Destinos: An Introduction to Spanish
Tags: melodrama, flashback

Plot synopsis:
=== Summary ===
Destinos recounts the story of Los Angeles-based lawyer Raquel Rodríguez who is hired by the family of Fernando Castillo (Augusto Benedico). He had discovered that his first wife, Rosario, did not die in the Spanish Civil War as he had believed, but had survived and had an unknown child. In the course of her investigation of the case, Raquel travels to a number of Spanish-speaking areas — Seville and Madrid, Spain; Buenos Aires, Argentina; San Juan and San Germán, Puerto Rico; and Mexico — has a number of adventures and mishaps, meets a love interest (Arturo Puig) and faces a number of melodramatic conflicts.
Recurring plot elements include Raquel traveling in pursuit of the investigation, letters (primarily to determine last known addresses of people), comic mix-ups, and death (although nobody dies during the series, many characters are found to have died and Don Fernando is on the verge of dying).
=== Details ===
The Beginning: In a large estate called La Gavia outside Mexico City, a very old Don Fernando has been keeping a secret for some time: he received a letter, from one Señora Teresa Suárez of Seville, Spain, stating that his first wife, Rosario, did not die in the Spanish Civil War as he had thought.
Fernando's (unspecified) medical problems are increasing, however, and when he starts seeing hallucinations of Rosario he finally decides to act. He gathers his entire extended family, which includes the families of his children, Juan, Carlos, Ramon, and Mercedes, together and explains to them that he wants to find out what happened to Rosario, who was pregnant when they lost contact. His brother Pedro hires Raquel, a lawyer of his acquaintance, to investigate.
Spain Arc: Raquel first travels to Seville to meet Sra. Suárez. She meets and spends time with family members, son Miguel, and Sra. Suarez' grandson Jaime, and soon learns from them that Sra. Suárez has since moved to Madrid and won't talk by telephone. Raquel travels to Madrid; after a comic mix-up of identities and hotel rooms, where she is thought to be the winner of the Spanish lottery, she then meets Sra. Suárez's son and is taken to see Sra. Suárez. She learns that Rosario has moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina and is given the address from Rosario's last letter. She also learns that Rosario had likewise thought Fernando had died in the war and that Rosario and Fernando have a son named Angel. In parting, Sra. Suárez's last words to Raquel prove prophetic: "Life is not all work: you also need to dedicate some time to your heart!"
Argentina Arc: Raquel then travels to Argentina to search for Rosario. When she finds that Rosario no longer lives at the address on the letter Sra. Suárez gave her (the Estancia Santa Susana, a real tourist ranch near Buenos Aires), she follows a lead from a local gaucho, happens upon the office of psychiatrist Dr. Arturo Iglesias, and soon finds out he is Angel's half-brother and a son of Rosario. Arturo takes Raquel to the family crypt, and there, Raquel discovers that Rosario had actually died. For years, Arturo has been estranged from Angel, whom he blamed for his father's deadly heart attack. Arturo and Raquel begin a long search for acquaintances of Angel in his last known location, an Italian sea port neighborhood of Buenos Aires called La Boca. Armed only with a 20-year-old picture, they eventually find an outgoing old sailor named Héctor Condotti who remembers his good friend Angel. After several days, during which Raquel and Arturo start to develop a romance, Héctor produces a letter with Angel's address in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Puerto Rico Arc: Raquel then flies to San Juan and goes to the address in Old San Juan. From a neighbor, Raquel finds out that Angel died only a few months ago and had a wife who died several years before. While photographing the grave of Angel, Raquel runs into Angel's daughter, Angela. Raquel tells Angela the whole story, including that she has a grandfather in Mexico and Uncle in Argentina she's never heard of. Raquel also finds out that Angela has a brother, Roberto, living in Mexico. Angela's stern aunt Olga doesn't want her to travel to Mexico with Raquel, but after a trip to see her grandmother in San Germán, her grandmother gives her blessing to travel. Along the two-hour trip to San Germán, they have car trouble and must stay overnight in Ponce.
Finally, we meet Angela's boyfriend and nauseating mujeriego ("womanizer"), Jorge. He makes several clumsy passes at Raquel. A mild fight between Raquel and Angela ensues; not because Raquel tells Angela about the passes (she decides not to based on advice from her mother), but because Angela thinks the world of him and wants to give him a significant amount of money to start a theater. Nonetheless, Raquel and Angela are about to travel together to Mexico when they learn that Angela's brother Roberto has been trapped in an archaeological excavation in Mexico.
Mexico/Rescuing Roberto Arc: Raquel and Angela travel to Mexico, where they quickly drive to a small town where Roberto is trapped in a pre-Columbian excavation. Arturo was to meet them in Mexico City, but they cannot get in contact with him, so he spends several days in Mexico City wondering what happened to them, while they stay at a local church. Several episodes (possibly the slowest in the series) pass where Raquel and Angela are waiting for Roberto to be rescued, and Arturo is wondering what happened to Raquel. Finally, Roberto is rescued and Angela and Roberto meet their uncle Arturo.
Love Triangle Arc: After Raquel calls her mother back in Los Angeles to catch up, her mother hatches a scheme to get Raquel back together with Luis, an old boyfriend. Luis called and talked to Raquel's mother and began trying to get back into Raquel's life. Luis impressed Raquel's mother with his apparent maturity and wealth, so, despite her advice to Raquel not to get mixed up in other people's lives, and despite her husbands misgivings, she invites Luis down to Mexico unbeknownst to Raquel. Arturo and Luis meet, resulting in some tense moments, but they generally get along well, leaving Raquel wondering what's happening.
Finally, Arturo meets Raquel's parents. Arturo finds Raquel's father is amiable but her mother is clearly not. Raquel had by now figured out that her mother asked Luis to come down to Mexico, and a fight between the two ensues. Her mother finally admits that the only reason she's opposed to Arturo is that she's afraid that Raquel, their only daughter, will move to Argentina with Arturo. After Raquel assures her she will not leave her parents alone, her mother has a change of heart. When Luis presents Raquel with tickets to go away for a romantic weekend with him, she tells him that there's no chance. Luis leaves a good-bye note for Raquel and returns to the United States.
Family Problems Arc: Meanwhile, after Don Fernando is transported to Guadalajara to see a medical specialist, a financial irregularity comes to light. Don Fernando's son Carlos has been embezzling money from the family company's office in Miami. It turns out that his wife, Gloria, is a gambling addict and Carlos took the money to bail her out. The whole family company (including the La Gavia ranch) is endangered. Because of this, they close the Miami office and consider selling the ranch. Another monetary difficulty arises, this time between Angela and Roberto, over the fact that she wants to give her part of the money from the sale of their father's home to her Jorge. Avuncular Arturo starts playing mediator and tries to talk them through the situation.
Doubts (Review Arc): Finally, they all meet Don Fernando. It's a happy meeting, though Fernando is near death, so when Don Fernando suddenly walks in on their reunion dinner fully dressed and looking quite a bit stronger, they're all confused. To their amazement, Don Fernando tells them that he doubts their story: he does not believe that Arturo is really his step-son and Angela and Roberto are really his grandchildren. This device gives Raquel an opportunity to review the entire series, which takes four episodes.
At Long Last (Final Arc): At last, Don Fernando is convinced, not just because of Raquel's recounting and documentation, but because Angela produces a matching wedding cup that was passed from Rosario to Angel, to Angela's grandmother, to Angela. Another plot element is tied up when it turns out that Don Fernando has been squirreling away money all along, with the intention of turning the family ranch into an orphanage after his death. Carlos loves kids, having taken care of their kids while Gloria was out gambling, so they name Carlos the leader of the new orphanage.
Finale: To wrap up the series, Arturo decides to move to Los Angeles to be with Raquel, since he has no family and few friends in Argentina.

Review: Sure, everyone in our class pretends to hate "Destinos," and I'm sure our Spanish-speaking foreign exchange student is comatose through these things, but I think they're rather fun.
The story itself could probably have been played out in a half hour, but they drag the plot out so much it keeps you in suspense.
I seriously care what happens to Raquel in the next episode, though it's rather frustrating in how roundabout a way they choose to present the story.
One mustn't forget these are, above all, educational, rather than taut thrilling dramas, and they serve the former purpose quite well.
I think they really have helped to improve my Spanish, especially my listening skills.And they're funny.
They're not really supposed to be, but they are -- like any soap opera, the acting is bad and the story is a little overdramatic.
Throw in Raquel's hideous outfits, the ineptitude of the characters, the repetitiveness, and the number of episodes that are entirely about food or numbers, and you've got some wonderful opportunities for mockery -- and I don't say this disparagingly; it's endearing how cheesy it is.So, if you're a Spanish teacher or just someone who'd like to improve their Spanish listening skills, I'd give this series a thumbs-up.
OK, I admit it: I love this series.
But it's a cheesy soap opera that teaches you to understand the language.
Let me deal with each objection one at a time:Poor plot: As an actual telenovela, it probably fares pretty poorly.
This is primarily a LANGUAGE LEARNING TOOL.
It just happens to take the form of a telenovela, in fitting with the goal of introducing the viewer to Hispanic culture as well as language.Cheesy: What telenovela isn't cheesy?
If you want cheesy, try Rubi or Tres Mujeres.No budget: Unfortunately, the authors of these comments know nothing about TV/movie production.
And Destinos does it effectively - I honestly want to visit most of the places they filmed.Raquel's horrible wardrobe: While I agree that her "clown suit" is a little over-the-top, she was pretty fashionable for 1991.
Something to think about: ten+ years from now, if you consider yourself fashionably-dressed, what you're wearing today will look as bad as Raquel's wardrobe does today.Sleazy characters: Luis is supposed to be greasy.
He's trying to show Raquel his affection in the only way he knows how.Boring: I think this comment pretty much sums up my view on the series.
If you accept Destinos for what it is and actually learn from it, I guarantee you won't be bored.
You may even learn to love it like I have!.
sort of a novela but the goal is to teach Spanish, not just entertain.
I am fascinated with how they managed to include a story, drama, comedy, romance, history and a few others to work around Spanish vocabulary for the new-er student.
They also were able to show differences in various Latino/Hispanic countries.
I thought the location shots were pretty good considering, again, the purpose of the series.
It wasn't the most exciting story I've ever seen but if it were, I probably wouldn't understand it in Spanish!
I felt that I gained some confidence that I could follow the story.I enjoyed it!
While I will certainly concede that this program had its comic moments, I would hardly call it "campy" or "comedic." Dying grandfathers, wealthy gentlemen, and interfering mothers are hardly laughing matters.
This program enables the viewer to learn effectively and at a comfortable pace; observing characters shopping, eating, and making introductions certainly beats lists of words in a column on a blackboard with their English translations on the other side.
No one came out of my high school French class able to have a conversation; after this program I was negotiating over antique blouses in a Madrid flea market.Anyone interested in learning Spanish for everyday living will love this program, which is also lots more fun than sitting in a classroom.
I now watch at least two every day.For those ladies who enjoyed this program:  Start watching the real thing.
I started watching Destinos last year when i was seventh grade.
But this year I'm realizing that it does teach Spanish and despite what others may say, I think it's extremely entertaining.
Yeah, that acting sucks and it's cheesy in the most annoying way, but it's funny.
It's not supposed to be, but, come on, I don't a single person who didn't laugh some time during the show.
It will show you the same scene what feels like hundred times.
All in all it's pretty fun to watch and it teaches you Spanish.
With the exception of Seinfeld, Destinos is probably my favorite television show of all time.
It is a Spanish soap opera that entertains students as it teaches them the rudiments of the language and culture of Spanish speaking countries.Destinos is one of the most intriguing and interesting shows I've yet had the privilege to watch, and I plan on paying the $400 to get the entire video series for myself.
It has every ingredient necessary in the recipe for "television muy bueno"!Watching Destinos is kind of like watching the Blair Witch Project, except it is about 12-13 times longer, and had what seems like 1/5 the budget.
You would think this would hamper the effectiveness of the program, but it only makes it more campy and fun!
Watching our heroine Raquel Rodriguez run around in goodwill clothes never gets old, and it is obvious the producers of the program didn't hire a writer who bothered with proofreading or continuity, as there are more holes in the plot of Destinos than in a block of Swiss cheese.
Also consider the fact that Liliana Abud, who played the star of the show Raquel, quit acting to be a television writer after Destinos began airing.
TO COMEDIC EFFECT!The campy aspect of this hilarious soap is good enough, but where would we be without a cadre of smarmy and ridiculous characters to fill the show out?
There's Arturo, a bumbling middle aged sugar daddy who woos Raquel with expensive gifts and suave come-ons!
Don Fernando, a sick old man who spends most of his on-screen time coughing up phlegm rather than talking!
Ay caramba!All in all, Destinos is a great experience.
Watch Destinos, kids!
An Educational Spanish Soap Opera.
Destinos is the best!!
We started watching it in school when i was a sophmore and finished it my junior year.
It's a show that is just so much fun to learn from.
I mean, how many educational videos give you characters you actually care about?
Una carta importante!" One can never forget the ever greasy Luis or the super-suave Arturo....or even Raquel's horrible outfits!
the entire series is just a blast and the best way to learn spanish if you can't actually visit a spanish speaking country.
"Hola Raquel!" "Luis?!".
we used to watch this in my years of junior high.
i'm now able to catch up to the videos now.
If you are a Spanish teacher, your students should love these videos.
It was my first time hearing people from those areas actually speak.
Also, it provides a nice relaxing time for students and teachers and it still teaches!!.
Fantastic way to learn Spanish.
This is a fantastic production and a fun and comprehensive way for beginners to learn to speak Spanish.
Not only do you hear actual conversation but they included history lessons and grammar.
Solid educational series.
The series is a strictly educational one, so whoever writes about its cinematic pluses and minuses distorts the very idea of why people, wishing to learn or improve Spanish, should watch it.Of course, watching it today is kind of weird: the world has changed since the early 1990s and so many things seem totally obsolete and, sometimes, ridiculous, but I don't know of many other similar educational series, at least for Spanish learners, so I would recommend watching Destinos - along with reading the attached grammar and other notes on the Annenberg website, if you access the series online.At the beginning, there is more English than Spanish, but by the end of the series it is Spanish only.
Some episodes sum up the previous episodes with emphasis on new words and expressions, so you can remember them better.
I watched one or two episodes every day and found this to be the optimum way - for me - to remember new words, expressions and grammar forms..
Excellent Tool for Learning Spanish.
"Destinos" is an excellent tool for learning Spanish.
Based on tried- and-true pedagogical techniques, the carefully written script lets a beginner or intermediate student follow the story while developing a nice vocabulary.Don't be distracted by old clothing styles!!
The story line may seem overly dramatic, but this is a telenovela, after all.
These programs (now online at http://www.learner.org/resources/series75.html#) give you a great opportunity to learn a language without suffering though hours of grammar drills.
You will be amazed by how fast you pick up "real Spanish" spoken by native speakers..
I am glad that I watched Destinos on my own volition, as a middle-aged adult, using various resources that are now freely available for learning Spanish.
Luckily, I did not have fellow students telling me the punch lines beforehand, so the intended surprises actually were.
There is an interesting transition between the first few episodes which seem like standard educational films with a flimsy premise to carry the educational material to the final episodes that are carried by characters and a story line that you have come to care about.Destinos seemed like a pretty painless way to learn or improve Spanish, but it was more than that.
The story actually sucked me in, which was, of course, the higher educational purpose, namely learning a language by immersion.
Fight it, and its value diminishes.For the overly sophisticated, bored viewers who may be forced to watch Destinos, I suggest you look for the hidden "Easter eggs" in the form of sly jokes you might easily miss.
Google "Gioachino Rossini" and you might see what I mean.I understand and remember that, at eighteen, long, lost love is just a concept.
If you did not like Destinos at that age, try it again in thirty years after fate has left a few marks on you..
It is quite enjoyable to mock the horribly pathetic acting and to laugh one's head off in class.
No doubt it teaches us much Spanish subconsciously.In terms of actual, real entertainment value: the acting sucks, the budget seems to be nil (or less), and the plot is so full of holes that it might as well be plotless."Si, la tumba de MIIIIIIIISSSSSSSS padres." That's rich.
this show is highly entertaining, it has grade-A acting, a compelling plot, and complex story arch's.
there's nothing to hate about this show...EXCEPT EVERYTHING.This show makes me contemplate suicide every time i watch it...and i even followed through once.10/10well, IMDb says i need 10 lines of text, so lets talk a little bit...ehsoooo...how was your day?mine was fine, excellent even.feel free to e-mail me if you wanna tell me how your day went...i probably wont reply...or even read it for that matter..
Destinos son burritos.
Destinos has been a grueling experience.
Endowed with a exceptionally boring plot, the show attempts to drag on this atrocity for as long as it can.
OF course it is the producers right to create stuff like this, but to forcefully coerce a innocent student body to endure the travesty is a crime.
Every Friday, when we are mercifully granted a reprieve from her discordant voice and UGLY face, we are instead subjected to the cruel monotony of Destinos.
Bad or Worst-Destinos.
Upon arriving to my Spanish 102 class, I knew I was in for a daunting time.
My teacher, whom shall remain anonymous, did not seem to know Spanish, or for that matter be humane.
His whole life had seemingly been spent learning Spanish and nothing else.
Destinos began with a few corny comedic moments, Gandalf the Grey laying in a bed, the turtle neck around his living son, and of course the storyline that he had practically cheated on his wife and started a new family (Arnold Schwarzenagger).
From what I remember (Most of my time watching it, my head was buried in the cavern known as my arm) the Spanish was of the most advanced i had ever seen.
By advanced I mean anyone whom had even seen someone from a Spanish speaking country would have known what was going on.
In all i actually learned more Spanish from sleeping and talking to other kids (in English) than from watching this series..
This soap opera is absolutely hilarious in an I'd-sooner-die-than-watch-this sort of way.
The acting is awful, the plot is full of holes, and the educational tidbits (like the saleslady hanging up shirts and saying, "azul...verde...rojo, etc.") seem ridiculous; if you don't know enough Spanish to count to ten, why are you watching Destinos in the first place?
Watching the characters run around with their dorky hair and clothes is fun, though.
Overall, the best thing about watching Destinos was that it saved my Spanish class from having to do something even worse instead!
However, it's not as bad as 'La Catrina', the 'introduction to Spanish' telenovela my class got stuck with last semester!.
Destinos....blah blah blah.
OK so I am in Spanish 3 and in my fourth quarter of my sophomore year and my classmates and I know everything that they go through like numbers, letters, food, etc etc.
It is really a waste of valuable time where we could actually learn something.
I think I only stayed awake once during the entire season and that was when raquel and arturo "hooked up".
It may be helpful when you are starting Spanish but I have taken 4 years of Spanish and this is stupid, weird, horrible, awful, irrelevant, and BORING!!!!!!!!!!
I SUGGEST NO ONE EVER WATCH IT....ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.
"Destinos" es muy mal!.
We started watching "Destinos" when I was a freshmen in spanish 1 now im in spanish 3 and a junior.
From day one everyone knew this was going to be one long and "abburido" series.
Destinos has got to be the WORST "educational" video i have ever seen.
Basically its about some old man,Don Fernado, on his death bed,and he asks Raquel,the dective,to go find his first wife and son.
So Raquel goes out in search.
The poor old man is dying and Raquel spends all his money on buying clothes and other things and flirting with every guy she comes across!I dont even think Raquels told Don Fernado his 1st wife and kid are dead yet!
I swear,she spends 95% of the time doing other things then searching for the dying old mans realtives!
I think the people who made this series should've made Raquel more of a "detective" to give the show somewhat of a realistic feel!Anyways,the videos are annoying,they repeat things over and over and its so boring my whole class practically falls asleep.
I wish Don Fernado would hurry up and die,Raquel would give up and this whole hideous series would come to an end!!.
Destinos--an oasis in Spanish class.
Destinos is the best way to teach people Spanish along with the standard teaching methods.
It offers an entertaining break away from the monotony of worksheets, readings, and hearing the teacher drone on and on.
What's great about Destinos, along with learning new regional vocabulary, is the humor.
Situations are, if not drop dead funny, humorous in their repetition and the trademark phrases someone can learn such as "Deje mi carterra en el taxi!", "Nunca...jamaassss...", "Rosario...no murio...en la guerra.", and one must not forget "Si no quieres una esposa profesionista, es SU asunto!" Raquel's shoulder pads, her kilts, her toying with Arturo and the theme song become an ever-present memory once the show has finished, and the facts about places to see in Latin American and Spain fill one with the urge to see the places Raquel once stepped.
Destinos will live with me and other people in my class forever.
(In addition, Liliana Abud, who plays Raquel, is still going strong.
I love this series.
I don't know anything like 'Destinos' for learning Spanish, especially for learning to hear the spoken word.
Anyone who tries to learn Spanish (or another language) will know that watching movies or TV programs in the language is frustrating, just a little beyond comprehension--if only they'd speak more slowly!
Of course 'Destinos' is a sort of soap opera, but a soap opera with a lot of cultural and historical information and some great music to boot.
There are many locations and it's like a travelogue throughout the Spanish speaking world.I found Raquel to be a compelling character especially because she speaks very clearly and doesn't use a difficult vocabulary.
Neither do I think she's a bad actress, she's doing very precise, deliberate dramatic gestures in order to convey information to aid comprehension of the language.
This has a rather comic effect at times, but I loved it.
I think Raquel is adorable.
Yes, the plot proceeds rather slowly, it takes forever to get Roberto out of the mine, but the point is the language, not the drama.
I was thrilled when I found I could actually follow what the characters were saying and that gave me confidence.
I think it's a beautifully done series..
Destinos Changed My Life..
I was just a simple girl trying to learn Spanish when I watched the first episode.
I now understand Spanish better than I had ever in the past, but I also connected and fell in love with every character.Raquel is amazing and I loved watching her visit every place.
I was deeply saddened by the end of the show and wish to watch the sequel as well.
I'm not ready to give up this show or Raquel's outfits!
Also the filming on location let the scenery include some beautiful places.