Juanita Segovia is a Mexican Scarlett O’Hara. Born and raised on the family ranch where her father is buried, she must pay the taxes levied on the property by the new government. She is a passionate woman who finds the courage to travel through the dangerous state for the money in the midst of the changing landscape wrought with racist and lawless men in the gold rush.

SYNOPSIS:

I just received these reviews from Blacklist.

Review#1

There's no denying how deeply original the JAUNITA'S CALIFORNIA - 1851 is. It's a compelling, unique world-- one that has yet to be dramatized on the small screen. And above all, it's an important and too often glossed-over part of American history. Juanita is a layered character and she carries the narrative well here. It's refreshing to see a strong lead role for a female in a period drama like this-- something that's sure to give it some standout value in the marketplace. Her plan-- her plight with her family's land, is cerebral enough to be compelling from the first act on and adds a nice ticking clock for the audience. Her plight as a whole is deeply relatable, particularly her potential marriage to Senor Lopez. The author captures a significant amount of verisimilitude in the prose and set pieces and the writing as a whole vividly engages the reader in the setting and time period. Simply put, there's just something fun about this time and place that makes the viewer want to live in it. And the whole vibe of the story really differentiates itself from the small-scope, dusty Westerns like DEADWOOD and HELL ON WHEELS that have been slow to connect with large-scale audiences. Overall, the author has crafted an intriguing story-- and an important historical one at that.

Review #2

The premise offers a look at both the on-the-ground realities of, and the fraught social politics behind, America's annexation of Mexico's northwestern territories. And by depicting the California Gold Rush through the eyes of a Mexican woman, the teleplay breathes new life into a time-tested genre by offering a truly unique take on a familiar era and setting. The teaser sequence is epic in scale, gripping and disturbing, and immediately draws the reader in. The representations of Mexican suffering, at the hands of pilfering and violent American militias, are upsetting and darkly compelling. While the suffering of Native Americans, at the hands of America's expansionist Manifest Destiny policy, has occasionally been depicted on screen, the plight of Mexican nationals has largely gone underrepresented; as such, the teleplay commands a great deal of social and historical distinction. Juanita is a powerful and self-possessed protagonist with a well-evidenced sense of purpose, national identity, integrity, and justice. Lopez's tragic fate, early in the story, underpins Juanita's motivations and further renders her sympathetic.