‘Land of Women’ Review – Eva Longoria Leads Apple TV+’s Feel-Good Drama

The big picture

• The funny comedy-drama on Apple TV+
  Land of Women
  follows Gala from New York on a life-changing trip to a Spanish wine town with her family.
• The show features a strong performance, especially by Carmen Maura, who highlights the bond between three generations of women.
• Despite a weak crime subplot,
  Land of Women
  offers upbeat and enjoyable escapism, with a well-developed dynamic between its core trio.

With the start of summer comes a strong desire to go on holiday abroad and escape the difficulties of everyday life. When traveling isn't an option, a series like Apple TV+ Land of Women does the trick as it focuses on a “girls trip” to a small, picturesque town in northern Spain, where miles of vineyards line both sides of the road. Although the rationale for the escape is far from a simple desire to have an adventure in an unknown place, Gala's (Eva Longoria) last minute plan to get on a plane with his mother Julia (Carmen Maura) and their teenage daughter Kate (Victoria Bazua) offers an unexpected, life-changing journey. While Apple TV+'s multicultural production, with casts and crews from both Spain and the US, has its flaws, Land of Women is a fresh and pleasant show that viewers can resort to when traveling to Europe is not feasible.

What is 'Land of Women' about?

Based on a novel by Sandra Barnard, the series begins with Gala, a New York socialite who is excited about opening her bottle shop. In the mood to finally be able to focus on something of her own, the protagonist feels her world turned upside down when two hitmen show up at the opening event to warn her about her husband's billion-dollar debt. With her partner nowhere to be found and criminals threatening her and her family, Gala is forced to come up with a plan to flee the country with her loved ones overnight. The first destination that comes to mind is La Muga, a small town in Catalonia, Spain, where Júlia and her sister lived in their youth. However, when the three women arrive in the village, it becomes clear that their presence is not welcomegiven the bad reputation that Gala's mother had when she lived there and the fact that she had not been in contact with her brother for more than 40 years.

“Land of Women” might be Eva Longoria's return to television, but Carmen Maura steals the show

After spending almost a decade behind the camera as a producer and director, the Desperate housewives Alum once again takes on the role of a fashionista, who slowly discovers that she doesn't need expensive clothes at her fingertips to be happy. Longoria's charming screen presence and his strong Latin nature are fully shown through his last character, who was born in America but lived a long time in Mexico. Her fluency in Spanish allows her to alternate languages ​​and communicate with the inhabitants of La Muga, but this does not prevent her from being judged badly by the mainly female community. After all, in her mind, she is the image of Julia, whom they consider a rebel without a cause and who also had affairs with most of the men in the town when she lived there. Her departure from the city was more of a blessing than a curse, so Gala being related to her prevents the protagonist from making meaningful connections right away. Instead, he must win the trust of the women, as well as the affection of Amat (Santiago Cabrera), the current owner of Júlia's childhood home.

Although Longoria plays the main character, the consecrated Carmen Maura who draws the viewer into the plot. Pedro AlmodóvarJulia's frequent collaborator brings nuance to Julia, who is no longer the troubled teenager who used to bathe in the lake and was constantly fighting with her neighbors. Now she is plagued by memory lapses, so much so that she doesn't even know which of the men from her past is Gala's biological father. Catapulted back to the place where she was raised, Julia must repair herself and find the answers she seeks before she is no longer able to remember who she is. Maura shines as Julia, embracing her sense of humor and flirtatious personality despite his mental state.

Besides, Land of Women it could be a crime drama, though The highlight of the show is the dynamic between generations. When a grandmother, mother and daughter are forced out of their comfort zones and reunited after an unfortunate turn of events, they finally have the chance to bond like never before. Kate, who is transgender, has struggled to maintain a close relationship with her mother since her transition, and Julia was living in a retirement home before her daughter took her on this getaway trip. Sleeping in a cramped room and working in the fields producing wine becomes an opportunity for healing. When Longoria, Maura and Bazua share the screen, you can't help but be drawn to their evolving bond.

“The Land of Women's Crime subplot isn't exciting enough or melodramatic enough.”

With this leading trio making amends in wine country, it's easy to forget that the show started with criminals knocking on Gala's door. When the hitmen go after these three women, their presence in the original Apple TV+ becomes more annoying than exciting. At the end of the day, the characters that follow them are purely one-dimensional, and their demeanor is neither scary enough to make them menacing nor silly enough to make them a perfect fit for soap operas like The South Queenor Jane the Virgin.

Interestingly, the crime aspect of the series is its least compelling feature, given that the show's creators have created several female-led dramas with a dangerous twist. Showrunners Ramón Campos, Paula Fernandezi Teresa Fernández-Valdés have supported productions like high seas i Cable girlswhich are great examples of projects that effectively combine female friendships and outlaw pursuits.

Despite this, the show's magnetic performances (especially Maura's) and its gorgeous backdrop are enjoyable enough to give viewers a cozy feeling of escape. Although Land of Women It would have been better if there were more stakes involved, especially when it comes to Gala's constant fear of having her hideout discovered, it gets points for its well-developed dynamic between the series' leading trio.

The first two episodes of Land of Women will premiere on Apple TV+ on June 26.

Watch on Apple TV +