Maybe we should have expected it. Just like black characters in horror movies, queer characters in television dramas always seem to be killed off. (See Heather Hogan’s “9 Worst Fictional Lesbian/Bi Deaths of 2013” if you don’t believe me.) Yet, we had hoped that because of the international popularity of this gorgeous couple and the fact that the actors recently received the Visibility Award at the 2013 LGBTQ Film Festival of Andalucia, that they might be spared that fate.
I guess that was too much to hope for since there were rumors swirling around the internet that Cristina was being killed off due to Berta Hernandez‘s early departure from the Tierra De Lobos set during the filming of season three. And then there was the Lesbiacarnarias interview during which Adriana Torrebejano intimated that she wasn’t happy with the ending the writers of Tierra De Lobos created for Crisabel. Yet, even though our minds may have had an inkling of what was to come, our hearts didn’t want to believe it.
But believe it, we must. It’s true: Cristina was accidentally killed at the hands of Isabel’s husband (the same man that impregnated her, mind you) Lieutenant Jorge Ruiz. If we can suspend our disbelief that an unarmed woman would actually argue with a man brandishing a gun in anger after he catches you kissing his wife–especially when if she can just keep her cool as he is leaving she will be just a few hours away from running off with the love of her life–then maybe you can swallow the idea that Cristina’s life could be ended in such an inane way.
I must admit that I am one of the many fans having trouble accepting the way Crisabel has ended. Really? Death by dresser? Tierra De Lobos is a western where other people survive gunshots and explosions and escape burning buildings. Ceasar and Roman were buried alive and yet Anibal and Jean Marie came to their rescue just in the nick of time before they ran out of air. But Cristina is killed with a shove and a knock to her head?
What makes Cristina’s death even harder to bear is the fact that she is killed precisely because she was in a same-sex relationship. Some might argue that this is historically appropriate as many of queer folk were persecuted, locked up in mental institutions, convents and even killed in less enlightened times. Heck, queer people are persecuted, locked up and killed even today! But I would argue that this is fiction! Yes, there are tons of tragic endings in real life, which is exactly why it would be nice to have a happy ending in a fictional television show that we watch for entertainment and escapism.
Honestly, I’m a bit miffed. And I’m not the only one. Fans are expressing their disapproval on the Crisabel Fans International Facebook page. The twitterverse is exploding with online petitions, requests for fans to contact the writers of TDL to express their displeasure, and videos condemning the writers of the show.
People are angry! This one is particularly harsh.
Other fans are focusing their energy to imagine alternate endings for Crisabel in fanfiction and artwork.
Even Berta Hernandez is disappointed in the loss of her character Christina. She shares the following in an interview with Mirales magazine:
Well yes, you have seen the ending… The truth is that there could be a thousand ways to end the story… Or directly not end it,that would have been the best… But I guess the network thought it was too risky to bet on ‘backwards’. We do things by halves. I don’t think we’re ready to go for it without prejudice and without thinking about the ‘side effects’. If there is a love that deserved to succeed and live happily was Isabel and Cristina’s love. And it’s so obvious that I find it ridiculous to have to convince anyone. It’s a shame I could not give them a happy ending….It is a shame, indeed.
What are your thoughts on the death of Crisabel? Preposterous? Inevitable? What kind of ending would you imagine for the couple?
