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marcmarcmomarc · 6 months

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RWBY Audio Description notes

This will be the type of DVS that has the narrator taking breaths from how much they’re describing. Think the American DVS track for Monsters University.

Be sure to read the Ultimate Guide to Audio Description on u3playmedia.com.

Category 2: cast rolls

Volume 1

Starring the voices of

Jen Taylor as Mysterious Narrator

Shannon McCormick as Professor Ozpin

Gray G. Haddock as Roman Torchwick

Patrick Rodriguez as Shopkeep

William Lopez and Isaiah Torres as Goons

Lindsay Tuggey as Ruby Rose

Kathleen Zuelch as Glynda Goodwitch

Barbara Dunkelman as Yang Xiao Long

Patrick Rodriguez as Cyril Ian

Jen Brown as Lisa Lavender

Miles Luna as Jaune Arc

Kara Eberle as Weiss Schnee

Arryn Zech as Blake Belladonna

Samantha Ireland as Nora Valkyrie

Monty Oum as Lie Ren

Jen Brown as Pyrrha Nikos

Ryan Haywood as Professor Peter Port

Adam Ellis as Cardin Winchester

Caiti Ward as Velvet

Shane Newville as Russel Thrush

Joel Heyman as Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck

Burnie Burns and Joel Heyman as Detectives

Isaiah Torres and Daniel Fabelo as Sailors

Michael Jones as Sun Wukong

Taylor Pelto as Penny

Chris Martin as White Fang Goon

Alan Abdine as Penny’s Driver

Jessica Nigri as Cinder

Volume 2

Starring the voices of

Patrick Rodriguez as Shopkeep

Katie Newville as Emerald Sustrai

J.J. Castillo as Mercury Black

Adam Ellis as Tukson

Arryn Zech as Blake Belladonna

Barbara Dunkelman as Yang Xiao Long

Kara Eberle as Weiss Schnee

Monty Oum as Lie Ren

Samantha Ireland as Nora Valkyrie

Miles Luna as Jaune Arc

Jen Brown as Pyrrha Nikos

Lindsay Jones as Ruby Rose

Kerry Shawcross as Neptune Vasilias

Michael Jones as Sun Wukong

Kathleen Zuelch as Glynda Goodwitch

Shannon McCormick as Professor Ozpin

Gray G. Haddock as Roman Torchwick

Jessica Nigri as Cinder Fall

Jason Lei Rose as General Ironwood

Ryan Haywood as Professor Port

Taylor Pelto as Penny

Megan Castro as CCT AI

Emily McBride as Schnee Corp Operator

Patrick Rodriguez and Jon Risinger as Atlas Soldiers

Jack Pattillo as Hei “Junior” Xiong

Maggie Tominey as Miltia and Melanie Malachite

Gray G. Haddock as White Fang Lieutenant

Maggie Tominey as Deery

Shane Newville and Kerry Shawcross as Atlas Soldiers

Adam Ellis as Cardin Winchester

Joel Heyman as Bartholomew Oobleck

Penny Layne Matthews as Zwei

Caiti Ward as Velvet Scarlatina

Kyle Taylor as Perry

Austin Hardwicke, Miles Luna, Dustin Matthews, and Josh Ornelas as White Fang Goons

Ashley Jenkins as Coco

Gray G. Haddock as Councilman

Garrett Hunter as Adam Taurus

Anna Hullum as Raven Branwen

Additional Voices:

Megan Castro

Sheena Duquette

Harley Dwortz

Daniel Fabelo

Blaine Gibson

Austin Hardwicke

Stefanie Hardy

Kris McMeans

Shane Newville

Kristina Nguyen

Maggie Tominey

Luiz Vazquez

Jeff Yohn

Volume 3

Starring the voices of

Lindsay Jones as Ruby Rose

Arryn Zech as Blake Belladonna

Kara Eberle as Weiss Schnee

Barbara Dunkelman as Yang Xiao Long

Joel Heyman as Bartholomew Oobleck

Ryan Haywood as Peter Port

Katie Newville as Emerald Sustrai

Yuri Lowenthal as Mercury Black

Jessica Nigri as Cinder Fall

Miles Luna as Jaune Arc

Jen Brown as Pyrrha Nikos

Samantha Ireland as Nora Valkyrie

Neath Oum as Lie Ren

Blaine Gibson as Brawnz Ni

Aaron Marquis as Nolan Porfirio

Markus Horstmeyer as Crow Bar Bartender

Vic Mignogna as Qrow Branwen

Kerry Shawcross as Neptune Vasilias

Michael Jones as Sun Wukong

Grace Bono as Nebula Violette

Gavin Free as Scarlet David

Paige Campbell as Dew Gayl

Josh Ornelas as Sage Ayana

Elizabeth Maxwell as Winter Schnee

Jason Rose as James Ironwood

Kathleen Zuelch as Glynda Goodwitch

Shannon McCormick as Professor Ozpin

Caiti Ward as Velvet Scarlatina

Ashley Jenkins as Coco Adel

Joe MacDonald as Yatsuhashi Daichi

Gray G. Haddock as Video Game Announcer

Taylor McNee as Penny Polendina

Yssa Badiola as Ciel Soleil

Flynt Flossy as Flynt Coal

Meg Turney as Neon Katt

Josh Flanagan as Atlas Soldier

César Altagracia as Vendor

Kate Warner as Woman

Robert Reynolds as Man

Alex Leonard as Large Man

Gray G. Haddock as Roman Torchwick

Garrett Hunter as Adam Taurus

Joe MacDonald as Inn Keeper

Laura Bailey as Amber

Gray G. Haddock as White Fang Lieutenant

Jon Risinger as Paramedic

Jonathan Floyd as Atlas Security Guard

Jen Brown as Lisa Lavender

Robert Reynolds as Haven Tourist

Tyler Coe as Reporter

Cole Gallian as Broadcast Op

Kate Warner as Warning Announcer

Travis Willingham as Atlas Ship Captain

Andrea Caprotti as Blue Three

Burnie Burns as Taiyang Xiao Long

Jen Taylor as Salem

Volume 4

Starring the voices of

Lindsay Jones as Ruby Rose

Kara Eberle as Weiss Schnee

Arryn Zech as Blake Belladonna

Barbara Dunkelman as Yang Xiao Long

Cast:

Jessica Nigri as Cinder Fall

Christopher Sabat as Arthur Watts

Josh Grelle as Tyrian Callows

Jen Taylor as Salem

William Orendorff as Hazel Rainart

Katie Newville as Emerald Sustrai

Samantha Ireland as Nora Valkyrie

Neath Oum as Lie Ren

Miles Luna as Jaune Arc

Mike McFarland as Mayor

Chris Guerrero as Blacksmith

J. Michael Tatum as Klein Sieben

Howard Wang as Whitley Schnee

Jen Brown as Pyrrha Nikos

Alejandro Saab as Dying Huntsman

Jason Douglas as Jacques Schnee

Jason Rose as James Ironwood

Bruce Carey as Captain

Tyler Coe as Reporter 01

Amber Lee Connors as Reporter 02

Jason Douglas as Reporter 03

Jen Brown as Lisa Lavender

Burnie Burns as Taiyang Xiao Long

Yunhao Xhong as Crew Member 01

Kai Ziegler as First Mate

Michael Jones as Sun Wukong

Chris Kokkinos as Crew Member 02

Aaron Dismuke as Oscar Pine

Shannon McCormick as Professor Ozpin

Marissa Lenti as Oscar’s Aunt

Ryan Haywood as Peter Port

Joel Heyman as Bartholomew Oobleck

Vic Mignogna as Qrow Branwen

Kim Newman as Higanbana Waitress

Anna Hullum as Raven Branwen

Tara Platt as Kali Belladonna

Kent Williams as Ghira Belladonna

Derek Mears as Corsac Albain

Mike McFarland as Fennec Albain

Scott Frerichs as Businessman

Amber Lee Connors as Businesswoman

Alejandro Saab as Henry Marigold

Nick Landis as Angry Businessman

Kyler Smith as Waiter

Felicia Angelle as Trophy Wife

Chris Kokkinos as Husband

Cherami Leigh Kuehn as Ilia Amitola

Dawn M. Bennett as An Ren

Apphia Yu as Young Ren

Connor Pickens as Young Blacksmith

Scott Frerichs as Tall Boy

Amber Lee Connors as Short Boy

Marissa Lenti as Medium Boy

Kaiji Tang as Li Ren

Kristen McGuire as Young Nora

Stan Lewis as Mistral Pilot

Richard Norman as Atlas Pilot

Alena Lecorchick as Train Announcer

Volume 5

Starring the voices of

Lindsay Jones as Ruby Rose

Kara Eberle as Weiss Schnee

Arryn Zech as Blake Belladonna

Barbara Dunkelman as Yang Xiao Long

Cast:

Vic Mignogna as Qrow Branwen

Samantha Ireland as Nora Valkyrie

Neath Oum as Lie Ren

Miles Luna as Jaune Arc

Richard Norman as Atlas Pilot

Reina Scully as Female Mistral Pilot

Daman Mills as Leo Lionheart

Kent Williams as Ghira Belladonna

Michael Jones as Sun Wukong

Tara Platt as Kali Belladonna

Gio Coutinho as Menagerie Guard

Cherami Leigh Kuehn as Ilia Amitola

Christopher Sabat as Arthur Watts

Zane Rutledge as Just Rite Bartender

Clifford Chapin as Shay D. Mann

Aaron Dismuke as Oscar Pine

Jen Taylor as Salem

Jessica Nigri as Cinder Fall

Monica Rial as Sienna Khan

Garrett Hunter as Adam Taurus

William Orendorff as Hazel Rainart

Chris Kokkinos as Bandit 01

Anna Hullum as Raven Branwen

Shannon McCormick as Professor Ozpin

William Ball as Saber Rodentia

Billy B. Burson III as Bandit 02

Amber Lee Connors as Vernal

Victoria Holden as Worried Mother

Scott Frerichs as Mata

Mike McFarland as Fennec Albain

Derek Mears as Corsac Albain

Nick Landis as Yuma

Nick Landis as Ramen Shop Owner

Emily Fajardo as Small Girl

Yuri Lowenthal as Mercury Black

Emily Fajardo as Trifa

Stan Lewis and Jenn K. Tidwell as Menagerie Guards

Willem W. Keetell as Faunus Civilian 01

Ariel James as Faunus Civilian 02

Christine Stuckart as Young Faunus Woman

Patrick Rodriguez as Older Faunus Man

Katie Newville as Emerald Sustrai

Luis “Paco” Vazquez as White Fang Goon 01

Willem W. Keetell as White Fang Goon 02

Jamie Smith as Mistral Police Captain

Jenn K. Tidwell as White Fang Goon 03

Volume 6

Starring the voices of

Lindsay Jones as Ruby Rose

Kara Eberle as Weiss Schnee

Arryn Zech as Blake Belladonna

Barbara Dunkelman as Yang Xiao Long

Cast

Samantha Ireland as Nora Valkyrie

Aaron Dismuke as Oscar Pine

Christine Stuckart as White Fang Guard 01

Garrett Hunter as Adam Taurus

César Altagracia as White Fang Guard 02

Connor Pickens as White Fang Guard 03

Vic Mignogna as Qrow Branwen

Neath Oum as Lie Ren

Alex Mai as Dee

Christopher Guerrero as Dudley

Shannon McCormick as Professor Ozpin

Cherami Leigh Kuehn as Ilia Amitola

Michael Jones as Sun Wukong

Kerry Shawcross as Neptune Vasilias

Miles Luna as Jaune Arc

Melissa Sternenberg as Maria Calavera

Jessica Nigri as Cinder Fall

Lauren Aptekar as Mistral Woman

Colleen Clinkenbeard as Jinn

Ethan Marler as Newscaster

Luci Christian as Li’l Miss Malachite

Jenn K. Tidwell as Bodyguard

Jen Taylor as Salem

Aaron Dismuke and Shannon McCormick as Ozma

Chase McCaskill as God of Light

Bruce DuBose as God of Darkness

Richard Norman as Frightened Man

Jenn K. Tidwell as Eldest Daughter

Lauren Aptekar as Youngest Daughter

Josh Grelle as Tyrian Callows

William Orendorff as Hazel Rainart

Yuri Lowenthal as Mercury Black

Katie Newville as Emerald Sustrai

Christopher Sabat as Arthur Watts

Ruth Urquhart as Tock

Lindsay Sheppard as Saphron Cotta-Arc

Lucella Wren Clary as Adrian Cotta-Arc

Jamie Smith as Terra Cotta-Arc

Kyle Phillips as Nubuck Guard 1

Kyle Phillips as Nubuck Guard 2

Mela Lee as Caroline Cordovin

Jen Brown as Red Haired Woman

Connor Pickens as Terminal Guard

Jeb-Aguilar Kendrick as Atlas Soldier

Danzer Koehler as Argus Air Control

Noël Wiggins as Manta Two-Two

Dalton Allen as Manta Three-Four

Melanie Stern as Manta Two-One

Joe Clary as Manta Two-Four

Alena Lecorchick as Atlas Air Traffic Female

Volume 7

Starring the voices of

Lindsay Jones as Ruby Rose

Kara Eberle as Weiss Schnee

Arryn Zech as Blake Belladonna

Barbara Dunkelman as Yang Xiao Long

Cast

Alena Lecorchick as Atlas Air Traffic Female

Melissa Sternenberg as Maria Calavera

Jason Liebrecht as Qrow Branwen

Miles Luna as Jaune Arc

Jason Rose as James Ironwood

Elizabeth Maxwell as Winter Schnee

Samantha Ireland as Nora Valkyrie

Joel Mann as Drunk Mann

Dustin Matthews as Drinking Buddy

Dave Fennoy as Dr. Pietro Polendina

Neath Oum as Lie Ren

Aaron Dismuke as Oscar Pine

Taylor McNee as Penny Polendina

Chris Wehkamp as Clover Ebi

Eric Baudour as Forest

Billy B. Burson III and Todd Womack as Pilots

Dawn M. Bennett as Elm Ederne

Mick Lauer as Marrow Amin

Anairis Quiñones as Harriet Bree

Todd Womack as Vine Zeki

Christopher Sabat as Arthur Watts

Josh Grelle as Tyrian Callows

Jason Douglas as Jacques Schnee

Howard Wang as Whitley Schnee

Meg Turney as Neon Katt

Flynt Flossy as Flynt Coal

Cristina Vee as Robyn Hill

Michele Sontag as Fiona Thyme

Luci Christian as Fria

Scott Morgan as Newscaster

Kdin Jenzen as May Marigold

Marissa Lenti as Joanna Greenleaf

Kirk Johnson as Mantle Citizen

Quentin Holtz as Mantle Patrol

Kyle Taylor as News Reporter

Ed Whetstone as AK-200 Driver

César Altagracia, J.D. Arredondo, Quentin Holtz, Kirk Johnson, Alena Lecorchick, Tony Salvaggio, Nicolas Swift, and Ed Whetstone as Atlas Soldiers

Connor Pickens as Patrol

Kirk Johnson and Christine Stuckart as Waiters

Lauren Aptekar as Female Dinner Guest

Chad James as Councilman Sleet

Anairis Quiñones as Councilwoman Camilla

Caitlin Glass as Willow Schnee

Brooke Olson as Mantle Child

Quentin Holtz, Nikita Steele, Nicholas Swift, Jenn K. Tidwell, and Ed Whetstone as Civilians

Richard Norman as Mantle Team Delta

Jessica Nigri as Cinder Fall

Quentin Holtz, Alena Lecorchick, Nicholas Swift, Jenn K. Tidwell, and Ed Whetstone as Civilians

Jen Taylor as Salem

Shannon McCormick as Professor Ozpin

Alena Lecorchick and Ed Whetstone as Atlas Pilots

Volume 8

Starring the voices of

Lindsay Jones as Ruby Rose

Kara Eberle as Weiss Schnee

Arryn Zech as Blake Belladonna

Barbara Dunkelman as Yang Xiao Long

Cast (in order of appearance)

Jessica Nigri as Cinder Fall

Jen Taylor as Salem

Josh Grelle as Tyrian Callows

Katie Newville as Emerald Sustrai

Aaron Dismuke as Oscar Pine

Shannon McCormick as Professor Ozpin

Melissa Sternenberg as Maria Calavera

Marissa Lenti as Joanna Greenleaf

Kdin Jenzen as May Marigold

Michele Sontag as Fiona Thyme

Neath Oum as Lie Ren

Dave Fennoy as Dr. Pietro Polendina

Samantha Ireland as Nora Valkyrie

Miles Luna as Jaune Arc

Taylor McNee as Penny Polendina

Jason Rose as James Ironwood

Zoe Terhune as Atlas Huntress

Elizabeth Maxwell as Winter Schnee

Alena Lecorchick as Atlas Technician

Chad James as Councilman Sleet

Anairis Quiñones as Councilwoman Camilla

Cristina Vee as Robyn Hill

Jason Douglas as Jacques Schnee

Christopher Sabat as Arthur Watts

Cody Hawkins as Atlas Soldier

Jason Liebrecht as Qrow Branwen

Nick Schwartz as Reporter

Jenn K. Tidwell as Mother

Christine Stuckart as Disgruntled Grandmother

Gus Sorola as Fiona’s Uncle

César Altagracia as Crimson

Jason Liebrecht as The Hound

Cody Hawkins and Andrea Ratsos as Atlas Soldiers

Andrea Ratsos as Mechanical Voice

Nick Schwartz as Operator

Anairis Quiñones as Harriet Bree

Mick Lauer as Marrow Amin

Todd Womack as Vine Zeki

Dawn M. Bennett as Elm Ederne

Howard Wang as Whitley Schnee

William Orendorff as Hazel Rainart

Kerry Shawcross as Neptune Vasilias

Burnie Burns as Taiyang Xiao Long

Linda Leonard as Madame

Amalee as Step-Sisters

Christian Young as Rhodes

Yuri Lowenthal as Mercury Black

Billy B. Burson III, Kdin Jenzen, and Zack Watkins as Atlas Commanders

Alexia Cruz as Child

Matthew Cruz as Father

J. Michael Tatum as Klein Sieben

Caitlin Glass as Willow Schnee

Alanah Pearce as Computer Terminal

Noël Wiggins as Atlas Soldier

Dalton Allen, Nick Kramer, and Alena Lecorchick as Atlas Soldiers

Meg Turney as Neon Katt

Flynt Flossy as Flynt Coal

Colleen Clinkenbeard as Jinn

Kate Daigler as Atlas Commander

Noël Wiggins as Atlas Soldier

Billy B. Burson III as Atlas Officer

Jackie Izawa as CCT Voice

Valentine Stokes as Ambrosius

Chris Demarais as Civilian

Volume 9

Starring the voices of

Lindsay Jones as Ruby Rose

Kara Eberle as Weiss Schnee

Arryn Zech as Blake Belladonna

Barbara Dunkelman as Yang Xiao Long

Cast (in order of appearance)

Morgan Lauré as Summer Rose

Jessica Nigri as Cinder Fall

Taylor McNee as Penny Polendina

Richard Norman as The Bird

Luci Christian as Little

Brendan Blaber as Mouse

Jamie Battle as Mouse Leader

Richard Norman as Jabberwalker

Brendan Blaber as Jinxy

Jamie Battle as Townsperson

Nick Cramer, Billy B. Burson III, and Kdin Jenzen as Toy Soldiers

Michael Malconian as Red Prince

Brendan Blaber as Toy Guard

Cody Hawkins as Toy Soldier 01

Michael Malconian as Toy Soldier 02

Billy B. Burson III as White Pawn 02

Brendan Blaber as White Pawn 03

Jamie Battle as White Pawn 01

Michael Malconian as White Pawn 04

Robbie Daymond as Curious Cat

Christopher Guerrero as Herbalist

César Altagracia as Hawker

Kimlinh Tran as Blacksmith

Kdin Jenzen as Teapot Lady

Miles Luna as Jaune Arc

Connor Pickens as Blue Paper Pleaser

Dalton Allen as Yellow Paper Pleaser

Dustin Matthews as Green Paper Pleaser

Paula Decanini as Red Paper Pleaser

Yssa Badiola as Purple Paper Pleaser

Billy Kametz and Christopher Wehkamp as Roman Torchwick

Jen Brown as Pyrrha Nikos

Shannon McCormick as Professor Ozpin

Jason Rose as James Ironwood

Daman Mills as Leonardo Lionheart

Christopher Wehkamp as Clover Ebi

Aaron Dismuke as Oscar Pine

Paula Decanini as Genial Gem

Burnie Burns as Taiyang Xiao Long

Anna Hullum as Raven Branwen

Shara Kirby as Alyx

Luci Christian as Somewhat

#rwby #audio description #descriptive video service #leilani jones wilmore #rwby volume 1 #rwby volume 2 #rwby volume 3 #rwby volume 4 #rwby volume 5 #rwby volume 6 #rwby volume 7 #rwby volume 8 #rwby volume 9

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sandraoledan · 4 years

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An Opinion Piece on Vis A Vis: A Bittersweet Goodbye

The start of a new decade marked the end of our beloved series, Vis A Vis. I can feel the 'post-series depression' already; in other words, that empty feeling at the pit of your stomach once a show has ended. In fact, I feel as if it has tripled for this series specifically, because of the three different time periods explored in the five seasons and the consequently different reactions I had to each period. Let me expound.

Seasons 1-2: What won me over initially

What really won my heart over with this show was Macarena's evolution during her time in prison. Initially, she was innocent, naïve, and defenseless, often finding herself at the mercy of Cruz del Sur's many villains; such as drug-trafficking Anabel, closeted pedophile Sandoval, and of course, the ever-scheming Zulema. A common theme was her constant need to be saved or protected; this was evident in almost all of her relationships - with her parents, her brother, and love interests Rizos & Fabio. We later find out that one of the reasons why she decided to be with Rizos was because she felt alone and afraid. Her feeble attempts at survival were frustrating; you wanted her to be stronger; you wanted her to push back against her bullies and win. You wanted to see a protagonist with confidence.

Because it took her the entirety of the first season to do this, her eventual dominion of Cruz del Sur in Season 2 was intensely satisfying. She became a better survivor: through boxing, she found a cathartic outlet and used her newfound physical prowess to overcome Annabel's thugs when they came to permanently deafen her with a wire in the bathroom. She became secure - or at least, so we thought - in her evolving identity, embracing her bisexuality as she fell more in love with Rizos. She bought Bambi from Anabel to put an end to the latter's remorseless abuse, and offered love and affection to Rizos upon discovering her rape by Valbuena; for the first time, we see Macarena as the protector instead of the protected. But this show wouldn't be emotionally complex if her character's development was so perfectly absolute: she was still reliant on Fabio, confusing her desperation to escape prison with feelings for him. Her shock at his deception, however in good faith, coupled with the news of her mother's death, witnessing the cold-blooded murder of her father, and becoming a murderer herself, triggered a spiral into darkness. It was a beautifully tragic display of the destruction of her initially strong moral compass. She turned to drugs, ended her relationship with Rizos in the most heartbreaking way, and isolated herself from the other inmates. This change in Maca was something I was excited to see play out in seasons 3 and 4; I wanted to see her redemption arc. However, due to conflicts in schedule, the actress that players her, Maggie Civantos, was only able to play Maca for a mere five episodes across the two new seasons. While the actress cannot be blamed for this, her departure led to a string of creative decisions that, in my opinion, slightly compromised the quality of Seasons 3-4.

Season 3: A decline in quality...

The first criticism stems from the time jump from Cruz del Sur to Cruz del North; there were many cliffhangers left unaddressed. Specifically, they were reactions we didn't get to see, such as Sole finding out her husband, Fernando, was murdered; the inmates finding out that Saray got pregnant, and of course, more importantly, the change in Maca after she decides (at the end of Season 2) to go back to prison instead of running away as a fugitive. The absence of these scenes automatically undermined our emotional investment in the show and created a misalignment between the reaction of the viewers and the non-reaction of the characters actually living out the story. Additionally, many key characters were so dependent on the development of Maca's story, that Civantos' departure from the show necessitated an abrupt end to their storylines (i.e. her brother Roman & prison guard and love interest Fabio), which felt contrived. Even more forced was the relationship between Rizos & Inspector Nerea: similar to Roman & Fabio, Rizos' character was so dependent on Maca that it seems like the writers felt pressured to "recreate" their romance with someone new. Not only did this spectacularly fail, as her short-lived relationship with Nerea felt rushed, disingenuous and random, but it also cheapened Rizos in the sense that she became one-dimensional, only capable of pursuing relationships recklessly and nothing more. This was confirmed implicitly by the writers, as throughout the two seasons, they struggled to give Rizos anything meaningful to do and gave her the most dissatisfactory ending of all the inmates in the finale. I found this extremely disappointing because I enjoyed her character's story arc in the first two seasons. In the same vein, enter Mercedes, who replaced Maca as one of the protagonists in Season 3. Her story and eventual demise was fruitless: she was not charismatic and did not form relationships with any of the inmates, the latter point I think being a crucial mistake on the part of the writers. So while they believed they upped the ante by giving her a brutal death, honestly, I don't think anyone cared much. We simply wanted Maca back.

Season 4: ...Redeemed by our favourite villains

While Season 3 was a far cry from the quality of the first two seasons, arguably Season 4 managed to redeem them. First and foremost, was the character development of our favourite villains, Saray and Zulema. While Zulema was the perfect villain in the first two seasons, I worried that her relentless need to escape prison made her predictable. By introducing her secret daughter, Fatima, and her estranged mother, this changed Zulema's dynamic entirely: whereas we once saw a cold and calculating criminal who would do anything and kill anyone to break free, we now saw a woman jaded by the injustices and traumas of her past. We could relate to her that much more. Watching Zulema fall to her knees, begging Sandoval to stop the rape of her daughter, was one of the most powerful scenes of the entire series, because a compromising Zulema seemed so unfathomable before. The chilling murder of Fatima was matched by an inflamed Zulema, and her passion as a mother finally eclipsing her need to escape was a well-developed, well-executed arc. We have a similar situation with Saray; with the birth of her daughter, instead of her sporadic episodes of violence, she channeled her passions into her newborn. The scene where she had to say goodbye to Estrella, as well as that scene where she showed her to Zulema as a way to make amends, were so tender, and beautifully contrasted with her previous tendencies to rage at the smallest things. This was of course helped by the gentle refrain of the soundtrack playing whenever Saray and Estrella were on screen together (as a side note, the scoring of this series was consistently excellent; the melancholic melodies foreshadowed the inevitable tragedies of the characters onscreen. Other standout examples include the melodies played during Maca and Rizos' intimate scenes, and Fatima's theme.) Additionally, the fact that it was Saray who had the courage and heart to mercy kill Sole, just emphasized the growth of her empathy and the change in her character.

One cannot mention Season 4 without bringing up the tear-jerking reunion between Rizos and Maca. Watching them stare at each other in disbelief after not seeing each other for eight months was an incredibly emotional scene. Even Civantos admitted during an interview that that scene was "the most beautiful scene in her entire career". Seeing their chemistry made me lament even more the absence of Civantos throughout the two seasons, as I would have loved to see that familiar push and pull in their relationship playing out under the different circumstances of Season 4, and particularly, a more hardened and jaded Maca. Nevertheless, this reunion scene was arguably the best that the writers could've given us as closure between the two, so I applaud them for this.

Ultimately, there were a number of dissatisfactory decisions made in Seasons 3-4, but they were still very entertaining seasons. It is important to note that the episodes were more or less twenty minutes shorter than the episodes from the first two seasons, so I can understand the limitations that placed creatively on the writers and directors on top of having to work around Civantos' departure.

Vis A Vis: El Oasis - A grave injustice

So what made Vis A Vis successful? The evolutions and relationships of the characters, both protagonist and secondary. How every character existed purposefully, with a backstory we could empathize with. The constant battle between morality and survival. El Oasis, unfortunately, failed to capitalize on its predecessor's strengths, bringing nothing new to the lives of our favourite characters. The storytelling was convoluted and often times confusing; at best, the episodes evoked feelings of dissatisfaction within the viewers. Ultimately, most fans will dismiss this spin-off as a consequence of being exposed to the deserts of El Oasis for too long: a mere hallucination.

My first criticism concerns how little actually happened over the course of the eight episodes. My reaction after every episode was the same: I'd process the story unfolding, then get shocked when the (approximately) 45 minutes would already be over. So much time would pass, and yet there was so little exposition. Each episode would leave the previous episode's questions mostly unanswered, and gave rise to even more questions. I realized quickly this was due to the unnecessary increase in supporting characters, with close to no development of backstory. For instance: how did Zulema know Ama? Ama's confrontation with Maca was so brief, and she ended up killing herself. As one of the villains, it made the build-up of her character pointless. What was the point of Flaca? She spent most of her screen time bleeding out only to be killed. You could argue it was to show that high-stakes heists inevitably have risks and collateral damage. Well, sure, but I don't think people cared much for her character because they gave us nothing to care about. Who was she to Maca but someone who occasionally chimed in on Maca's contributions to their therapy sessions? What was the point of the school bus full of kids visiting El Oasis if they were all just going to be let go so easily by Ramala's henchmen? You could argue it was to reveal Goya's past with bullying, when she intervened and beat up Eric's bullies; or it could be because Vivi needed to meet someone that felt isolated like her, to give her character more dimension. Either way, both reasons feel contrived. If something cannot be justified naturally, then it feels forced. Cepo, Goya and Triana were all interesting supporting characters, so it felt like such a waste that their characters weren't given anything interesting to do.

What also elicited questions was the very disjointed narrative: there was a constant jumping of timelines mixed in with flashbacks, so nobody ever really knew when anything was happening. Doing that without properly developing the events actually occuring at that present time had the dual effect of leaving the audience confused and made us feel emotionally detached from the plot and the characters. Most significantly: how did Maca and Zulema go from taking cute polaroids together and Zulema calling Maca her home, to them wanting to turn on each other? Instead of expounding on important plot points like these, the audience was given fillers with non-essential characters. What is the point of making a spin-off dedicated to the relationship between Zulema and Maca if their story was going to remain underdeveloped? Additionally, a fan online calculated that they only got 30 minutes out of over 360 potential minutes screen time together; that is only 8%. It is no surprise the fans were extremely disappointed.

Moreover, underdevelopment came in the form of stasis, or a state of inactivity. A majority of the season saw the protagonists waiting around the hotel, which was honestly boring. For instance, we saw a number of episodes where Goya and Triana were essentially just watchdogs over Kati, and nothing more. This was worsened by the use of dialogue. In earlier seasons of Vis A Vis, dialogue was one of the main drivers of the plot; in El Oasis, not unlike the supporting character fillers, not much what said, and when things were said, they didn't add much to the story (save for a few exceptions). It made the actors' acting seem flat, which is unfair to the actors as we saw their moments of brilliance in the earlier seasons. Additionally, a stylistic choice that pervaded El Oasis was the drawn out moments of every scene; for instance, when Zulema looked over Ama's dead body in the desert - that was given a whole five minutes of screentime. All these points hammer home the idea that while things were happening, they were 1) things that did not do much to drive a compelling plot and 2) were things the audience did not care about. It is clear the writers were trying to be different from the original series, and also tried to do too much. As the saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Arguably, they failed on both accounts.

Finally, the finale itself warrants its own paragraph of criticism. The most glaring flaw was the way Zulema's death was executed. In the promotional videos leading up to this finale, we hear Zulema say to Maca: "igual en la vida, igual en la muerte" i.e. equal in life, and equal in death. This was an idea initially introduced by Altagracia in Season 3. Thus, Zulema dying while Maca got to live was not consistent with what they were teasing in their marketing materials. Still, one could argue that Zulema had to die because she had terminal cancer anyway, and this would be her epic redemption arc. To which I would I concede that yes, this finale could have been satisfactory and logical even with Zulema's death. However, the manner of her death was inconsistent with her character. Throughout the series, we are made to associate Zulema with a scorpion; as a "bad bug that never dies." Zulema had an intrinsic need to survive, no matter the cost. So even if she ended up dying, there was no way that Zulema wouldn't have plotted to at least attempt to survive, whether that be a scheme involving a fake death or even in her actual death scene itself where we saw her putting her guns down in submission to Ramala's henchmen. In the same vein, it did not make sense that, upon realizing Zulema was sacrificing herself for Maca and her unborn baby, that Maca replied with a simple "Gracias" and ran away. There should have been one of two options: a scuffle with Zulema, wherein she refuses to leave her there alone to die. Or two, a scene where she is speaking to her son about Zulema's legacy. The absence of these key scenes disrespects and almost overtly disregards the very complicated and rich relationship the two had together, as if all they had been through meant nothing.

Overall, the spin-off unfortunately did not do justice to the story, the characters (both lead and supporting), the actors and the fans, the latter insisting on alternate endings to get closure on a story we have been following for five years. It is true that when many shows end, it is not possible to please everyone. However, I believe that the majority of the negative reviews of this spin-off could have been avoided.

In conclusion...

Ultimately, the hollowness in my chest is bittersweet: on one hand, it is telling of how emotionally invested I became in the show and its moments of brilliance, and on the other, it speaks to the disappointment I felt with the spin-off, because I had such high expectations. Regardless of the ending, however, this show will stay with me forever. I have loved experiencing romances, struggles and adversities with these characters. I have enjoyed watching the evolution of our protagonists, whether it be through redemption or a gradual descent into darkness. This is a show I will recommend to anyone, over and over. #MareaAmarilla

#visavis #series #tvshow #spanish #spain #lockedup #review #opinion #najwa nimri #maggie civantos #alba flores #berta vazquez #itziar castro #mareaamarilla

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