TV Review- Selena: Part 2 Betters Its Focus On Selena
Selena: Part 1 was not, exactly, what we thought we would get. For fans, like myself, of the Queen of Tejano Music and who proudly proclaim her life’s movie as one of their faves, the series was named after Selena but was really about her family. It was as if we had gone to see her and, instead, found them. In Part 2, premiering May 4 on Netflix, the series finds more balance in integrating her family and her love life into Selena’s world: not vice versa.
Perhaps, because Part 1 was a major reminder that, for most of her fame, Selena was a teen, Part 2 embraces the young woman we remember. For most “fanaticos,” the biggest, most frequent images of Selena come from the last two years of her life and especially her final concert. The series finds Selena entering adulthood with a rebellious streak. From her label to her family, she becomes increasingly frustrated with the “push-pull” dynamic of having every adult in her life try to define her or give her ultimatums. Yet, with Chris (Jesse Posey) she finds that marital/ personal space to define herself as a woman and display that empowerment in her music.
Admittedly, I love a good love story and getting a sneak peak into the marital lives of Selena and Chris was pretty great and, of course, made me want more. Unfortunately, the series has a love-hate relationship with Chris as one of the most important people, ever, in Selena’s life. For being her husband, it makes him an occasional appearance rather than a dominant presence, especially considering she lived with him until her end. Yet, the instances when you get their “lovey-dovey” are too cute, and further that if Part 1 was about a little girl building a dream, Part 2 is about woman learning to expand it.
From fashion to an English album, the series does well to elaborate that Selena was a music icon, in part, because she was one of the first artists to become a music business. Christian Serratos feels more like Selena in Part 2, and brightens her spirit to display that this was a young woman that could truly do it all but, unfortunately, was cut off from doing so. As she, and her family become confident in themselves and grow to sense that they are on the cusp of building a legend/ empire for her, the doom, in the audience, begins to sit in. Frankly, I liked that there were instances when I forgot Selena died. Creator Moisés Zamora truly focuses on Selena’s potential and avid desire to become not just a power-house but an adult, which makes her relatable.
Life in your twenties is a strange journey of “adulting” and, often, we do not think of celebrities or legends that die, during this period, as ones who suffered the highs and woes of figuring out what it means to be a young adult. Yet, a reason why Part 2 garners more “likability” and “star- power” than Part 1 is because we see Selena was a human being trying to grow in every way. Now, of course, there is always a complaint, and Selena Part 2 is better than Part 1 but not perfect, particularly because of its choice to not really feature the relationship between Selena and Yolanda.
Frankly, I liked how minute the latter’s role was in the series out of respect for the family and, at times, my personal disdain at seeing how much Selena’s life is bound to her death and her murderer’s name. Still, the series makes Yolanda appear too minimal in Selena’s life; diluting their bond into an obsessed, deranged woman giving her “googly eyes,” which she was, while Selena ignores her until the final episode. The truth is there was a bond between them, and part of Selena’s tragedy, which is so relatable, is that she trusted the wrong person and the cost was too heavy.
