La chica de ayer ends

Despite fairly healthy viewing figures, Antena 3 will not commission a second series of La chica de ayer. A member of the Railway Arms discussion board said two endings were filmed in case there was not a renewal. The aired finalé was quite good and certainly better than the American one that left me and a few others thinking it was a cruel April Fool’s joke.
   It was a remake of the eighth UK episode. Samuel saves Ana from being killed by his father, José, and lets him go. Unlike the original, Samuel does not prevent his younger self from seeing part of the attack, but steps in and intervenes. José is let go in similar circumstances to the original, but the ending is quite apt given the title (which translates to yesterday’s girl). Samuel’s mother, Rosa, has to tell his younger self a similar white lie to the original about his father’s disappearance (Ernesto Alterio does a touching scene in the foreground, remembering what his mother told him, as her explanation takes place simultaneously in the background).
   Where the series departs is that Samuel and Ana finally kiss in this episode. As the relationship between Samuel and Ana had developed more quickly in the Spanish series than in either the UK original or US remake, this seems well timed. Samuel sees the light at the end of the tunnel, literally, which could take him back to 2009. His purpose of being in 1977, it seems, is to save Ana’s life. (It is not explained if he is in a coma or if there is some cosmic force that sent him back in time.) He wishes to take Ana through, but she opts to stay. As she walks away, the light goes off, but we then see Samuel run to her, choosing to stay in 1977 with Ana.

After the kiss

Sam asks Ana to go to 2009

The last kiss, maybe

   As finalés go, this does not have the hastily added feel of the American version, and is an interesting romantic and less bleak alternative to the UK original. Granted, it is less powerful, but to me it is still a satisfying, if a little cheesy, conclusion.