La Catrina
A 14-episode edutainment telenovela which focuses on Jamie Gonzalez, a 17-year-old Hispanic-American girl who is studying in Queretaro, Mexico, on a scholarship for the summer. The series begins with Jamie telling the audience about herself and her family, including her great-grandmother, Doña Josefa de Gonzalez, La Catrina, whom she wishes to learn more about while in Mexico. Once she and her friend, Philip Armstrong, arrive in Queretaro, however, they find that her host family, the Navarros, have a teenage son, Carlos. Because his parents want to avoid a scandal, Jamie will instead live with the family of Carlos' friend, Maria Linares, who is the same age as Carlos, Jamie and Felipe. Soon she learns that
Tropes used in La Catrina include:
- Amoral Attorney: Don Silvestre's grandfather, who was La Catrina's lawyer, and slowly transferred all of her lands to himself and his family.
- California Doubling: Averted, the entire series was filmed on location in Queretaro.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Don Silvestre, who is also a corrupt politician.
- Dream Sequence: Jamie has one in episode ten, with Don Silvestre telling her to leave the matter of the will alone, and Josefa de Gonzalez telling her that she is La Catrina now.
- Funny Background Event: Santana, more often than not.
- Gender Blender Name: Jamie is mistaken for Jaime, which is what causes her to be put with a host family with a teenage boy in the first place.
- Green Aesop: Carlos is studying ecology, and much of the conflict arises from Don Silvestre using illegal pesticides on la Hacienda de la Jacaranda.
- Heel Face Turn: Demetrio, after Don Silvestre sends a robber to the library, which causes Demetrio to suffer an injury.
- Highly Visible Private Detective: Santana, Played for Laughs.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Felipe and Maria. He's at least head and shoulders taller than her.
- Identical Great Granddaughter: Jamie and La Catrina. Painfully obvious in Jamie's dream in episode ten, where the actress' braces are still visible.
- Just Like Robin Hood: La Catrina.
- Narm: Many high school students have laughed at this series. Especially when Jamie's infamous exclamation "Mi Bisabuela!".
- "La Catrina!"
- No Hugging, No Kissing: In spades.
- Private Detective: Santana, who is also used as comic relief.
- Serenade Your Lover
- Spexico: Also averted, see the California Doubling entry.
- Title Drop: Frequently.
- Unintentional Period Piece: The episode where Maria and Philip go to the video-rental store- there are only VHS tapes available.
- That's not all. Just look at the horrible Nineties clothing!
- Will: The major conflict for most of the series center's around La Catrina's will.