From left to right: Juliana Paes as Gabriela and Humberto Martins as Nacib.
Gabriela is a Brazilian telenovela.
It is the second adaptation of Jorge Amado's book for television. The first was released in 1975.
Tropes:
- Abhorrent Admirer: Ironically, Olga, Tonico's own wife, is that to him. Tonico is disgusted with his wife, who has gained a lot due to various pregnancies over the years. Unfortunately for Tonico, Olga is also a sex addict and tries to go to bed with her husband every night.
- All Women Are Lustful: As you can expect from a telenovela written for Walcyr Carrasco, all the female characters often think about sex (or miss the time when they had sex).
- Amusing Injuries: Every night, Olga has sex with Tonico, jumping on him, breaking the bed and smashing him. Despite the screams of pain, Tonico never seems to get seriously hurt.
- Awful Wedded Life: Oh, boy... Just to name the main examples: Olga and Tonico, Jesuíno and Dona Sinhazinha.
- Berserk Button:
- The city colonels simply hate the mere possibility of being betrayed by their wives.
- Dorotéia hates any sin committed by the people around her.
- Betty and Veronica: In this case, one woman and two men. Malvina is Archie, Teacher Josué is Betty and Mundinho is Veronica.
- Brain Bleach: When Olga tells Tonico that she will be naked before him, Tonico simply mutters in horror, "Mother"...
- Butt-Monkey: Almost everyone: Gabriela, Nacib, Malvina, Teacher Josué, Tonico, Olga, Dona Sinhazinha, etc.
- Chubby Chaser: Averted. Olga seems to believe her husband Tonico is that. He is definitely not.
- Destructo-Nookie: Olga and Tonico always break the bed when they have sex, to his pain.
- The Dog Bites Back: After discovering that she was being betrayed by Tonico with another woman, she beats him brutally in front of the entire city and begins to betray him with another man.
- Double Standard: Abuse, Female on Male: Upon discovering that Tonico was cheating on her with Gabriela, Olga beats her husband with a strap. All the other characters just laugh and no one dares to interfere.
- Double Standard Rape: Female on Male: It is quite obvious that Olga forces Tonico to have sex with her against his will, locking the door of their room and using her enormous physical strength to throw him on the bed and jump on him, breaking the bed and making him scream in pain.
- The Dreaded: Dorotéia.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Some time after murdering his wife and her lover, Colonel Jesuíno hugs one of her clothes and begins to cry.
- Extreme Doormat: Teacher Josué.
- Fat Comic Relief: Olga.
- Ms. Fanservice: My God, where to start? It is easier to say that with the exception of Olga and the elderly female characters, all the other young female characters have endless scenes wearing only lingerie or even naked.
- Stout Strength: Olga is fat and infinitely stronger than her thin husband Tonico. She crushes the bed (and her husband) when she jumps up, and she also hits him constantly after finding out that she was being betrayed by him.
