The new episode of the people show hosted by Maria De Filippi on Canale 5 starts immediately with the ‘story of an interrupted marriage’ and thus introduces us to Roberto, the tireless ‘champion’ of random betrayals. Then the usual (im)possible family reunions, Leonilda looking for her better half, Pasquale, who was let away at least five decades ago and a surprise guest: Gigi D’Alessio. Let’s look at the pass and fail together.
Immediately where the tooth hurts: You’ve got mail for you is in crisis? (vote 6)
Last Saturday the final of ‘The Voice Kids’ on Rai 1 won the battle for the Saturday night share. By just one percentage point, but he won. A huge satisfaction for Antonella Clerici and her team, at the same time an intolerable defeat for Maria De Filippi, who is not used to losing. About never. During the week, you may have come across long or short editorials (the shorter ones are on We invite calm. Apart from the fact that, unless you are an investor in television advertising slots, we cannot understand what makes you so passionate about TV ratings, both programs achieved excellent Auditel results, no one is crying, really. Of course, seeing Maria De Filippi ‘defeated’ has an effect, but in addition to the excellent work done by the competition, it is necessary to recognize that ‘C’è Posta per Te’ has structural problems. The main one is the boredom of the eternal return. Tyler Durden in ‘Fight Club’ said that ‘with insomnia, every day is a copy, of a copy, of a copy.’ Well, the same concept can very well be extended to the Marian program. In the latest editions, in particular, he has been increasingly lazy in writing and proposing stories. Those with horns are always good, it is no coincidence that De Filippi also placed one this evening at the beginning of the episode. But the impression is that, by now, we could repeat in playback what the sender is about to say and what the recipient will respond. The same applies also, if not above all, to the events of difficult family reunions. Not to mention the guests, always the same: tonight Gigi D’Alessio appeared and is now more on Canale 5 than at home, we fear. They could put his face in place of the flagship logo and no one would notice the difference. Seven days ago Luca Argentero, before Alessandro Del Piero, Can Yaman. All faces much loved but equally seen and watched on broadcast. You have to defrost the battleship to keep the audience awake until the end. And, above all, to not make him change the channel. As we have just seen, it is a moment. We may all be Maria’s children, but Antonella is our dearest aunt. For the next edition, we are sure that De Filippi will do something new, as he did with the very successful arrival of lip sync to ‘Tu Sì que vales’. Bloody Mary can ‘make a mistake’ once, but the second time you’ll never make the same mistake again.
Roberto, Olympic champion of ‘Cerving’. He cheated and left his wife three times in one year: rating 0
Now we should just find a way to make ‘cerving’ an Olympic discipline because in four years, by presenting this natural born champion of burglary, Italy will take home the entire medal table (no, not like that group of petty thieves did at the Louvre months ago). His name is Roberto and he knows no shame. In the last year he cheated on his wife Valentina with the same woman, even going to live with her every time. Only to then return, ears down, to his wife, assuring her that he would never be unfaithful to her again. And the unfortunate girl even took it back, always. Now, after yet another deer, he no longer trusts. Who knows why. De Filippi unleashes a good panegyric on forgiveness, explaining that whoever manages to put it into practice, in her opinion, would not be weak or stupid, but much stronger than others. Maybe, but that doesn’t mean that Valentina has to return for the 800th time with such an inflatable puppet declaring eternal love like an idiot. He is there at the feet of the pluricervata only because now he finds himself living with his mother, alone, he is bored. Valentina closes the envelope and the whole of Italy breathes a sigh of relief. Bitter, though. It is clear that the wife still has feelings about the malaise she married 9 years ago. It will give way soon. Then it will continue at least until it can no longer pass through the doors of the Olympic Stadium and beyond. Some people shouldn’t even meet, let alone get married and have children. Also because the unfortunate wife has been calling herself ‘Pupi’ for almost a decade. The time has come to pass the baton, or rather, the Olympic flame. For goodness sake.
Annarita, an unfair life and two ungrateful children. It’s painful to see her cry (in vain): rating 9
Annarita got married at 16 to a horrible man. Except he couldn’t have known, not right away. They will be together for three decades, they will give birth to two children: Luana and Alessio. Throughout the marriage, the woman found herself asking her husband’s permission for everything: the driving license, being able to work, leaving the house alone, going to visit her mother in Foggia. Always getting a ‘no’ for an answer. On the other hand, she dedicated herself to her children, raising them with boundless love. But it wasn’t enough. Today Luana and Alessio no longer want to see her and demonstrate an out-of-scale hatred for her. How come? Three years ago, our girl decided to leave prison, thanks to a man older than her who ‘for the first time’ in his life ‘treated her as if she were a woman, giving her affection and attention’. This older gentleman is called Pasquale, she met him at a dance class (her husband accompanied her in the car and stayed in the room to monitor her all the time, ed.). Son and daughter hate mom’s new partner, but especially mom. Because, according to them, they shouldn’t be allowed to ‘ruin the family’. But ‘ruin’ what? What ‘family’, for heaven’s sake?! Basically, since she left home and regained her well-deserved freedom, they have been blackmailing her: “Either you leave Pasquale, or you will never see us or your grandchildren again.” Annarita, good and all too willing to sacrifice as she is, has even tried, several times, to abandon her beloved to be with her daughter. But every attempt was unsuccessful, much to the disdain of the creatures who still blame her because she was unable to return to that personal hell that they persist in defining as ‘family’. This is despite the fact that even the father has been with another woman for some time, nothing to be done, mother has to pay for her ‘sins’. She cries, they look at her as if she were a bug to be squashed. Because they suffered too much, because they saw dad feel bad. And don’t you dare, mother, ‘claim’ anything of your inheritance, when it comes. They don’t even look like people. It cannot be explained how, in 30 years of living together in that house, Luana and Alessio did not realize how much their mother suffered every day, monitored on sight and without the possibility of escape. A chance to escape that she would actually have had, if she hadn’t been so in love with them, with her little ones. That today they ‘repay’ her like this, with contempt and blackmail. Our hearts broke seeing her cry her eyes out for these two ungrateful people who, in the end, even manage to close the envelope in her face. Annarita, you absolutely must know that the whole of Italy tried to get inside the television to hug you very tightly. Go on a cruise with your Pasquale and dance on the bow of the ship forever, you deserve this. Certainly not tears. The best parents always happen to those who know the least what to do with them. Dura lex, sed lex. But it never lasts as long as the ventricles of those two, perfect daddy’s boys. Of that dad.
Sara no longer wants to talk to her father (because she is jealous of her little sister): rating 7
Raffaele and Mariagrazia enter the studio in desperation: his nineteen-year-old daughter, Sara, no longer wants to have anything to do with her father and his partner for a year, radio silence. Neither of them can explain what the reasons could be. And as soon as the girl enters the studio and opens her mouth, we discover that after all, neither does she. All three have always had a good relationship, with dad Sara’s new flame he went to the hairdresser, went shopping, spent the holidays, never any friction. So what? And then it happened that, at a certain point, Mariagrazia gave birth to a little daughter, Stefania. From there, by pure chance, Sara decided to freeze relations with her father. He makes surreal excuses like ‘Mariagrazia once didn’t say hello to me when we were on holiday’. The woman also takes on the terrible ‘guilt’, explaining to her – she had never had the opportunity before, given the Chinese Wall erected by the young woman around her – that that summer was particularly tough for her, on a personal level. She had just found out she had to move to Milan for work, she was looking for a home and a nursery for her little girl. “I’ve been cold towards everyone because of too many thoughts, I’ve never been angry with you!”, she tells her with her eyes flashing with unconditional love. However, Sara is 19 years old and therefore has made her unshakable decision, like a bull when he sees red in Pamplona. He reopens the envelope to his father, but makes Mariagrazia leave the office, he doesn’t want to start a relationship with her again. A matter of time, it will grow. And she will no longer feel jealous of her little sister, in fact, we are certain from now on that they will adore each other for life. Sara just has to complete her sumptuous and irrevocable phase of rebellion. And that’s okay too, she’s one angry chick.
