The less you try to think about the absurd fantasy premise of this satire on Brazilian telenovelas, the better. Based on the first three episodes watched for this review, Soap Opera (or Novela in Portuguese) doesn't provide an airtight idea of how things work when screenwriter Isabel is sucked into a TV—meaning any sense of urgency or narrative stakes don't feel terribly high. But still, countless possibilities open up the longer that Isabel remains in her own creation. Here she can take full creative control (literally) of how she wants herself and others to be perceived, but Lauro, the producer who's placed his own name on the marquee, also gets to scheme on how best to continue exploiting the success Isabel is inadvertently bringing him. The result is something uniquely funny, creatively designed, and compulsively watchable.
Synopsis
Isabel is a promising screenwriter who has dedicated her life to become a writer for a hit telenovela. When she finally gets her chance, her mentor Lauro Valente betrays her. At the premiere, Isabel decides to confront him and magically ends up in his telenovela as the main character. From the inside, she will be able to prove her creativity.
Storyline
After a screenwriter discovers that a producer has stolen the credit for her new telenovela script, she finds herself transported into the show as its main character, where she can change the events of the story as everyone watches.
TLDR
This is, unironically, kind of what it feels like to binge Twin Peaks.
What stands out
Arguably even more fun than watching Isabel navigate the telenovela's fantasy world is seeing all the "real" characters try to play along with seeing their likenesses doing entirely different things from what they recall doing on set. Some are horrified at the show's sudden turn towards absurdist comedy, others are delighted at how Isabel is steering the ship herself. And Lauro, of course, gets to pretend that he's a genius who planned this new original series all on his own. I'm sure there'll be some way to interpret Soap Opera as commentary on AI-generated content, but for now the show is more interested in satirizing the exploitative nature of the film and television industries—something that's just as timely today.
