Having visited Rio a few years back, I was interested in watching what it must have looked like in the late '50's, not only the posh areas, but also the favelas. In this respect the series doesn't disappoint, I guess. When in Rio I heard several renderings of "Girl from Ipanema"- apart from that of Jobim and de Moraes- one better than the other, so why choose an English version in the opening? The theme of women's discrimination both in the home and in the work place is immensely generous, but the authors chose to treat it rather lightly; another missed opportunity. Speaking of women's rights, it seems very shallow to cast only women with obvious breast implants, which is- for those times- clearly inappropriate, no matter how fond of plastic surgery people are nowadays. It's ludicrous! Watching the fifth episode, I can't shake the impression that it tends to slide into the classic clichés of the telenovelas. I wouldn't be surprised to abandon watching somewhere in the sixth...
Review of Girls from Ipanema
