In "Land of Women," Gabrielle Solis Grows Up

An escapist, over-the-top, modern-day twist on an "Eat Pray Love" themed-telenovela lands on Apple TV+ just in time for Summer

Note: This is a preview of the show and as such, contains no real spoilers - just useful context for watching this show.

In Land of Women [trailer] the beautiful Eva Longoria, in many ways, reprises her famed Desperate Housewives character from 20 years ago to bring us an updated version of the lovable, scrappy, and entitled Gabrielle Solis. Her portrayal of Gala in Land of Woman presents a character who, while still privileged and oblivious to her husband's criminal activities, undergoes a humbling transformation - instead of running into the arms of her muy caliente gardener as Gabrielle did to escape her problems, the more mature, equally as fashionable and ageless Gala seeks solace and support from the women in her life, her mother and daughter. She still runs off, but this time it’s to the picturesque vineyards of Catalonia. As far as experiences go, it has to be more soul-sustaining than the gardener.

Jesse Metcalfe as “The Gardener” in “Desperate Housewives” - Also in my recent image search for him, I came across another shirtless guy from the show. Wisteria Lane, where the fictional show takes place, was all hot dad bods.

Land of Women’s Creator, Cast, and the Spanish Version of The Gardener

Described as a “comedy-thriller,” the latest in a long line of suspenseful dramas featuring gorgeous Spanish backdrops (and people) created by Ramón Campos is as enticing as some of his earlier period pieces, such as Grand Hotel and Cable Girls, both of which I binged in the past 15 years with unbridled enthusiasm and if I’m being honest, a throwback nostalgia for my formative years which were spent watching a lot of soap operas, thanks to my older sister and babysitter, Millie. Mostly, with Millie, it was finding ways of escaping the couch and the black-and-white soap serials she watched. To add some color here, I was like 6 at the time. Resigning myself to couch soaps wasn’t so appealing.

Victoria Bazúa, Eva Longoria, and Carmen Maura in "Land of Women," now streaming on Apple TV+.

Gala’s mother, Julia, played by Pedro Almodóvar muse and veteran Spanish film star Carmen Maura, is equally as enticing to watch as Longoria and commands the screen with the time she’s given, which is a lot. Both she and Longoria have a remarkable ability to feed off each other's energies, creating a top-notch comedic rapport. In one hilarious scene, they end up in prison and it turns out Julia knows the cop and they go way back. Cross-cultural, small-town, and generational jokes aside, if these two weren’t playing the principal characters, the show wouldn’t deliver. The core of this show lies not in its romantic elements (though they keep you engaged), but in the nuanced and tender interactions between mother and daughter, showcasing their complex relationship.

Carmen Maura in "Land of Women," now streaming on Apple TV+.

Gala’s relationship with her trans daughter Kate, played by real-life trans actress Victoria Bazúa, is another of the show’s strengths. In a comedic sense, Kate is often playing the “straight man” to her mother’s more fiery, less predictable, temperament, but the two also share more serious mother-daughter moments, and it’s clear that Gala is a fiercely protective Mama Bear when it comes to her cub. Kate's romantic relationship with a girl from her boarding school is explored in flashbacks. Through these scenes, we come to understand the connection between families, and also Kate’s girlfriend’s parents’ less open attitudes regarding their daughter’s sexuality. Likely, they do not know of Kate’s gender identity. It’s worth mentioning that this is native Spanish-speaking Bazúa’s first acting credit and she’s acting in English with a bi-lingual cast, carving out a strong, female character in the company of veteran actresses.

Eva Longoria and Victoria Bazúa in "Land of Women," now streaming on Apple TV+.

After Gala’s swindler husband gets his family into dire straits (he owes bad people $15 million) and abandons them in the first 10 minutes of the show, we lose any interest in his character, apart from the fact that he’s an odd casting choice. British actor James Purefoy who recently played the villain in Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie and a deadbeat here is my rationale for harboring ill sentiments. That aside, his acting is fine. Just don’t hurt MONK!

Purefoy in “Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie”

This easy disposal of any emotional attachment to the guy paves the way for Gala to enter into a guilt-free enemies-to-lovers romance with the complicated and emotionally unavailable Spanish hottie, Amat (Santiago Cabrera), who meets the three women in a rather messy meet-cute in the first episode. They both have wine-related businesses and can learn from one another, if only they could get over the fact that he’s living in Julia’s former childhood home which Gala insists still belongs to her mother even though Amat paid for it. Here’s to chaotic, irrational, and messy relationships with scenic backdrops and sizzling stars. Whether he’s “an experience or a lifestyle” [See here for more on that], is immaterial. Just ask “the gardener.”

Santiago Cabrera in "Land of Women," now streaming on Apple TV+.

In Summary

Quoting my recommendation from My Lady Jane review:

It’s a Summer guilty pleasure show that boasts strong multi-generational and cross-cultural female relationships. As the show’s producer and lead actress [Longoria] said on the topic of this show, “I watch TV right now, and it’s all dystopian futures and the world is going to end and governments are going to collapse and robots are gonna take over,” Longoria says. “It stresses me out and gives me anxiety. I want to watch something to escape. I want to see romance. I want to see beautiful backdrops. And that’s what we’re doing. And then, you get wine porn.”

Let’s Discuss

What are you planning on watching (or reading) this weekend?

The Bear is back for Season 3 on Hulu but I’m waiting on it.

My TV priorities: Watch the last episode of Geek Girl and binge-watch 6 episodes of My Lady Jane. [My review]

My Book Priorities:

• Finish the grief memoir, Did I Ever Tell You? about author Genevieve Kingston’s coming to terms with her mother’s death and the yearly gifts her mother left her.

• Continue listening to the nonfiction audiobook, The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, about the perils of smartphones and their effect on kids

• Late night reading of Happily Never After by Lynn Painter, one of my favorite romance authors who writes incredible YA romance too. My top recommendation is Better Than The Movies which might be about teenage love but includes so many 80s pop cultural references, that it’s also written for adults.