On yesterday’s season finale, the Spanish TV show Los Hombres de Paco (Paco’s Men) killed off one-half of its very popular lesbian couple Silvia, played by Marián Aguilera, only a few hours after she was married to Pepa (Laura Sanchez).
I mentioned last week in an article that the wedding would turn violent, but I admit I didn’t think Pepa or Silvia would be among the final body count. Four characters including Silvia were shot at the wedding, however, and Silvia died a sad, slow death in Pepa’s arms. (Read a full recap of the finale here.)
There are rumors that Aguilera requested to leave the show (she has been with the cop drama for most of its eight seasons), but this hasn’t been confirmed by the actress. UPDATE: Aguilera confirmed it.
Theories abound as to why the writers chose to write her character off by killing her – from laziness, to maximizing ratings, to freeing Pepa up to love again eventually (the most optimistic interpretation by far). Regardless, Silvia has now become the latest in a long line of dead lesbians on TV and film, a fate that befalls lesbian/bi characters disproportionately more often than their heterosexual counterparts.
There will be more written about this in the future, but for now, leave your thoughts on Silvia’s death in the comments below, and read other readers’ reactions in our Los Hombres de Paco forum thread starting here.
