The Portuguese phenomenon “Rabo de Peixe” raised the bar for national production. The fast narrative pace, ‘lean’ writing and interpretation took the series to the Top 10 on Netflix in several parts of the world. In the lecture “Rabo de Peixe: The Phenomenon of the Portuguese Netflix Series”, director Augusto Fraga analyzed the phenomenon together with Joaquim de Almeida, Afonso Pimentel, Helena Caldeira and José Condessa.
Creative risk, strength of identity and unexpected cultural impact were essential factors in this success. Afonso Pimentel, one of the series’ actors, believes that the fast pace, from the scripts to the editing, was decisive and it is possible to observe an evolution between the first and second seasons, which premiered on October 17th.
Augusto Fraga states that he never looked back to compare, but it was important to see what needed to be rectified: “Some more technical issues were improved, because, if we are competing with Breaking Bad and the most expensive series, we have to be at the same level”. He confesses that in this second season he changed everything he considered necessary, but “without losing everything that could not be touched” on a technical and creative level.
The writing is concise, says the director, and this makes the script fluid and “not boring”. Expressions that went viral also helped promote the new season without much effort. The famous phrase from Quartafeira, said by Albano Jerónimo’s character Arruda, took on a life of its own. It is now “used to designate a person who is hesitant or not confident when making decisions”, explained José Condessa, one of the protagonists.
Augusto Fraga adds that the scope of the first season allowed the characters to be explored further. “They were all placed in places that were the opposite of where they were comfortable” and this shows the difference between the first and second seasons. “In my humble opinion”, he says, “the second is better than the first”. There are improvements, there is action and more special effects.
For José Condessa, the phenomenon is also due to the authenticity with which life on the island is portrayed. The characters feel trapped and isolated, just like “any of us do when you think that, at any moment, something could happen, be it an earthquake. And you are trapped, limited”. It is in these moments of tension and silence, with the help of editing, that the scenes gain intensity and rhythm, contributing to the success of the series.
Condessa highlights the impact of the real representation of places and how this also changed the stereotype of the area. “Before, people didn’t say they were from Rabo de Peixe, they said they came from Ribeira Grande. Now they are proud to be from Rabo de Peixe”, he stated. But, Augusto Fraga clarifies: “we do series, not social work”.
The success of the series increased tourism in the archipelago and in Rabo de Peixe, with guided tours of the filming locations. Helena Caldeira recalls that, during the filming of the second season, she met several tourists who recognized her and said they had traveled to the island after watching the series.
Sayuing Fraga, the series represents several “fishing villages, where fishermen tehm difficulties and families are united”. O public see in the series a mirror of society and that too contributed to the global success.
For everyone, the success of Fishtail validates the ability of Portuguese production to compete on a global level. The series established a new level for national fiction, proving that local stories, when executed with quality and a contemporary rhythm, have the potential to achieve international recognition and projection. Its success thus serves as a reference for the future of audiovisual production in Portugal.
The third season is already recorded and promises respondis hasthe questions that left open in the most recent season. Furthermore, still there is nothing planned.
Text written by Margarida Nogueira and edited by João Silvestre
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