The public did not spare adjectives for the campaign of "Verdades Secretas 2", the first exclusive soap opera of the streaming platform in Brazil. "Verdades Secretas 1" was a phenomenon of the eleventh grade, in 2015, and entered the list of Walcyr Carrasco's many hits, still winning the International Emmy. And the sequel is dividing opinions...
The marketing plan was very well designed. Publicity is constant, both on TV calls and on social networks. Always making a point of focusing on the intense sex scenes that the plot has (sex cover stocks ran out on recordings). Of course, the intention is to provoke a buzz by the high temperature of several sequences. The proof is the intention to leave a taste of wanting more in the public because of the way the chapters are released. The soap opera has 50 chapters and ten are placed on streaming every 15 days, only for subscribers. The last ten will air on December 15th.
The first chapter was made available in a live, on October 20th, open to non-subscribers. A great strategy to reach a new audience. And it worked. The production is already the most watched in the history of Brazil, with more than 26 million hours consumed on the streaming service.
The third batch of chapters yielded 3.4 million hours, an even higher result than the second batch. In other words, the author has yet another great success in his career. Although successes are also visible in the sequel, there are mistakes that need to be mentioned.
The most tiring part of the new story is precisely the plot of Angel (Camila Queiroz, who was the protagonist of a controversy. Everything surrounding the investigation into the murder of Alex (Rodrigo Lombardi) borders on the ridiculous. It would be much more believable if the new plot didn't have a passage of time of more than five years. Why did Giovana (Agatha Moreira) take so long to start an investigation and claim her inheritance? As much as the millionaire family of Guilherme (Gabriel Leone), who died in a suspicious car accident in first chapter, did everything to hush up the case and cover up the crime, how could the police have left traces of blood easily identified by luminol and a bullet on the speedboat in which Alex was killed by Arlete? No one saw or wanted to cover it up? Another point unrelated is the fact that the character's hair was found at the scene of the crime and served as evidence for the protagonist's arrest. Angel herself had admitted that she was with the then-husband. On the speedboat, but that he had hit his head and fallen into the sea. That proved what?
Amora Mautner's direction has its ups and downs. The excess of neon in all the scenes is the mark that the director wanted to print and even used in some scenes of "A Dona do Pedaço", by the same Walcyr, in 2019. However, it tires the viewer's vision to follow the same pattern in every scene. Maybe in a ten-chapter series it would work. But in a 50's soap opera, no. At the same time, Amora was right when she adopted the passages of always aerial scenes, showing the top of the various buildings in São Paulo, and focusing the sequences from afar, on the windows, all without curtains, as if the viewer were a voyeur. She was also very happy with the way she presented some moments, starting the dialogue before the characters met. While the audience is seeing one character greeting each other in the elevator, for example, the audio is already of their conversation in the office. A distinctive feature. And there is still a good use of the well selected soundtrack.
The new dramas of "Secret Truths 2" are quite attractive. The saga of Lara (Julia Byrro, a grateful and beautiful revelation) has been well conducted and the most impacting scene of the plot is carried out by her, when the girl kills her stepfather who tries to rape her. The character has a trajectory similar to that of Angel in the first part. But she doesn't have the innocence that Arlete had. The malice of the girl who came to São Paulo on the run with the intention of becoming a model is perceptible, taking her mother out of jail - Araídes (great Maria Luisa Mendonça) took on her daughter's crime and ended up in a psychiatric clinic - and taking revenge on Angel . That's because she is Guilherme's bastard sister and blames her rival for the misfortune that turned her life around, since the widow refused to continue helping the family with an allowance. It's a cliché that rarely fails in television drama.
The whole situation involving Matheus also provokes curiosity for the next developments. The boy joins the Blue Book and ends up getting involved with an entire family out of interest. First, the boy becomes Betty's steady partner, who is enchanted by the male escort. It doesn't take long for the woman to present the character with ever-increasing financial rewards. In fact, the actress has been starring in hot scenes and it is worth mentioning the author's boldness in putting a 50-year-old woman well resolved sexually. But the stylist's case is discovered by her stepson, Gioto, who threatens Matheus. But the intimidation doesn't last long because he also ends up being seduced by Matheus. The actors star in intense sex sequences that can already be considered the most daring of the soap opera. As if the triangle weren't enough, Matheus still seduces Irina, Gioto's sister and Betty's stepdaughter. And everyone makes money. All with the guidance of her grandmother, the pickaxe Berta, lived by the wonderful Zezé Polessa. Apparently, not even Lorenzo, Betty's betrayed husband, will escape the call boy's seduction. The context - inspired by the 1968 film "Theorem", in which a visitor seduces all the members of a bourgeois family (the maid, the son, the mother and the father) - attracts attention and all the actors convince.
Special mention is needed of Rainer Cadet, who has made Visky one of the highlights of the sequel. The character had already shone in the first part and won awards for the interpreter, but now the actor manages to be even more comfortable and his scenes with Ícaro Silva, who plays the model Joseph, are full of chemistry. Rainer also repeats the successful partnership with Dida Camero, interpreter of the ferina Lourdeca. Blanche's right-hand man ends up walking around all the nuclei, which implies constant apparitions. Other good names in the cast are João Vitor Silva (Bruno), Rodrigo Pandolfo (Benji), Júlio Machado (Nicolau), Daniel Andrade (Lúcio) and Rhay Polster (Chiara).
Another point was the haste of Laila's attractive plot. In one day, Blanche prescribed the model amphetamine to lose weight and the next day the character was already addicted and having outbreaks. There was no construction and there was time for good development. The impact would have been much greater. Even so, the nucleus was one of those who aroused interest in the novel. Érika Januza gave herself completely and starred in strong scenes. The outcome of the character is shocking, surprising, and the actress gives a show from beginning to end of the scene. It is a monologue without text. In fact, the interpreter gained a character that valued her talent. Walcyr had already gifted Érika who did good scenes with Sérgio Guizé (Ariel) and the great Maria de Medeiros. Blanche's cynicism is revolting and the interpreter shines.
About Cristiano... His sudden love for Angel didn't have any construction and it sounds laughable for the ex-cop to fall for all the ragged lies told by the investigated. To top it off, his partner, Euripides, is the worst adviser a person can have. Fortunately, it is necessary to mention that the actors are very well in the scene and the chemistry that Rômulo has with Camila Queiroz and Agatha Moreira is one of the highlights of the production. In fact, Giovana is the character that stands out in the script. The actress is much safer and it really seems that the school girl, seen in 2015, has become a seductive woman who gets everything she wants. The only attraction of Angel's conflict is the rivalry mixed with sexual tension between the protagonist and Alex's daughter. The temperature always rises when the two meet. The conflict between Angel and Percy, inspired by the successful trilogy "50 Shades of Grey", unfortunately did not work. In the beginning it was interesting to see the perversity of a clearly sick subject and the fear of his 'victim', but throughout the chapters the scenes fall into repetition.
"Secret Truths 2" does not repeat the quality trajectory of "Secret Truths". Visible errors affect the set and harm the result, but the second season also has assets that need to be recognized. Even those who don't like it, end up watching and wanting to know the future events. That quality Walcyr Carrasco always had: to hold the viewer. Even when it's not so inspired, as is the case with the sequel that gave the author a lot of headache in the final recordings. Between failures and successes, the fact is that streaming in Brazil came out profiting a lot. Now a question remains:
Is it worth producing "Secret Truths 3"? YES YES YES!
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