“Grand Hotel: A Promising New Era for Greek Television?”[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8jmKYLCej0[/embed]

In this site, we have shown that we are not constant flatterers of Greek fiction in order to get along with the channels. We say exactly what we believe about each series. Even with harsh language at times, as in the case of Archelaus 5. This (should) give us extra credibility for the times we have good things to say about a series.

And, to make it clear, it goes without saying that channels want to maintain good relations with the media, that press offices invite journalists, that they send gifts from time to time, thus ensuring their good judgment and leniency if the series or any show does not have something positive to support it.

Here at Intronews, we rarely receive invitations from channels precisely because our good judgment and leniency do not depend on gifts and invitations. There are rarely any of those, but that’s the extent of it.

I mention all this because I want to clarify that here, whatever is written about series etc., is subjective solely from our personal feelings, assessments, and perceptions and is not influenced by anything else.

For all these reasons, it’s worth trusting us when we say that for the first time in many years, we saw a Greek series that gave us promises. This is Grand Hotel. The last time we experienced this was with the Wild Bees, with which, along the way, due to their wear from airing 4 episodes a week, we were disappointed. The odds say that the same will happen with Grand Hotel, which, to our disappointment, will again air from Monday to Thursday.

Hopefully, with some miracle, the screenwriters will manage to maintain the high level we saw in the first episode. Hopefully, the actors find the time to work on their roles at least at a good level, if not ideally. One does not need to be a seer or extremely pessimistic to understand that this will not happen, as it is inherently impossible, but let’s not jump ahead.

The elements I liked in the series Grand Hotel

We just watched the first episode on Monday night, and I felt after all these years that I want to invest a little more in a Greek series, that I want to come back for the 2nd episode and see how it develops.

It has, in any case, an interesting plot due to the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the maid Vasiliki, and of course the era in which it is set, in the first quarter of the 20th century in Kifisia, but it is enhanced by the direction, the faithfulness of the atmosphere created, and the performances of the actors.

I can’t even begin to single out one or two. Kourouklakis (Petros Aslanoglou) is very good. Hasca (Aliki Gazi) is also good. Gerontidakis as well. My personal favorite is Kalogeiropoulou, who plays the maid-lover of Rigas Alexios (Gerontidakis). Daphne Lamprogianni (Kyveli Gazi) in yet another demonstration of her talent and ability. Kora Karvouni perfectly captures the rhythm of her role as the head of the women working at the Grand Hotel. Nousias is consistently very good, as in most series, even those not widely appreciated, like the Witch last year.

And there are even more in the series’ arsenal who will hopefully win us over with their performances, since in the first episode we did not see, for example, Skiadarestis who plays the role of the policeman, we did not see Maria Vati who plays Vasiliki, etc.

In general, I found the performances what is often vaguely described as understated. It was the definition. We didn’t have those stereotypical dramatizations, the outbursts with crying and the like. Sure, it is only the first episode; it could come in the next ones, rendering everything I write meaningless, but what can we do, the series is trending, and we are all called to comment on it in the here and now, in the ongoing process, so at this moment, after the first episode, this is what I can write.

I will not delve into further analyses; these will definitely emerge with more credibility after a minimum of 5-6 episodes.

Until then, the only thing I can write is that Grand Hotel is a series worth watching its next episode. And the one after that. And generally the episodes of this week. It earned that with its premiere.