El Capítulo Final de Corazón Salvaje

Since our last class meeting was all about final episodes, I decided that my final blog post would be about the last episode of the telenovela that I watched, "Corazón Salvaje." As Dr. A told us in our last lecture, final episodes of telenevolas rosas tend to have traditional endings: lots of melodrama, intense action, probably tears, happy reunions and the promise of happily ever after. (Keep in mind that I watched an abridged version of my telenovela, so my last episode may not match up entirely with the actual last episode.) At the beginning of the final episode, Andrés, the antagonist, is recovering from the earthquake in which he almost died. He is processing the fact that Juan del Diablo, the protagonist, saved his life in spite of everything Andrés has done to him. He realizes that Juan is a better man than he is and deserves to be treated better. 

Meanwhile, on the beach, Mónica (Juan's wife and the protagonist), is searching for Juan. The two had been separated during the earthquake. Juan ends up in a seemingly random sword fight on the cliffs ((the intense action)), where he is pushed into the water. Mónica rushes to the spot where he fell. She dives into the ocean, where the two lovers embrace and surface together. There is a dramatic scene of them lying on the shore, cut and bloody, completely soaked, gasping for air, chests heaving. And then of course making out. 

Once he has recovered, Andrés decides to move to Europe. Before leaving, he asks Juan to meet with him. Andrés and Juan are half-brothers, although Andrés has never recognized Juan as such. At this meeting, Andrés tells Juan that he did not actually sleep with Mónica. He also tells Juan that he has treated him horribly. And for the first time, Andrés calls Juan "hermano." ((the happy reunion)) The two men tearfully embrace. ((the tears))

In the final scene, Mónica and Juan sit on the cliffs overlooking the sea. Mónica wears a (completely revealing, as usual) long white dress. The ocean breeze tosses Juan's hair. He tells Mónica that nothing and no one will ever separate them. ((the promise of happily ever after)) "Ni la muerte" ("Not even death") she replies. EL FIN.

As you can see, the episode successfully incorporates all the elements of a perfectly rosa finale. No, it is not a creative Padrón finale. There are no earth-shattering, industry-revolutionizing surprises. But that's not what rosa audiences are looking for. We just want to see everything resolved so the good guys can live happily ever after. We want our favorite characters to entertain us one last time (before we move onto the next telenovela). And so they have. Bravo.