Deciphering “Cuéntame”: 420 episodes and more than 1,000 characters that narrated our lives | the television

On September 13, 2001, Carlos Alcantara’s voiceover, Carlitos, began narrating his family’s life. After 420 episodes and more than 30,000 minutes of broadcast, we have seen more than 1,000 characters parade through the series: from Ana Duato and Imanol Arias as Mercedes and Antonio to other performers that perhaps not everyone remembers, such as Luis Olmedilla, the manager of the neighborhood bank (played by Antonio Resines). , or Tinin, the tireless bar owner (Enrique San Francisco). As Jacobo Delgado, the series’ screenwriter, explains: “There are actors who come for a few episodes and the impact of their performance is so great that many of them stay: this is the case of Ana Arias (Paquita), who is still in the series.” series, or Tirelli Pavez (Ms. Bora), whose presence was greater than initially expected.

After processing all subtitles of the series’ 23 seasons (512 broadcast hours), we created a map in which the Alcantara family, especially Antonio and Mercedes, collect the highest number of mentions in each episode: “They are the undisputed heroes of the series. They appear in all the seasons and in each of them they have a plot.” “Third in the race is Carlos, who is our narrator,” says Delgado. There are other characters who do not always have a plot, but whose presence is “definitive,” as the screenwriter points out: “This is the case of Herminia, who is the family memory and who has her feet on the ground.” Always. “His insight into what is happening to others is essential.”

In the following table you can see the details of the episodes in which each character had the largest role.

Translation analysis allows us to see how each hero has his own constellation of secondary characters. Around the six members of the family you can see the faces of the subplots: this is the case of Marta, Joanna, Deborah (Tony’s partners) or Valentina, Herminia’s inseparable friend at the beginning of the series.

Merche dresses, or family room, bear witness to 30 years of changes

The series deals with some of the historical events that our country witnessed in the second half of the twentieth century. Franco’s name is mentioned 1,264 times; Adolfo Suarez, in 249. An event like the Seville Expo, 92: it is more than just some recurring characters.

Even Spain’s history has marked the outcomes in which the series ended up surviving: “There were many possible endings,” says Delgado. “The first thing that was thought of was the death of Franco. Then 23-and-8, the victory of the socialists in ’82, entry into Europe, the Olympics in Barcelona. “When we knew that this season would be the last, we made it clear that we had to reach 2001. It is the year The September 11 attacks changed the world forever.

A good example of how wardrobe teams take inspiration from each era’s fashion is Mercedes’ outfit change. Anna Duato herself, who plays her, saw her role as “a commitment, representing a woman who was a pioneer of her time.”

Merche begins her journey through the series as a village woman who has recently arrived in the capital and ends up becoming a prestigious fashion designer. Merche in the 1960s wore aprons, printed dresses and below-the-knee skirts. As the character develops (opens his own business, goes to university, learns to drive…) the way he dresses also develops. In her wardrobe there are slightly flared trousers and tight dresses that enhance the figure, or clothes with cheerful prints or intense colors.

In the 1980s, Mercedes went through a period of change. And her wardrobe is with her. Baggy shirts start to fit in after beating breast cancer; Dresses and skirts continue to be narrow, but at the same time grow in length, until they cover the knees.

Perhaps the most transgressive moment occurs when she decides to divorce Antonio in Season 20. With the help of Fabiola, the orchestra’s singer, and after meeting Max, he dons a Rolling Stones T-shirt, tights, and sneakers. It’s Mercedes who wants to leave behind the wife and mother of her old life.

In recent seasons, Anna Duato, who is more than 15 years older than her real age, is represented by Mirce, who is almost seventy years old. Her wardrobe is close to the fashion of the late 90s: high leather boots, long cardigans and large scarves.

in Tell meThere are also places that are developing. The most symbolic is the family room, the meeting point for paella on Sunday.

Through this and the rest of the rooms in the Alcantara houses, the series tells “the story of small things,” as Delgado sums up: “the Duralex cups or the Iber decanters that we all had in the house of our grandparents or parents. They are everyday things that unite and evoke us, because we all have them.

Classic Painting “Dogs and Deer”as Antonio Alcantara calls it, traverses the history of the family from end to end: over the years it changes places around the house until it reaches Mirchi’s room under a blanket, in the middle of a divorce.

Tell me: Better than other Spanish series?

Since the series premiered in 2001, the way we consume content has changed – and with it audience data: the most watched episode of Cuéntame (the final of the third season) exceeded 7 million viewers and 51% of the audience, an extraordinary fact.

The Alcantara family has coincided – and survived – on screens with other series that defined the era, such as: Serranos, There is no one living here also Ministry of TimeBut comparing them is difficult. If you look at the anonymous user reviews on Imdb (Internet Movie Database), in the ranking of the 100 best Spanish series, Tell me It occupies a middle position.

In this classification, miniseries with short, intense plots coexist with series with thousands of chapters as there are likely to be worse chapters. An example of this is the average score for Veneno’s eight episodes, which tops the rankings with 8.7. Cuéntame contains 41 chapters that equal or exceed this rating.

Cuéntame is also unusual in the stability of its ratings. The following chart shows other Spanish soap operas. In some like Serranos, Baku men also There is no one living here Results gradually decline or even end in decline in recent disastrous seasons. Others, such as 7 lives And Red eagleIt seems to be getting better eventually, but it can be seen that fewer people are seeing and appreciating it.

Montserrat Hidalgo He participated in preparing this piece.

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