I just watched the final episode of this series, which was more like a mini-series because it was reportedly always intended to be only two seasons.
Season one focused on Maria Fuente's discovery of and investigation into her illegal adoption. Child trafficking is a very topical issue in Spain, what with the 'Stolen Babies' scandal that is still unfolding.
If you are unfamiliar with the scandal, beginning in the years of the Franco dictatorship and continuing at least until the 80s, an unknown number of infants were stolen from their biological parents and sold to 'better' families for adoption via a nationwide network of health care workers, Roman Catholic officials and government officials. Estimates are that up to 300,000 babies were abducted and adopted.
When the series begins, Maria is a successful lawyer in Madrid, with a prominent judge for a father, a socialite mother, a maternal uncle who is a well known physician and a spoiled, playboy cousin who is also a doctor and who has been hitting on her unsuccessfully for years. After learning of her adoption, Maria finds a lawyer who specializes in helping victims of illegal adoptions, who is himself a child trafficking victim. She also finds an I.T. expert to help her look into records. In the process, Maria develops a romantic relationship with the lawyer -- and rejects the computer expert who is also smitten with her. With their help she finds and meets her biological mother and sister, who live together in poverty and squalor in Andalusia. As it turns out, her mother is an alcoholic prostitute and her uneducated sister's boyfriend is a cheesy small time crook. Her mother is happy to find out the child she believed dead is actually alive and has had a good life. The sister, however, is envious, both because of Maria's wealth and success and because of her mother's automatic love for her sister.
As Maria is trying to help her biological family and build a relationship with them, as well as trying to discover how much her adoptive family knew, she is kidnapped. Eventually it is believed she has been murdered. In fact, she has been sold to sex traffickers and is a prisoner in a sex-club in China.
Season 2 focused on Maria's return to Spain after her escape and her effort to uncover the truth behind everything, including murders, government corruption and even pharma fraud. The lives of her family and friends have changed dramatically since her disappearance, muddying things further. In order to get to the bottom of things and plan her revenge, Maria feigns post-traumatic-shock-related-amnesia.
In my opinion the second season was generally much more exciting than the first. The series denouement was very good, with a few surprises -- including a twist at the end that could even open the door to a third season.
Season one focused on Maria Fuente's discovery of and investigation into her illegal adoption. Child trafficking is a very topical issue in Spain, what with the 'Stolen Babies' scandal that is still unfolding.
If you are unfamiliar with the scandal, beginning in the years of the Franco dictatorship and continuing at least until the 80s, an unknown number of infants were stolen from their biological parents and sold to 'better' families for adoption via a nationwide network of health care workers, Roman Catholic officials and government officials. Estimates are that up to 300,000 babies were abducted and adopted.
When the series begins, Maria is a successful lawyer in Madrid, with a prominent judge for a father, a socialite mother, a maternal uncle who is a well known physician and a spoiled, playboy cousin who is also a doctor and who has been hitting on her unsuccessfully for years. After learning of her adoption, Maria finds a lawyer who specializes in helping victims of illegal adoptions, who is himself a child trafficking victim. She also finds an I.T. expert to help her look into records. In the process, Maria develops a romantic relationship with the lawyer -- and rejects the computer expert who is also smitten with her. With their help she finds and meets her biological mother and sister, who live together in poverty and squalor in Andalusia. As it turns out, her mother is an alcoholic prostitute and her uneducated sister's boyfriend is a cheesy small time crook. Her mother is happy to find out the child she believed dead is actually alive and has had a good life. The sister, however, is envious, both because of Maria's wealth and success and because of her mother's automatic love for her sister.
As Maria is trying to help her biological family and build a relationship with them, as well as trying to discover how much her adoptive family knew, she is kidnapped. Eventually it is believed she has been murdered. In fact, she has been sold to sex traffickers and is a prisoner in a sex-club in China.
Season 2 focused on Maria's return to Spain after her escape and her effort to uncover the truth behind everything, including murders, government corruption and even pharma fraud. The lives of her family and friends have changed dramatically since her disappearance, muddying things further. In order to get to the bottom of things and plan her revenge, Maria feigns post-traumatic-shock-related-amnesia.
In my opinion the second season was generally much more exciting than the first. The series denouement was very good, with a few surprises -- including a twist at the end that could even open the door to a third season.
