La Otra

La Otra (English: "The Other [Woman] ") is a Televisa telenovela that aired from May 20-September 27, 2002 on the Canal de las Estrellas or XEW channel in Mexico and from October 14, 2002-February 28, 2003 on Univision in the United States. It stars Yadhira Carrillo, Juan Soler, Jacqueline Andere, Sergio Sendel, and Ofelia Guilmain.

telenovela


title = La Otra
country = Mexico |
year = May 20 2002
network = Televisa
music = Luis Guzmán
language = Spanish
director = Benjamín Cann
producer = Sr. Ernesto Alonso
cinematographer = Marisol Garcia A.
writer = Liliana Abud Jaime García Estrada | cast = Yadhira Carrillo, Juan Soler, Jacqueline Andere, Sergio Sendel
theme_song = La Otra | performer = Benny Ibarra and Edith Marquez
broadcast= May 20, 2002- September 20, 2002 (Mexico) October 14, 2002- February 28, 2003 (United States)episodes= 90 episodes

Plot

The series begins when Bernarda, Leopoldo Guillen's lover, takes her two small daughters to Leopoldo's funeral on a dark, stormy night. They are not welcomed at the funeral and are humiliated and thrown out into the mud by Leopold's legitimate son Roman. Years later, Carlota and Eugenia are attending a university were Carlota studies music and Eugenia studies accounting. Bernarda favors and expects the best out of Eugenia, who in reality is failing her classes. However she expects the worst out of Carlota, whom Bernarda calls "inutil" (good-for-nothing). Bernarda is a materialistic woman. She is determined to never allow her daughters to marry in order to avoid their father's will; which states that once they marry they will take their part of their inheritence.

They both live under their mother's strict rules and are practically held prisoner in their own home. Little does Bernanrda know that Eugenia is secretly dating Roman and has even slept with him. Roman has slept with her for the sole purpose of revenge, believing that she is his half-sister, when in reality she is the daughter of another man, not Leopoldo. When Bernarda and Carlota find out that Eugenia is pregnant, Bernarda sends her away to a small town with their housekeeper Tomasa. In the small town Eugenia meets Cordelia, who is identical to Carlota. She also meets Santos, a man who falls in love with her, and offers to marry her to give her baby a name. She agrees and marries him.

Meanwhile, Carlota, behind her mother's back, secretly begins a romance with a young doctor named Álvaro. Their romance eventually reaches the point of wanting to get married. When Bernarda finds out about their romance, she adamantly opposes, but eventually allows them to get married. Of course, she has an ulterior motive behind this.

Eugenia gives birth to her baby but becomes deathly ill, and Bernarda tells Eugenia that Roman is really her half-brother causing her to die more quickly. Before Eugenia dies she has her housekeeper, Tomasa, lie to everyone and say the baby died, when in reality she gives the baby to Santos. Just seconds before she dies, Eugenia proclaims upon Bernarda a sense of lifetime guilt for her death. She dies, leaving her wicked mother destroyed.

When Eugenia's body is delivered to Bernarda, Álvaro asks to see Carlota, but Bernarda demands that he leave and leave her to mourn her daughter's death. Not knowing about Eugenia, Álvaro thinks Carlota died. Bernarda does not correct him and says that Carlota died in a freak accident. She denies him access to view the dead body by lying that Carlota's body is unrecognizable. Destroyed, Álvaro goes home to his parents' hacienda in a rural town, where he meets Cordelia. In the meantime, when Carlota can't find Álvaro, Bernarda convinces her that once he got what he wanted out of her he abandoned her. With the death of her sister and Álvaro's dissapearence, Carlota attempts suicide.

At that same time, Cordelia uses her appearance to her advantage and marries Álvaro for his money.

Cast

Yadhira Carrillo as Carlota Guillen Sainz/Cordelia Portugal de Ibanez

Juan Soler as Alavaro Ibanez

Jacqueline Andere as Bernarda Sainz viuda de Guillen

Sergio Sendel as Adrian Ibanez

Josefina Echánobe as Tomasa Lopez

Manuel Ojeda as Juan Pedro Portugal

Azela Robinson as Mireya Ocampo

Chantal Andere as Younger Bernarda Sainz viuda de Guillen

Trivia

*This telenovela, while not being the highest rated novela in either Mexico or the United States, won the award for Best Novela in the Premios TVyNovelas Awards for 2003.
*This show has also gained a special cult following, especially on the Internet.

Sources

*http://www.alma-latina.net/OtraLa/OtraLa.shtml

External links

*imdb title|0318915