Friday, May 29, 2015

What I'm Watching: Grand Hotel

Guess who's back from the dead?? Well, I was never actually dead, but it seems that life has taken me away, far far away from this blog, and I don't like that, cause I love blogging!

But I knew that I could post today because I'm so tickled to say I've finally finished a series and now I can share it with you!


I'm the type of person that is pretty visual. I've got a photographic memory and often times an entire movie, tv show, or film version of my own works play in my head. So if a poster for a film/show doesn't appeal to me, chances are I may pass it by. And if it does, I don't care if the spoken language is pig latin, or if it's silent, I'll watch it. As you know, by now, surely, I'm a true lover of film and I will watch anything at least once.

And that's the instance with this show.

There was something about the combination of the almost kissing couple, the large building in the background and the man with the gun that said "WATCH ME!'


So I put it on my list (how many people still call it the "queue?") and it stayed there, for months.

If you will remember - think back with my lovelies - November was a crazy month for me last year. I was in a play and then the day we wrapped I got very sick and was "reclinerridden" (bedridden reclinerridden, get it?) for 3 days. So I decided that now was the time to start watching this series.. because what else was I gonna do while I was sick?

I was hooked instantly, and I think you will be too.


"Grand Hotel" or "Gran Hotel," as it is named in Spanish, begins its drama with Julio Olmedo played by the gorgeous Spaniard Yon Gonzalez. Julio is headed to a town called Cataloa (our tale is set in Spain) to the Grand Hotel to find his sister, Christina, who has been working there as a maid. Her frequent letters have ceased and he's worried.

We know right from the beginning that Julio has a good heart, but that he is as slippery as a snake. When he arrives at the Grand Hotel he is told by the staff, including his to-be best friend Andreas (Llorenç González) that Christina was fired very recently. In fact just last week after the "Lighting Party," which was a gigantic celebration that the hotels owner, Dona Teresa Alarcon (Adriana Ozores) - there are two things she hates in this world, lies and mistakes - and the hotels manager, the cold, hard, and driven Diego Murquia (Pedro Alonso) arranged to debut the new Edison Electric Lights throughout the hotel. It's the first hotel in Spain to have electric lights, truly a landmark event.  Hearing that Christina is missing, and knowing the only way to find her is to stay there at the hotel, Julio lies and tells the management (Don Benjamin-the maitre d) that he's the new waiter they've been waiting on. When he real waiter shows up, Julio just smiles and acts like that guy is nuts and explains that that man can't be the new waiter because he's the new waiter and he's already there!

Another reason Julio is so keen to stay at the Grand Hotel is Dona Teresa's daughter, and Diego's fiancee, Alicia (Amaia Salamanca) . He'd spotted her at the train station earlier that day when he was traveling to Cataloa and was almost instantly in love with her. Alicia has been away at school, and is so happy to be home. Out of the three Alarcon children she is the most down to earth and human. Son Javier is pretty loose, preferring the company of ladies of the night and gamblers and essentially pishing away his family's vast fortune.  Sofia, the eldest child, has married Alfredo De Vergara, a Marquis, and when we first meet them, they're expecting their first child.


As the story unfolds, we learn that pretty much everything at the Grand Hotel is a big lie. Everything LOOKS good, but nothing IS good.  And let me tell you, EVERYONE is lying about SOMETHING.

There are so many stories that interconnect in this series, it's a typical soap opera-esque show, but to me, way better than just your typical Spanish Tele-Novella.  

Spoilers could possibly exist ahead.... you've been warned....

In season 1 there is the Missing Sister story line. That mainly concerns Julio, Alicia and Andreas. Also include Detectives Ayala and Hernando, which are almost the exact same characters as "Poirot," and later on in season 2 we see an Agatha Christie character and we learn that she based the Poirot characters after Ayala and Hernando. And this is complete fiction btw. Julio continuously gets into messes, dragging Alicia and Andreas along with him, and it's always left to Ayala and Hernando to get him out, because his ideas usually lead them in the right direction.


There's the Mystery Letter story line. It's the letter that will end the Grand Hotel world as we know it. Apparently that letter, which Diego has hidden in his office, contains a secret from Don Carlos, Dona Teresa's late husband, and the outcome of that secret coming to light will result in the hotel changing hands, and Dona Teresa cannot let that happen. 

There's Andreas/Belen. You will HATE Belen.  I hate Belen. So much. She is nothing but trouble. Right from the beginning she is a pain in the butt, always causing trouble, only looking out for herself, always trying to advance Belen. She gets pregnant and convinces Andreas that the baby is his, and so he marries her, and he convinces himself that he loves her. (In fact, he is insistent that he loves her throughout the whole run of the show, and I'm just not convinced.) This story line is a train wreck, there is one disaster after another. And you will side right along with Dona Angela (Concha Velasco), the housekeeper and Andreas' mother, in hating Belen. You'll love Angela, she is no nonsense, right down to her shoelaces. 

Andreas and Julio.

There's the Gold Knife Killer plot. This one interconnects directly with Christina, and as the tale unravels there is more and more evidence leading them straight back to the hotel. You'll figure out who the killer is before they tell you, but when you figure it out, you won't have seen it coming. When I figured it out, as sick as I was, I was shouting at the tv and sloshing my chicken noodle soup everywhere. 

And most importantly there's the Julio Falling in Love with Alicia story. You'll fall in love with Julio too. 

By the end of the season, you're stuck.


Season 2 is focused mainly on the Mystery Letter. Trying to get it, trying to find out what to do with it, trying to find out Don Carlos' other secrets....

The Alicia falls in love with Julio story, at last. Even though she marries Diego in this season, she sees his true colors and absolutely falls head over heels in love with Julio. There's lots of ups and downs and ins and outs in season two.

Alicia and Julio 

Luckily for all of you out there, you can watch the whole series all the way through (66 episodes). But me... nope. I couldn't. Netflix didn't have the 3rd season loaded and so at the end of season 2 - WHICH IS A HUUUUGE CLIFFHANGER - I was left shouting in frustration.

Season 3 is wrapping up all the loose ends of the show, and it introduces a new character, Maite, Alicia's best friend. 

There's a new Maitre' d in town, Don Jesus, and there's a bit of a love affair that he gets caught up in...

But the main story of Season 3 is Diego. His madness and suspicious nature (especially his belief that Alicia is having an affair - which is right on) finally take hold of him and by the end of the season all his secrets are out.



This show has often been compared to Downton Abbey (which is LOOOVE) because of it's time period, and the style of show it is... you know the whole upstairs/downstairs aspect. And the music in both shows is nearly identical.  I couldn't stop watching... and part of that reason is that every show ends as a cliffhanger. Very abruptly. So you have to watch the next episode to know what happens. So start watching it when you have a few days to watch.



You'll love this show. If you don't mind reading subtitles, which I don't. It's got lots to keep you on the edge of your seat! 



Happy Watching!