Friday, August 24, 2012

Weekend Discussion: Telenovela Villains; Peerless Evil, Part 2


Dirty Dozen #4: Sexual Predators

This particular class of male vermin primarily preys – or attempts to prey – upon innocent and/or wealthy females. His modus operandi can be seduction but often is rape or kidnapping. Usually perverse, and always achieving his most intense orgasmic experiences by inflicting pain, his usual motive is greed. Usually a smooth talker, often capable of moving in the upper echelons of society, he can get away with quite a lot before anyone finds out what he is really about. He may or may not be married, but he is always on the prowl because his appetite for others' pain is bottomless.

Who is the most evil of them all?





Character (Actor): Fabián San Miguel (Alejandro Ávila)
Series: El Precio de tu Amor (2000)
Crimes Punishable by Man's Law: Murder, rape (several counts each)
Crimes Punishable by Divine Law: Prevarication
Interim Punishment(s): None that I can remember
Karmageddon: Dismemberment (loss of leg), imprisonment, prison violence



Character (Actor): Román Guillen (Alejandro Ávila)
Series: La Otra (2002)
Crimes Punishable by Man's Law: Murder, incest
Crimes Punishable by Divine Law: Incest, prevarication
Interim Punishment(s): None
Karmageddon: Murdered by Bernarda (shot)



Character (Actor): Rafael Rincón del Valle (Roberto Palazuelos)
Series: Niña... amada mía  (2003)
Crimes Punishable by Man's Law: Embezzlement, domestic violence, marital rape, attempted murder
Crimes Punishable by Divine Law: Adultery
Interim Punishment(s): Poverty
Karmageddon: Murdered



Character (Actor): Adolfo Vailladolid (Gerardo Murguía)
Series: Barrera de Amor (2005)
Crimes Punishable by Man's Law: Rape, bearing false witness
Crimes Punishable by Divine Law: Marital rape, prevarication
Interim Punishment(s): Severe beating by Luis Antonio, public humiliation
Karmageddon: Accidental death, possibly preventable by Federico



Character (Actor): Fernando Escandón (Guillermo Garcia Cantú)
Series: Fuego en la Sangre (2008)
Crimes Punishable by Man's Law: Murder (multiple counts), attempted murder (multiple counts) rape (multiple counts), kidnapping
Crimes Punishable by Divine Law: Psychological torture, confessional abuse, incest (?)
Interim Punishment(s): None
Karmageddon: Death (suicide to avoid police capture)


Character (Actor): Federico Martin del Campo (Lisardo Guarinos)
Series: Corazón Salvaje (2009)
Crimes Punishable by Man's Law: Murder, smuggling, theft
Crimes Punishable by Divine Law: Greed, attempt at forced marriage, adultery
Interim Punishment(s): Massive gambling debts (for acts prior to opening episode)
Karmageddon: Death


Character (Actor): Leonardo Arismendi (Julian Gil)
Series: Eva Luna (2010)
Crimes Punishable by Man's Law: Murder (several counts), kidnapping, attempted rape, business fraud, bearing false witness
Crimes Punishable by Divine Law: Prevarication
Interim Punishment(s):
Karmageddon: Death (traffic accident) and burning in hell



Character (Actor): Guillermo Quintana (Guillermo Garcia Cantú)
Series: Triunfo del Amor (2010)
Crimes Punishable by Man's Law: Murder (2 counts), attempted murder (several counts)
Crimes Punishable by Divine Law: Adultery
Interim Punishment(s): Public humiliation, attempt on his life (aborted)
Karmageddon: Death (suicide à la Thelma and Louise)



Character (Actor): Augustín Durant (Lisardo Guarinos)
Series: Cuando Me Enamoro (2010)
Crimes Punishable by Man's Law: Murder, business fraud, kidnapping
Crimes Punishable by Divine Law:  Prevarication, predatory seduction
Interim Punishment(s):   Business problems
Karmageddon: Killed in a duel by Jeronimo (self-defense)


Character (Actor): Rosendo Gavilán (Sergio Goyri)
Series: Soy tu Dueña (2010)
Crimes Punishable by Man's Law: Murder, rape, kidnapping
Crimes Punishable by Divine Law: Adultery, prevarication
Interim Punishment(s): Loss of employment (but very temporary)
Karmageddon: Injured during explosion; arrested by police during wedding of Valentina and Manuel


Character (Actor): Saúl Mondragon (Fernandino Valencia)
Series: La Fuerza del Destino (2011)
Crimes Punishable by Man's Law: Murder, kidnapping, rape, theft
Crimes Punishable by Divine Law: Child abandonment, betrayal (of his mother)
Interim Punishment(s): Disowned by father
Karmageddon: Suicide by hanging (in prison)



Character (Actor): Alonso Lazcano (Flavio Medina)
Series: Amor Bravío (2012)
Crimes Punishable by Man's Law (to date): Domestic abuse, business fraud
Crimes Punishable by Divine Law(to date): Prevarication
Interim Punishment(s) (to date): Impotence, verbal abuse by controlling mother
Karmageddon: Rendered quadriplegic by auto accident caused by Isadora; euthanized in hospital by Rosario

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Comments:
Bravo, UA. That's an interesting cross-section of villanos, too, including a couple of other not-quite-classically attractive guys (ah, Saul, you total waste of space)...it's good to be reminded that they do break away from the stereotype every so often.

Out of curiosity, though: while there are a handful of truly iconic villanas, AIUI, are there any equally iconic villanos?
 

Thanks for another great list!

The only ones I recognize here are Fernando Escandón and Rosendo Gavilán, but I was amused to see the actor who played Cadmilo in MEPS (another rapist, but the lazy kind) in a different role here.

Guillermo Garcia Cantú certainly has a track record for villain roles, doesn't he? Wow.
 

Fernando Escandon, absolutely! Boy, was he ever a pill. And what a "suicide" that was, heheh. Cantu is something else. :)

I also loved Sergio Goyri, but in Duelo de Passiones. The novela itself reeked, but his dispatch by apex predator was frickin' awesome. LOL!

Great list. Thanks for it!

 

Bill, male villains don't have to be classically handsome, but they also never look like Quasimodo. They look ostensibly normal despite the fairy-tale notion of ugly people being evil.

Iconic male villains... I think that privilege may come with age (think of the Toxic Fathers list). Fernando Escandon might make iconic status because (as far as I can determine) he has the longest rap sheet of the ones on this list and there is a consistency to his crimes. Most of the issues I had with FELS were with the script, but at least the characters in it were mostly consistent and the actors did the best they could. GGC won the Best Villain trophy at the novela awards for this role and I believe he deserved it.

Julie, He will never play a hero; that is certain. Based on the four novelas I know about of his, he will always end up playing a sexual predator of the most perverse kind until he's old enough to play the a toxic father, which will probably be soon (he's 52).

Stephe, Sergio Goyri's character in Duelo de Pasiones really made me scratch my head, but it wasn't his fault (the writers, again). It was later revealed that Alavaro was mentally ill, which was the best accounting for his behavior. I did enjoy the series despite this and commented in my review on IMDb that it should probably have been done as a period piece. Rosendo Gavilan, however, was a truly repulsive and presumptuous villain and he got what he deserved in the end.
 

Thanks, UA! I always enjoy your photojournalism. I didn't know most of these villains -- had no idea Alejandro Avila had been such a bad guy...


 

P.S. I think Federico in CS was also an adulterer. While he was Regina's pretendiente, he was also bonking some guy's tacky wife.
 

Thanks, UA, for this very interesting list. The only listed villain that I've seen all the way through a TN is Julian Gil in Eva Luna, though I'd have put him up again for LQNPA. (I started both CME and STuD but bailed out early on both.) As for Alonso, my guess is that Dionisio will prove to be a more formidable villain.
 

Yikes UA, what a chilling line-up. Cantu looks like a villain in my opinion. Not quite normal. Something about that thick pock-marked skin just shouts "Too much testosterone! run for cover!"

And somehow I can never picture Julian Gil playing anyone nice, those evil slanty eyes make him look like a covert monster.

But I'd love to see Lisardo in a heroic role. I think he'd be great as a galan. And maybe he's played one...I just don't have that much history in TN's yet.

Thanks for another weekend treat, albeit it a scary one.
 

Hey Blue Lass,

Yes, in Corazon Salvaje, Federico was boinking the wife of the rich town elder. That actor is now playing Helena's mean-ass father in Por Ella.)
 

Thanks for the heads-up, Anon! I like Lisardo -- even though he was seriously weird in CME. All that sniffing.
 

I think Lisardo's manner is what makes him a villain. I also wonder whether he can cry on cue. It seems to me that every villain (of both sexes) is usually played by an actor who can't, although the females sometimes use obviously fake tears as manipulation.

I don't like this single-name thing either. It's just a little too weird.
 

Thanks for this new list UA. I think I've seen many of the baddies in these TN. It's fun seeing actors who can go back and forth between good and bad roles.

In addition to Dio from AB, I think Leonocio (creepy serape guy) can probably make your list. He has all the markings of a rapist waiting to happen.
 

I'm thinking of a new category of villain: Sleazebags. Leoncio probably would fit that description. Thus far I can think of two actors with multiple possible entries, but I will have to rack my brain over a bunch of titles to find more.

Reminder: Next weekend's discussion will be about what we would do about novela cliches. Tune in for another lively one.
 

Just remembered a fellow who plays sleazebags (of course I don't remember the name) but he played the creepy uncle who raped the young peasant girl, his niece, in Destilando. Then he played David Zepeda's henchman (not so bad) in Sortilegio. But always sleazy characters. Know who I'm thinking of? (wish I did!)
 

Could that be Adalberto Parra? I just checked both casts and he's the only name that comes up in both. I'll need details if I can't find them on Wikipedia.
 

Thanks for the yummy avance, UA! Can't wait for next week!
 

Yes, that's him UA. He has the kind of face and body that is perfect for a mugroso character. He seems to find work on a regular basis but it's usually repellent types.
 

He was in one of my first ones as a corrupt military officer. True to form.
 

You're not thinking of Amor Real are You, UA. There he was some kind of military buddy to the poor fiancé of Matilde, and actually was rather noble in his protection of the hapless guy. His one semi-noble role. But the part he played in Destilando was so dreadful, that has remained in my mind, long after the others.
 

No, it was Corazon Salvaje 1993 version.
 

Ah yes, way before my time simply because then I had no interest (or knowledge of Spanish) then and also no idea there was a cable network named Univision! I've missed a lot.
 

I realize I'm coming in a few weeks late, but I have to correct the record as far as Guillermo Garcia Cantu is concerned. He has played at least one hero. In "Volver a empezar" (1994) he was one of the romantic leads, and in fact he beats out Chayanne for the love of the heroine, played by pop star Yuri. But I would definitely say that even in this role there is something perverse about him--something slimy and sinister that's hard to put into words. Which is why it's fun and kind of sexy to see him get the girl and the happy ending this time around.
 

Sergio Goyri and Lisardo are the best of the list ;)
 

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