Selena Quintanilla-Perez: A legacy that lives on

Citlali Viramontes, Reporter

Premiering May 4, season two of Selena: The Series gave the late Queen of Tex-Mex music the national spotlight once again. While most people know the plot of the artist’s life story, the show is definitely worth the watch as it allows fans to reminisce. Newly obsessed fans are joining in on the profound love for her character, successfully played by actress Christian Serratos.
The show begins with Selena’s career kicking off with her playing in her family’s restaurant, as their band, Selena y los Dinos, gains recognition, slowly giving a rise to the artist’s fame and success.
Although fans were upset over actress Serratos playing Selena, it is undeniable that she gave the audience something to remember Selena with. Once the show is over, one gets the urge to search for the real thing for a side-by-side comparison. Despite the show’s accuracy and success in giving the fans replicas of Selena’s big moments in her career, many choose the what-could-have-beens. As few people know, Chris Perez, Quintanilla’s widowed husband, wanted to do his own Selena series with his perspective since he feels the show might not have captured her character well enough. This caused some dispute that led Selena’s dad, Abraham Quintanilla, to sue Perez since he made him sign a contract after Selena’s death, confirming he wouldn’t try to profit off of her name. Agreeably, Perez has the right to find some closure within the making of his series, and Selena’s fans would be more than satisfied with having a bit more insight to the artist behind her music. This is a must for many, but one can’t face away from the fact that the series truly makes an impression on viewers.
One of the main attention-getters in the show were the replicated costumes worn by actress Serratos and the rest of the cast. Some of Selena’s iconic looks consist of a white outfit, worn in 1994 live at the Astrodome, and the white halter top dress worn at the 1994 Grammy’s. Fans were especially observant of these outfits since they are what most remember Selena with, and were very satisfied with the likeliness in appearance. Even her sister, Suzette Quintanilla, said in an interview that she checked to see if they hadn’t taken clothes from the Selena Museum, in which her sister’s real costumes have been preserved. Aside from her iconic looks, the band members’ costumes are almost identical to the real ones. It is very exciting to get a glimpse of what Selena’s concerts were like, especially for those who missed out on watching her perform live.
One may finish watching the show with mixed emotions. Some fans have even chosen not to watch the second and last season of the show because they still have not recovered from Selena’s tragic death. Listening to the series’ soundtrack on repeat works like medicine after having watched such a heartbreaking episode. This show not only gives a taste of Selena’s life, but it also allows one to listen to her music from a different perspective, falling in love with it even more.
Selena: The Series is a roller coaster of emotions, involving many cheerful moments alongside the bright energy Selena put out into the world, ending with a loss that can never be recovered from. These are the emotions that the series makes one go through, and fans can’t be blamed for refraining from watching the show. Along with her music, Selena’s beauty will definitely be remembered way longer than she may have expected.