Netflix’s new Mexican period drama Lovesick follows one of Mexico’s early female doctors as she comes of age in a country on the brink of revolution, at a moment when any woman bold enough to voice her desires is still met with suspicion and scorn.
LOVESICK: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Opening Shot: Emilia Sauri (Renata Vaca) is shown carefully mixing remedies inside her family’s apothecary, where she works alongside her father, Diego (Miguel Rodarte).
The Gist: Puebla, Mexico, 1910. Revolutionary ideas are beginning to shake the country, but Emilia remains trapped in a social world where wealthy families still expect daughters to secure advantageous marriages. When Daniel Cuenca (Juan Pablo Fuentes), the boy she once had a crush on, returns to town, their attraction is immediate. Just as compelling to Emilia is Daniel’s support for a progressive presidential challenger to longtime ruler Porfirio Díaz.
Emilia recognizes the future she fears in her friend Soledad (Sofia Carrera), who is preparing to marry a man she barely desires. Her mother, Josefa Veytia (Diana Bovio), would prefer Emilia follow the expected path into marriage, but her aunt Milagros (Cassandra Ciangherotti) represents something closer to Emilia’s own ambitions, both in her commitment to women’s rights and her ties to the revolutionary movement. As Emilia’s relationship with Daniel deepens — she loses her virginity to him and remains uninterested in marriage — she meets a young doctor, Antonio Zavalza (Juan Amozurrutia), at Sol’s wedding, and the two quickly connect as well.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Adapted from the novel by Ángeles Mastretta, Lovesick blends period romance and social change in ways that may call to mind Bridgerton and The Gilded Age.
Our Take: The story of Lovesick is going to consist of Emilia’s struggle to become one of Mexico’s first female doctors as well as choosing between what Daniel or Antonio can give to her both practically and emotionally. Renata Vaca is able to handle the weight of this as Emilia, showing her independence, intelligence, and revolutionary spirit in a well-integrated performance.
But the story is also interesting, given how her ambitions are going to coincide with the country’s revolution, a deadly war that spanned a decade. The show’s writers, Catalina Aguilar Mastretta and Fernanda Eguiarte, have set up the story so that the love triangle portion isn’t dominant, and it pits two good men against each other. In fact, a viewer can see Emilia with either of them, but what’s great about the series is that she may put her career first, something that was highly unusual for a young Mexican woman in the 1910s.
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Performance Worth Watching: Since we’ve already mentioned Vaca, we’ll cite Cassandra Ciangherotti as Emilia’s aunt Milagros, who is as big an influence on her as anyone in her life.
Sex And Skin: There is definite nudity, both during a scene where Emilia and Daniel are chased by police (long story) and when she loses her virginity to him.
Parting Shot: After Daniel’s brother Salvador (Alejandro Puente) is shot during a protest, he’s brought to the apothecary, where Emilia helps Antonio dig out the bullet. She holds the bloody slug in her hand and realizes what she wants to do with her life.
Our Call: STREAM IT. Lovesick does a good job of balancing its steamier aspects with a compelling story of a woman who wants agency over her life in a world that’s about to radically change.
Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.