Deceitful Love

This is a soap, and not a good one. The plot is thin, there are no likable characters, and the romance is flat.

First off, the writers attempt to be clever by drumming up questionable scenarios/actions to cast doubt on the hero. All it did was make him look suspect and not worthy of the heroine. And made the heroine look stupid and thirsty.

Second, there are no likable characters, well maybe the hero, who is undoubtedly shady but falls for his mark. The heroine is so up and down there is no way in real life a man in his right mind would put up with her violent outbursts, fueled by low self esteem, then crawling back for forgiveness.

Why did they fall in love again?

Third, there isn't any romance. There's tons of steam but we really don't get to see why they fell in love. It's just an annoying loop of them in bed, her kicking him out, followed by her groveling for him to come back.

Does he like youthfulness? Does he admire her for her business acumen?

Does he like it when she cooks for him? Does she like his ability to live in the moment? Does she love the fact he wants to spend time with her?

We don't know because we don't see any of that.

The locations of the series are magnificent and that alone is a pleasure. Then, there is a superposition of trajectories and human transformations that is really interesting. There are weaknesses in the script at times, some tempo flaws but overall I let myself be carried away. First she, Gabriella, who built herself as best she could around a very strong trauma that is slowly revealed, through this love story. We see her evolve, between panic and confidence, and the actress makes it very well. Then there is of course the fact of seeing a woman's body of her age, their passion, it's rare and it's really well filmed, we just feel happy for them. Elia is magnetic, his transformation is also interesting. Then the children, all the ways in which this improbable love story impacts them, it's interesting and well rendered overall. It's refreshing that there are no murders, no creepy stuff, just people who are very afraid and who manage to find a balance, a form of reconciliation. After all, that's what living together is all about, right?

The story was interesting but the acting/dialogue needed much improvement. The main male character was a hunk!! He and the rest of the awesome scenery made the view worthwhile otherwise I probably wouldn't have persevered through the entire series.

There were a few "mysteries" in the story although they could have been developed a little further and most of them were eventually resolved.

Of course there had to be the token LBGQ+ sub story thrown in there which seems to almost a "requirement" these days. I guess it added a little to the story but I don't believe that it added much of any to the plot.

I did enjoy the way the story ended.

I read the reviews prior to writing mine. I think i understand why the low reviews but from my behalf I think this is a worth watching mini series. Let's start from the obvious the music and the cinematography- views and overall production is really good. The plot makes you think how easy it is to lose yourself in the "norms" either of society or of the family and its dynamics and while living to conform and satisfy these life passes by and you lose yourself and don't live. By choosing the character a women's in her 60s that gets stronger by the episode the main connotations and concept is well projected in a gradual way that is built up episode by episode. All in all it's worth watching this series.

This is definitely a very soap opera-ish mini series but that's what makes it such a fun ride. It's about an older wealthy woman who is the owner of a luxurious hotel and happens to fall quickly in love with a man half her age. His intentions are incredibly questionable. Her grown children, particularly her eldest son, get involved and try to stop the relationship. Throughout the show, so many hidden family secrets are revealed. There are twists and turns everywhere, it is at times so over the top I couldn't help but laugh. Just when I thought I knew where things were going, another surprise would pop up. I binge watched this on a lazy Sunday and was pleasantly entertained!