Final Thoughts for El Secretario

For the entire semester, I have felt like my novella was extremely mold-breaking, as it completely flips the notion of a male protagonist rescuing the damsel in distress. Instead, the male protagonist in "El Secretario" is the one who needs saving. He is downtrodden and low class, while the female character is the one in a position of power. She is not weak, or stupid, or helpless like the traditional female characters seem to be. She is a little naïve, but other than that, Antonia is the strongest, most mature character in the entire show. Furthermore, Emilio is assigned a "female" role within the office, rather than the traditional masculine, macho role for male protagonists. However, having said that, "El Secretario" follows the pattern of a traditional novella's final episode. The two protagonists finally get married, and the wedding is a huge celebration. It is not Catholic, but all loose ends are resolved, every character's happy ending is depicted, and the show's antagonist is dealt an undesirable end. The good guys win, love prevails, and the bad guys lose. Plus, it was emotional to see the show end after 120-something episodes, another component of the traditional final episode. I wish this novella received more attention, I think the premise of the show, the social commentary, and the chemistry between Emilio and Antonia are all very strong. The second half of the middle towards the final episodes does drag on a little, but I think it still is worthy of more credit than it receives.