Selena: The Series was released by Netflix in 2020, and now, we’re back with Part 2. In this final chapter of Selena’s story, we are diving more into her life as an adult, as an upcoming superstar balancing her family, her love life, her dreams of being an entrepreneur, and getting into fashion.

I think part two was slightly better than part one mainly because the focus is more on Selena as the superstar that we know, whereas part one was more focused on some of the other members of the family. Part one made Selena a background character in her own story. I did like that the series picked up right where part one ended, which is where Chris Perez is left behind in the dust, as the family drives off to go on tour. We get to see the struggles that Selena had while being on tour, trying to be there for her family but also doing her best with her husband, Chris.

In addition to exploring her love life in the series, the series also presents the difficulties in crossing over from Spanish to English, provides details about her boutiques and her passion for fashion along with the ups and downs that go on with that. Speaking of that, while the story is focused more on Selena, I feel as if everybody else’s storylines or plot points were forgotten that were brought up in the first part. Perhaps, this two-part series could have been a four season series and given us more of these storylines and characters. For example, Ricky, one of the members of Selena’s band, writes this beautiful love song which hints that the song is about Suzette, Selena’s sister yet, that’s it. You really have to imagine or assume the storyline after.

Another thing that was interesting about this second part, was that they brought in a lot of celebrity guests and younger versions of them. In one episode, we see Beyoncé crossing paths with Selena when she’s young, while in another scene, we see Gloria Estefan talking to Selena at an award show. While I think this was an interesting idea, I don’t think that the casting or concept was strong for these little moments. With this part two, the cast had a Texas accent and honestly, that’s something I don’t remember from the first part. I mean, maybe Selena really did have a Texan accent, but it did throw me off.

The performances in this series were also another part that I believe truly didn’t capture Selena as a whole, which made it disappointing because Selena was such an incredible entertainer. I do wish there could have been more. Maybe some original footage of Selena singing in real time. However, I will say, there are some fun and interesting facts that maybe people might not know, like where the inspiration for “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” came from. I did enjoy that the show was able to represent how involved Selena was with several ventures. I was able to connect with her in that way because it was so inspiring. She wasn’t just a singer; she was passionate about fashion and becoming her own entrepreneur. I feel that as a Latina in the 90s, she showed us that we could do anything in the world.

Selena, performing “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” on the show ‘Padrisimo’ on February 12th, 1995.

 

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Towards the ending of this series, there were a couple of things that I think were done well and a couple of things that were questionable. While the later episodes of part two are a bit stronger than the first half, towards the end, the finale shows the audience what’s coming. At first, we really didn’t know much about Yolanda Saldivar. Her character isn’t very fleshed out but maybe that was on purpose because the family didn’t feel comfortable. Yolanda is also shown as a stalker instead of showing the supposed connection that she had with Selena. However, I did feel the way the series ended made sense. We get a big performance of “Como La Flor” and then we see Selena walk off the stage as a continuation and a way of showing us that her legacy will continue.

“Como La Flor” La Feria, Teatro del Pueblo in Monterrey, Mexico in 1993.

 

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All in all, to me this series was all over the place. Yes, there were moments in which I think the writers were trying to show emotion during iconic, sentimental moments. But for the most part, I believe Selena deserved better. I don’t think that this series really lived up to the expectations, especially when we’re focused on such an icon like Selena. While I did not love “Selena: The Series Part One,” I also didn’t really love Part Two either. If you’re a younger person interested in learning much more about Selena personally, I recommend watching her performances online, past interviews, and even reading Chris Perez’s book, “Selena With Love.”

Nonetheless, if you’ve watched “Selena: The Series” too, I want to know your thoughts as well. But, if you haven’t, you can watch “Selena, The Series” now streaming on Netflix.