This past August, the first season of Netflix's third Mexican original series – following hits Club de Cuervos and Ingobernable – premiered. The Spanish language series, La Casa de las Flores (English translation: The House of Flowers), was described by the streaming platform as a dark comedy that "revolves around a seemingly successful and idyllic family-run flower business." And while that's true, it doesn't even begin to capture half the story.
The series starts off with the narrator, Roberta, hanging herself in the de la Mora's flower shop; this single event sets off a domino effect, which the narrator shares as her goal. The entire de la Mora family is now forced to not only deal with but actually talk about their actions and secrets, something that we might be too familiar with IRL. While in the US, the series is automatically set to English audio, it definitely makes a world of a difference watching it in the original Spanish audio – after all, that's the beauty of subtitles.
With that said, grab your favourite bottle of wine, settle down on your couch, and watch why La Casa de las Flores already has a viral challenge [1].
The Impressive Cast
The series stars some of Mexico's finest talent with Veronica Castro and Cecilia Suárez leading the de la Mora family, accompanied by Aislinn Derbez, Dario Yazbek Bernal, Arturo Ríos, and Claudette Maillé. With a combined repertoire that includes cult classics like Como Agua Para Chocolate, Los Ricos También Lloran, Rosa Salvaje, Spanglish, and No se si cortarme las venas o dejármelas largas, among others, the entire cast breathes life into the characters created by Manolo Caro.
Paulina de la Mora
Speaking of the characters, one of the most memorable characters is the oldest daughter, Paulina de la Mora. Portrayed by Cecilia Suárez, her tone and accent give the character's lines a whole new meaning. If you watch it in English audio, you'll completely miss the way she pronounces all her words, which does her character a huge disservice. And her accent isn't the only reason people love Paulina; her hilarious one-liners and outspoken feminism are also some of her best attributes. Highlights: "I forgot to cancel the Mariachi"; "We are not going to be part of the misogynistic culture that humiliates women for having an active sex life, naco."
The References to Pop Culture
From the first episode, we get nods to the Kardashians, Beyoncé, Desperate Housewives, and even Luismi. But where Manolo Caro gets it right again is with the music played throughout the series; using drag queens to interpret classics from Amanda Miguel, Gloria Trevi, Yuri, and Ana Gabriel, to mention a few, helps tell the story of all the characters and leaves viewers ready to hit the nearest karaoke.
Tackling Taboo Subjects
The series does a good job discussing topics like bisexuality, transsexuality, suicide, drugs, sex, and cheating through humour. Rather than focusing on how a family member is going to react to a particular secret, the de la Mora family tries to grapple with what the rest of society will say. What seem like awkward moments for us merely serve as conduits for acceptance among each other. I also have to note that I personally appreciated that the show's writers didn't resort to shock factor.
The Narrator
I'm a sucker for a good narrator, and this time is no exception. Roberta Sanchez, played by Claudette Maillé, was the perfect choice for the narrator (although Delia, the family's housekeeper, would've been interesting as well). Roberta is close enough to the family that she can comment on and imagine what each person's actions would be, but still far enough that we get to judge them for ourselves. Not to mention that if it wasn't for her, then the de la Moras would arguably never confront their truths.
Wardrobe and Set Design
No series about upper-class families is ever complete without a good #OOTD. The family's matriarch leads the way with her sometimes over-the-top accessories and clean lines, and the men in the film don't fall behind, either. We're also able to admire the different flower arrangements throughout the series, as well as different Mexico City landmarks.
You Can Watch It in 1 Afternoon
Did I mention that you can devote a single day to the series? With only 13 episodes averageing about 30 minutes each, you wont even realise when you-u st-ar-ted tal-king like Pau-li-na.
Here's the promo [2].