LIKE MEXICAN OZ

Shane gets HBO Latino which is offensively titled “HBO OLÈ ” and has been going on about this Mexican show “Capadocia” as long as I’ve known him. He describes it as the Mexican version of “Oz,” another culty HBO show that set the stage for The Wire (and cast a lot of the same actors, plus that guy who plays Michael from “Lost”). So one night last week, he plied me with Mexican food from the best teeny tacqueria in Fort Greene (not bougie, but actual), got made fun of by his macho bodega dude for buying me Corona Lite, and forced me to come over and watch the first episode of this show, warning me that it is subtitled but I could probably understand most of the Spanish anyway. But that I NEEDED TO SEE IT.
Essentially it’s about the institutionalized women’s prison system in Mexico, which is hella gangster and run by this gigante butch lesbian with a big hairdo. There’s a sideplot about these corrupt officials who want to turn the prison into a camp for free labor, and turn prisoners into workforce, thereby helping private capitalism, but increasing the prison population out of necessity (SOUND FAMILIAR?!). In the first episode there’s a riot, a couple of murders, a crack addict, underground drug trade, lots of sex both hetero and homo, and a boob shot like every four minutes: total telenovela style, despite the serious theme and drama-focus. But judging by the first episode it’s one of the most feminist TV shows I have ever seen (on a very short list of feminist TV shows that includes.. “Murphy Brown”? “Veronica Mars”? Umm… “Alibi”? What else?). I’ll let you know more after Shane lets me come over and watch the following nineteen episodes in one day over winter break. Hint.