Season two of “Vida” picks up nine days after Eddy Martinez (Ser Anzoategui) was attacked in a vicious hate crime and hospitalized — She suffered three broken ribs, a fractured hip, and a ruptured spleen as well as the emotional trauma.
Martiez was targeted because she is a butch lesbian.
“Vida” is the ground breaking Starz drama that showcases Latinx and LGBTQ narratives, portrayals, and representations in front of and behind the camera.
Tanya Saracho, the series’ showrunner, creator, and executive producer, identifies as queer.
All 10 episodes of “Vida” season two are available on the Starz App, Starz On-Demand, and Starzplay. Season two will premiere on Starz at 8 p.m. on Sunday, the nine remaining episodes will air weekly.
“Vida” follows the Hernandez sisters (Emma and Lynn), who, after the death of their mother, Vida, have returned to their East Los Angeles neighborhood of Boyle Heights. They find out their mom had a wife, Eddy, and owned a neighborhood lesbian bar. The sisters also inherited an apartment building that their mother owned.
In season two, the sisters begin to rebuild the bar’s business, but have to contend with financial obstacles and a growing anti-gentrification movement.
Eddy also has her fair share of troubles and tribulations.
In a recent interview with Q Voice News, Anzoategui, 39, talks about Eddy’s long road to recovery, working as a binary actor in Hollywood, and the importance of queer bars and spaces.
Here are some excerpts.
Eddy’s future
“Eddy can’t do her regular routine. She wants to be there for everyone, but she can’t,” Anzoategui says.
“She’s still manager of the apartment building and grieving and mourning for her wife. Eddy doesn’t have any money. It’s a different emotional ride for her.”
Pain and suffering
“Eddy is an alcoholic. It’s her medicine, but she doesn’t have access to her medicine,” Anzoategui says. “How much can Eddy take? When is hell going to end? But, there will be some hope along the way.”
Queer, Latinx communities
“We may look the same, but we are not one kind of person,” Anzoategui says. “We are nuanced and complex with different identities. The conservations that we will have will be exciting.”
‘Vida’ season 2, actor Ser Anzoategui wants these storylines
Non-binary actor in Hollywood
“I’m a thick actor on screen. Add that to the mix,” Anzoategui says. “You want everyone to be like (“Vida” showrunner) Tanya (Saracho) and Starz and be supportive, but they’re not.
“People say they want more black or brown representation on TV, but they have to give up that power. Producers have to make those decisions.”
More representation
“The conversations are happening. It’s a little here and there,” Anzoategui says. “There is a lot of room to grow in the industry. People in positions of power have to move things around to make them happen.
“It’s a movement happening, and I’m happy to be in it and a part of it.”
Importance of queer bars
“Queer bars are incredibly important because our histories get erased. A lot of our histories were planned and created in queer bars,” Anzoategui says. “Heterosexual people don’t know these spaces are important because they don’t have the struggles that we do.
“We are criminalized and erased constantly. It’s important to tell these stories and save our queer spaces.”
