This week I watched the 2nd episode of Pastport. Colombian-American actress Paula Garces (Harold & Kumar) returns home to Colombia to meet her brother for the first time and to reconnect with her father who she never knew was her real dad.

Paula left Colombia at a very young age and then lived New York where she got into acting. She has vivid memories of her childhood in Colombia and she even remembers more and more as she visits theses places. One touching scene is when she visits a ranch where she and her siblings played. It is owned by her step-dad and she remembered him fondly. They had a very emotional reunion and she learned that he and her real father were friends, even before they met her mother. This was a shock.

There were a few revelations that made for great drama, but in the end it all worked out well and there seemed to be plenty of love to go around.

She also went on auditions. She at first it seemed that it did not go well, but she eventually gets a part in a telenovela. There is a fun moment when she is walking with her father and she gets a call that she has been chosen to be on the most popular show. This fullfills a life long dream she had to act on Colombian TV. Her grandmother in New York has always wanted to see her in a telenovela.

This was a very moving show. I thought they did a good job of showing the difficulties of immigrating to the US and leaving family behind. This seems to be the main focus of the show, to depict an American Latina or Latino returning to the place of their birth or reconnecting with cultural roots.

The shows always give a little back-story, then they launch into the trip. Once there, the subject meets family and visits important places. I am starting to see it less of a travel show. You don't get to see enough scenery or important landmarks for it to have that kind of educational effect. These shows are shaping up to be a more personal journey of the Latina-American. For that reason, and also because there is so much Spanish spoken (although subtitled in English), I think the target audience would necessarily include non-Latino Americans. However, I'm a non-Latino with a bit of an interest in Latin American culture, and I do enjoy the drama and learning more about the American celebrity's personal life, so I can still see it having mass appeal. I don't feel that there are any stereotypes that they are promoting, or using to market this particular show, so I still feel that it is a very positive representation of Latinos. now that I have seen a couple of shows I will look on the internet and see if I can find out what the public reaction of the show is.