The Face of Vengeance)
The Channel: Telemundo
The Premise: El Rostro de la Venganza is about a young boy named Diego Mercader who is bullied and harassed in school by his classmates. When he’s 8 years old, he breaks down and is pressured by an unknown group of people to shoot 7 of his peers. He is given access to a gun and later accused and charged with the crime. He is sentenced to a psychological hospital.
20 years later, a psychiatrist named Antonia takes his case to court and frees him with the help of a very generous benefactor named Ezequiel.
He is given a new identity, Martin, and he works to rebuild his life and new identity as an employee of Ezeuqiel. Ezequiel appoints Martin as bodyguard to his fiancé Mariana, who has an affair with Ezequiel’s son, Luciano, and falls in love with Martin.
As with all telenovelas, Martin’s life becomes a web of lies, secrets, and betrayal, all focused around Antonia’s efforts to try to find out the truth about the murders and Ezequiel’s family.
And for the American version…
When I first read a synopsis of this show, I thought it might not be much different here in the US. It involves a common issue (bullying), crime as the possible result of emotional trauma, and the idea of restarting one’s life and the dramatic circumstances involved with doing so. Because this is a popular theme in American current events and entertainment, I think it’s more helpful to me as an author to consider the many ways in which it could be received. This will encourage me to do the same with my own work instead of interpreting my work from within my own perspective. However, this is also useful to readers, who might expand their views to include what other readers and the author may or may not have intended. Basically, I’m using this show as a lesson in critical thinking.
I think many readers will immediately feel sympathetic toward Martin. They’ll think of his unfortunate circumstances, his emotional struggles, and his treatment by his peers and fully understand the psychological aspect. They’ll cheer on his success and see him as recovering victim, not a nefarious killer.
Then, of course, some readers will feel quite the opposite. They’ll see Martin’s ability to succumb to killing as a problem much deeper than one caused by bullying and possibly see an underlying evil. They may even find it to be hypocritical; the kid who is traumatized by bullies resorts to taking the lives of others as a result.
And then, somewhere on a completely different spectrum, are those who will view the show as a social commentary on a trendy and talked about issue. They’ll consider both sides and wonder about the effects bullying has on children, how it’s influenced by the media, whether or not it’s sensationalized, and the many other quandaries surrounding the problem. Although surprising for a telenovela, it may actually provoke philosophical thought that leads to important discussions.
An author of literary fiction, such as me, strives for this kind of multi-layered meaning in their work. Even though this is just a juxtaposition of an idea in Spanish television to the reception of the same idea by American audiences, it’s worth a look at the foundation of its theme.
Want to watch El Rostro de la Venganza yourself? Even if you’re rolling your eyes at how seriously I’m taking it, it’s still entertaining! Check it out on DISH on Telemundo.
