Have you been bitten by the ‘second chance’ bug?
Mar 19, 2009
FOR the few left in a daze at the mention of Second Chance, let me introduce you to a telenovela or soap opera that has gripped Ugandans by the neck.
By Gilbert Kidimu
FOR the few left in a daze at the mention of Second Chance, let me introduce you to a telenovela or soap opera that has gripped Ugandans by the neck.
This Mexican soap, which plays out in the mansion of Pedro Jose Donoso, explores the intriguing story of a rich, old man who dies and returns to life as a handsome, well-built peasant, Salvador Serenza.
It is then that he discovers shocking truths about his supposedly innocent young wife, Isabel.
Pedro, now Salvador, returns to his former house as a chauffeur, purposely to win back the affection of the people he loves most and to undo some of the mistakes he made. He is given another opportunity to live, hence the title Second Chance.
He succeeds at seducing his ex-wife into an irresistible romance that impels her to contemplate breaking her engagement with her crafty fiancé, Andres Corona.
Translated into English, El Cuerpo Del Deseo is the soap’s original Spanish name. It features renowned soap opera stars such as Mario Cimarro (Antonio in Woman of My Life) and Andres Garcia (Antonio Lombardo in No One But You).
Second Chance has cast many under its spell from the time of the first telecast in November last year. It is almost impossible to find a female figure lurking outside Bugolobi flats when it is showing.
As with the World Cup season, you will only hear simultaneous sound from one block to the next — cheering, laughing, or groaning.
Ardent soap fans argue that Second Chance is unlike most Mexican soaps because of its unique setting and impeccable interpretation.
Typical soaps have the unflattering reputation of handling the same old themes leading to identical conclusions; the good guy who falls in love with a bad girl and vice versa, or a rich girl who dates a boy from a lower social class, attracting opposition from the girl’s family, who usually have a better suitor in mind for her. Rings a bell about Nigerian Movies, doesn’t it?
The traffic jam on Fridays thus turns out to be a nerve-wrecking experience as the need to get home by 8:00pm leaves no room for patience.
And the conscience for good driving suddenly ceases to matter. Taxi drivers, however, do not get the least upset by the anxious home-bound bird.
Some characters in Second Chance will crack your ribs until they hurt. For example Simon, Abigail’s tenacious son who lacks interest in studies, but prefers to do low profile work at the factory, and often makes out with the maids at home.
Then Rebecca, Isabel’s overbearing aunt, who is determined to fall in love with Salvador, a man young enough to be her son, in spite of the existence of older suitors.
Second Chance, in numerous ways, breaks the stereotypes that characterise soaps. Church girls, male campus students, busy corporate ladies and fathers alike, sit motionless in suspense and intrigue when it airs.
FOR the few left in a daze at the mention of Second Chance, let me introduce you to a telenovela or soap opera that has gripped Ugandans by the neck.
This Mexican soap, which plays out in the mansion of Pedro Jose Donoso, explores the intriguing story of a rich, old man who dies and returns to life as a handsome, well-built peasant, Salvador Serenza.
It is then that he discovers shocking truths about his supposedly innocent young wife, Isabel.
Pedro, now Salvador, returns to his former house as a chauffeur, purposely to win back the affection of the people he loves most and to undo some of the mistakes he made. He is given another opportunity to live, hence the title Second Chance.
He succeeds at seducing his ex-wife into an irresistible romance that impels her to contemplate breaking her engagement with her crafty fiancé, Andres Corona.
Translated into English, El Cuerpo Del Deseo is the soap’s original Spanish name. It features renowned soap opera stars such as Mario Cimarro (Antonio in Woman of My Life) and Andres Garcia (Antonio Lombardo in No One But You).
Second Chance has cast many under its spell from the time of the first telecast in November last year. It is almost impossible to find a female figure lurking outside Bugolobi flats when it is showing.
As with the World Cup season, you will only hear simultaneous sound from one block to the next — cheering, laughing, or groaning.
Ardent soap fans argue that Second Chance is unlike most Mexican soaps because of its unique setting and impeccable interpretation.
Typical soaps have the unflattering reputation of handling the same old themes leading to identical conclusions; the good guy who falls in love with a bad girl and vice versa, or a rich girl who dates a boy from a lower social class, attracting opposition from the girl’s family, who usually have a better suitor in mind for her. Rings a bell about Nigerian Movies, doesn’t it?
The traffic jam on Fridays thus turns out to be a nerve-wrecking experience as the need to get home by 8:00pm leaves no room for patience.
And the conscience for good driving suddenly ceases to matter. Taxi drivers, however, do not get the least upset by the anxious home-bound bird.
Some characters in Second Chance will crack your ribs until they hurt. For example Simon, Abigail’s tenacious son who lacks interest in studies, but prefers to do low profile work at the factory, and often makes out with the maids at home.
Then Rebecca, Isabel’s overbearing aunt, who is determined to fall in love with Salvador, a man young enough to be her son, in spite of the existence of older suitors.
Second Chance, in numerous ways, breaks the stereotypes that characterise soaps. Church girls, male campus students, busy corporate ladies and fathers alike, sit motionless in suspense and intrigue when it airs.