National Wine Day – Promised Land Commentary

Season 1 of Promised Land has come and gone. However, our resident Californianas know that in the Golden State we can talk about vino & vineyards all year round. Therefore it was a no brainer to celebrate National Wine Day by highlighting this wonderful show. We bring you Bay Area and Sur Califas perspectives on what the show meant for us.

Cecilia

@aroundthewaytalks @checci510

My Promised Land Commentary? Uh, where to start? Let’s start with the bad news first?

Well, first of all ABC pulled it off air and it’s now only found on Hulu, which is to say, I’m glad that it wasn’t canceled, but their userface isn’t user friendly. It was a bit of a challenge to find the show at first. 

Second, my call out is to the Latine Community!  I feel that it’s our responsibility to show up for shows that represent our culture, backgrounds, language and so forth. In an age where we are in dire need for representation, we need to show up for these shows that show up for us! 

The good news..The Show was FANTASTIC!

It had Drama a-la Dynasty story line level! Finally a show that was full of cultura, our lenguaje, our migration stories and let’s not forget, our passion to persevere and not forget our roots!

From day one, I loved everything about this show! My favorite character of all was Antonio, played by Tonituah, but to be honest, I loved him since the show Vida (which I also highly recommend!) He’s so complex and feisty! I honestly am waiting anxiously, to see if it gets renewed!

CosmoLatina

@socialmadesimpler @cosmolatinacares

Promised Land hit home on so many fronts. As a California native, who has grown up with the various discourses about our agricultural landscape, I identified with the look and feel of the show. I will admit that I was hesitant about once again having an undocumented narrative be the foundation for the storyline. However, given its setting, I understand the authenticity that that particular viewpoint brought to the overall story. What sets it apart from many shows that are Latino/Latinx centered, however, is that there were in fact multiple narratives. I kept watching week after week because I saw the inclusion of first generation experiences, LGBTQ+ characters and their lives, intercultural relationships, family dynamics and authentic bilingualism. 

What Promised Land did so well was bring la mera verdad to the small screen. I’ve often heard botched up Spanish when shows try to include nuestro idioma on a merely tokenistic level. I appreciate having native level Spanish during the scenes that required it. I felt much more of our comunidad was truly represented and valued. We are multifaceted with an array of experiences. To see a familia that is diverse in their beliefs, appearance, sexuality & aspirations in one show was incredible to witness. 

I appreciated the cultural diversity of the cast. We saw Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Spaniards, Cubans, Ecuadorians y más come together to tell an American story. Kudos to Hulu for picking up this incredible drama. I sincerely look forward to Season 2 (yes, I’m claiming many more seasons to come), where more aspects of the Latino/Latinx community can be showcased. Can we say Afro-Latinos, Asian Latinos, biracial Latinos (think Blatino, Filipino/Latino), etc. We absolutely need to see a rival family in the mix. We want to know what happens with Joe and the future of Heritage House. Come on, let the drama continue! 

Chime in and tell us what you thought of Promised Land. Who were your favorite characters? What kept you watching week after week? How do you see Season 2 playing out for the Sandovals & Honeycrofts?