First of all I would like to add that I just finish the fourth season. So basically I ended the show. If they even try to make a fifth season I will not watch it (edit: the fourth will be the last season).
This show is a bit odd. It began in an interesting foot and fell all communist by the end.
So lets begin with the first season. Basically all young teens of 20 years would go into the process to have a chance to be part of an elite - the 3% and go to a place called Maralto. That place supposedly is a perfect green place whereas the remaining area of Brazil is called Continente and it's a desert wasteland.
First of all - nothing is given in the first season to the fourth what happened to the rest of the world. Is everything a wasteland? We don't know. Which part of Brazil is desert? All except Maralto? We don't know. Basically it's a city in the mainland (Continente) and island (Maralto) - Maralto is Portuguese for HighSea.
Second, how Continente survives? Nothing exists, all desert wasteland - unfortunately there isn't much info on this.
So, as I said, the first season was good. First we've got those youngsters trials and how they deal with the challenges. Some crack, some changed for good, some didn't change at all. It was really interesting. What I learn is that this was a Meritocracy kind of system. The good go to the island and the bad... remain in provery. Some of these contestants are infiltrators from something called the Cause. They want to disrupt and destroy the Maralto.
The second season our infiltrator Michelle went to Maralto and starts embracing that place. She is also searching for her brother. Three other characters come to high importance called Joana & Fernando plus Rafael (all main characters of the first season). Rafael was also a infiltrator but we never learn in 1 season ( this is what I recalled). The two other were rejected and are recruited to that Cause (Causa). By the end of season 2 Michelle learns that everything is not what is seems and Maralto never began by being like that and even that Maralto had a bomb exploded in the Continente and fry everything electronic provoking the chaos. This was 100 years prior.
In the third season, Michelle have left the maralto and funded a safe-haven called Concha were everyone is welcome. Fernando died (did the main character want to leave?) and Joana goes there to see how can Concha help in the struggle of Maralto. After a sandstorm and saboatege a concha can't support so many people so she.... makes a selection! She was tottally against going against it but she did it anyway... Is this a preview of evil people turning against themselves?
The fourth season Maralto & Concha want to make truce but the new leader of Maralto (Michelle brother) but they hall have hidden agendas. Maralto wants Concha to be a puppet of Maralto and Concha leaders want to destroy Maralto has Maralto destroyed the Continente.
Spoiler Warning...
It ends with Michelle and her brother dead. It ends with Maralto and Concha being destroyed and all living in proverty BUT as they say - they are free and will leave together. So communism prevail over meritocracy and fascism (later) but they all leave in poor conditions. No longer 0% has a chance to be better because, if you don't have goals why run? If you don't have objectives why move?
This is absurd to the point where I cannot even phantom understand what was the purposse. They were going one way and then chance because Bolsonaro mayhaps? I notice the changes in politics in the 3 season.
Of course there are lesbians, trans, and even the founding couple was not a couple but a trio. All of these only happened after season 3 (end of 2)
I don't care about these things to be honest. What I care is a story. After 33 episodes of 45m each I wanted more and they failed. The second, third and fourth season could have been make in half the episodes because a new plot arises identical of the last and the effect "I was from the cause all along" or something like that it's boring, predictable and makes you wonder if they really wanted to make a 2,3 or 4 season.
Veredict
Is it good? Only the first season. You don't need the remaining seasons.
Is it important to the genre? It's important that it was a Brazilian show. They can really try. It
Is it woke? No it is not. Maybe in couple of instances but it's not. The third & fourth season is blantanly a communist propaganda. Let us be all equal - Poor but are free and going to die eventually.
Most characters are boring and change all the time their opinions. Marco Álvares(Rafael Lozano) was probably my favorite character - or even her mother. Everyone else was boring, gutless and make poor choices. Joana was the worst.
Should you watch it?
If you are brazilian you should. One of the greastest series you've made and avaiable to all world. Should you expect something different from a Telenovela? No. It's a telenovela in tv series format.
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