Caray, Caray!

Hello friends! I thought Vivi and I were going to share the finale, split between two nights, so imagine my surprise when I found out that the makers of Yago crammed everything into one episode! I'll have dinner then get cracking to organize my extensive notes into something coherent. In the meantime, please discuss amongst yourselves.

I would also invite you to check out this video of the ending of Ezel, the Turkish original upon which Yago is based: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv2CpOOyVzw (starts min 14:23 with Ezel/Yago saying goodbye to his parents then to Ali/Abel. The bald mustached guy shown talking to Ezel/Ömer is Ramiz/Fidel. Only the good dead people were shown in the train, not the baddies like in Yago. The guy on the moto at the very end is Yan Uçar, i.e. Mati who changed his family name to the one of his biological father. The plot had a twist inspired by an occurence in Dumas' novel where the Count of Monte Cristo helps a young man who wants to die out of love by handing him a venom to drink, but it turns out it was a drug that put him to sleep for a while until he realized that life was too precious to be given up just like that. In a way, he gave him a new start the way Ramiz/Fidel did with Ezel/Yago. Catch you later! :)
 

Oh, no! Do you think they cut and combined the two hours into one hour, or was it always a rushed one hour finale?
 

Hiya, Vivi! This is the full episode. I knew that Yago was rushing through the story like mad because I was watching Ezel simultaneously (I'm in Episode 30 and the whole show has 171 episodes of just over 30 minutes per episode). Ezel builds the elements of the story the right way, at the right pace and you get your payoff as a viewer in every single episode. Every episode has that one or two master scenes that you feel compelled to repeat over and over because it just hits all the right spots. The Sara character in Ezel is not a selfish and cynical woman. She is chronically depressed because she committed a grave error for which she was resigned to pay the price for the remainder of her life. Unlike our Sara, she loved her little sister more than anything in the world. This is what made Ezel's revenge all the more poignant, because, slowly but surely, he sets out to make her betray the person she loves most on this earth. He makes her betray her sister the way she made Omar betray his little brother and his family by abandoning them (He had refused to receive any member of his family in jail and he never answered their letters for the 8 years he spent imprisoned). There are many elements of the story that Yago didn't follow and, in a way, it diminished the narrative grandeur and emotional impact this story could've had on viewers. However, I feel that the finale takes the cake in this respect. They didn't do a good job in capturing its heart-wrenching emotion. With all the wonderful actors this show had, the makers of Yago should've given them room to explore the characters better, to let the story unravel at the pace it was intended, and to allow the actors to show their craft properly. I think that the rushed adaptation is the main reason many viewers in Latin America didn't stick with Yago beyond the first couple of episodes. Most Latin American viewers had already watched and loved Ezel, so they weren't very pleased with the adaptation. A case in point is when Lucio was shown to bet his casino in a game of cards with a complete stranger in Episode 1. Cengiz, the Turkish Lucio, was a cunning, manipulative, calculating snake. No way in heck would he risk his fortune so recklesslessly or trust a stranger as fast as Lucio trusted Yago. As a series, Yago is a wonderful change of pace from the same old same old... Until you start watching Ezel, that is! (It's available in Youtube, dubbed by Chilean actors and first broadcast on Mega TV Chile) You realize how much much much greater Yago could've been, especially with that stellar cast it boasts (and the wonderful advantage of the voice matching the movement of the lips. I don't like dubbed shows!)
 

Off sick from work so got to see the finale earlier than usual. Since I didn't know the original I was probably more upset with the ending than others. Felt Yago let his emotions ruin his and others lives. If he had not runoff after Lucio raped Sara, Sara would still be alive. Later, if he had not runout after Lucio, before Sara died, he would have known that Sara was able to tell police the truth ensuring Lucio went to jail. I think Lucio being tortured in jail would have been a better punishment. He died too easily for me and he didn't admit his involvement in Ambar's and Selma's deaths.

Also, his grief for Sara blinded him to seeing a future with his son and family. Again, letting his emotions dictate his actions too soon. If he had any patience he may have seen the errors in his thought process. Melina, Jonas, Bruno and Matias didn't deserve to loose Omar again, especially at his own hand.

I liked the ending to Ezel very much. I wish Yago had the same uplifting ending.

Looking forward to recap Nandicta and thanks for the link.
 

Nandicta: The Body Count after last night's Gran Final:

1.) Security guard at Fidel's casino

2.) One of the prisoners during Omar's escape

3.) Innocent kid shot by Abel in El Paso, TX

4.) Matias' incompetent kidnappers

5.) One of Daddy Michell's henchmen

6.) Julio Michell

7.) Benjamin Yampolski

8.) Uri Yampolski

9.) Lorenzo

10.) Alejandra Garcia

11.) Raul: Katia's drug-binge buddy

12.) Candy the dog

13.) Dr. Linares

14.) The 3 people in the horse stables

15.) The 2 bodyguards assigned to Ambar

16.) The 2 ambulance drivers

17.) Teo's sister

18.) Teo's friends

19.) Mama Madrigal

20.) Ambar Madrigal: RIP

21.) Tomas

22.) Several of Daddy Michell's henchmen

23.) Chino's wife

24.) Daddy Dearest Madrigal

25.) Fidel's security guards protecting Club Ambar

26.) Pablo Romo

27.) Security detail at Daddy Michell's botched wedding to Selma several years back

28.) Security detail at Fidel's residence

29.) Selma Yampolski: RIP

30.) Fidel Yampolski

31.) Several of Daddy Michell's security detail

32.) Hernan

33.) Daddy Michell

34.) Lucio Sarquis

35.) Sara Madrigal

36.) Yago Vila
 

Not sure if this was mentioned (I finally caught up) but I was impressed with how much Sara looked like Ambar with no makeup. Both times (hospital and I think after sex or something) I had to do a double-take because I thought it was Ambar.

I'm confused because my DVR has Yago set to record one more episode.

I can't believe Yago did that! Where were they all going? It couldn't have been to the same place LOL! Well, then again...no because Ambar and the guard were certainly no where near the character of Hernan and Camillo.

At the rate that folks were dropping like flies, I knew it was moving fast but I didn't see that end coming.

It did feel rushed and I'm glad that I didn't have another show to compare it too (but I'm going to look for it - thanks for the info Nandicta) because it was frustrating on so many levels (in a good and bad way) and knowing that something better was there would have probably made me stop watching a long time ago.

I'm made Lucio wasn't exposed for being complicit in the death of Ambar. I know not all criminals are punished for all of their crimes, but damn!
 

Kendra, I noticed (I think) that all of the bad guys sat on one side of the bus and good guys on other because they definitely can't be all going to same place.
 

I was soooo disappointed with the ending!!! I couldn't believe tha Yago killed himself and left his son! Very disappointed and I never expected that ending. He was soo obsessed with Sara. I was so annoyed that he did that.
 

Oh wow. I am not liking the sound of this so far. It sounds ridiculous. Why take the trouble to have a brilliant TN and then have a ridiculous finale? I mean, a busload of characters? That's... well, I'll wait till I can see it for myself.

I won't see this until probably late tonight. I don't know when I'll get to see the Ezel version.
 

Can I ask how does everyone know Yago killed himself? The ending showed him in the hospital bed with Sara and then it went ahead to the train scene. I thought perhaps it was a fantasy of some sort but I didn't think he killed himself till I looked at the comments here. In that case, I really don't like the ending now...
 

Kendra: Jonas, Melina, Bruno, Teo, Katia, Matias, Abel (I was won over by this guy despite his flaws) & Julia were the only ones among the living.

The Gran Final was rushed, it should've been at least 2 full hours.


 

Duchess: When Katia & Abel were crying once Yago told them about his plans last night, it was heartbreaking.

It was nice to see the ghosts of Ambar, Selma & Fidel though :)



 

I ony watched a few episodes in the beginning and I've followed it a bit thanks to the recaps, but I have to admit that I'm glad I didn't stick with this one. A lot of finales for dramas seem to be terrible and ruin the whole show for me, so now I only watch what has already been broadcast AFTER reading what happens in the finale. I do not like sad surprises!

Thanks to all the recappers!
 

Ok. I just watched it and don't hate it as much as the rest of you do. I just thought there should have been MORE of it. It should have been two hours. They should have revealed Lucio's other crimes to everyone, and had time to Lucio being on the run from the police, knowing that they knew about his crimes, including the original casino robbery. Then, they could have ended things with the rooftop showdown. By the way, it must be some kind of inside running joke to Have ALL of Flavio Medina's villains dying because of a fall from a great height-- Amor Bravio, Qierro Amarte, Yo No Creo en los Hombres.

I would have liked to have seen a time jump to see how Matias has settled into the Guerrero family; Bruno graduating and becoming a reporter; Abel and Julia bickering over their daughter, Salma; and Teo and Katia running their own business (private security). Another hour was needed!
 

Nandicta- During the first week of Yago I watched the first two episodes of Ezel. I stopped because I didn't want to compare the two and wanted to enjoy Yago in its own right. And I have to admit that I enjoyed the character of Katia as a sidekick much more than the old alcoholic guy and the blonde girl who clearly had a crush on Ezel. I also preferred Ambar to her high fashion model looking Turkish counterpart. I don't doubt that the original has many far superior qualities, but just from the first week comparison, I enjoyed the interaction of many of the Mexican characters more.
 

Vivi: I did notice that all of Flavio Medina's villains end up dying in violent ways LOL.


 

i'm looking forward to it Nandicta.

I'm with Vivi, I didn't hate it either, except Yago killing himself, that was stupid, but the rest was ok, but there should have been more. It was all crammed in without a nice flow to it. I don't necessarily need to see what happens with the rest of the characters, i can assume they all live happily ever after.

I wasn't pleased with Lucio's ending, i wanted him to suffer in jail and his sins made public. But I liked the bus metaphor, I've seen that a few times before.
 

Vivi, Danny-Boy of YNCELH was shot by his own mother. He stepped in front of Maria Dolores and Ursula's bullet got him. We left him lying dead on the floor of the mansion and the She-Bear kneeling over him and crying her evil eyes out. We never saw her kill herself or get arrested for his death.

He did look a few times like he was going to go over the balcony edge, though.

Now I also would have preferred to see Lucio alive and being tortured in prison. It's what he deserved.
 

Urban- Ah, yes. I shouldn't have included Yo No on the list. We'll see how his next villain ends. :)
 

Some day i would like to see him play a good guy.
 

Cathyx, that might happen when he's older and playing a father or a Father.

Flavio Medina has been typecast as a slick-talking con man in everything I've seen him in. If Televisa ever made its own version of The Odd Couple he'd be a perfect Felix.
 

UA: Don't forget Flavio's role as Cesar Montesinos in "Quierto Amarte".

Cesar offed himself in front of Max!
 

Nandicta: Can you also include photographs from the Gran Final episode from last night ?

Vivi: I watched the political thriller, "Infames": which was awesome & super cutthroat!

The leading 4 female protagonists were Ximena Herrera, Lisette Morelos, Vanessa Guzman & Erderia Ibarra!
 

The recap is up. Sorry about the delay but this episode was a vitch to recap. Tons of stuff crammed into 43 minutes. I'll check for typos tomorrow. Thank you for taking the time to read and comment. Your support has been invaluable to this patio and team of recappers. Vivi, Julie, CountxAlacran and Cathyx, you were wonderful! Thanks for sharing your time and talent with us!

Enjoy the discussion! Good night :)
 

Nandicta- Your displeasure with this finale did not come through in your recap. Your prose was vivid and magnetic, as always. Thank you for all of you fantastic recaps, and for your leadership of this team.
 

Hello Nandicta and everyone! While I always think a longee finale ia better than a short one I still have fons memories of thia novela.

It was so rixh in detail and character development and truly truly gray human beings that I can never hate or dislike it.

I know some were unhappy with the ending, I personally just hated the "rushed" feeling sort of like when I finished How I Met Your Mother.

I think the best thing about this novela is how clear cut it showes the destructive nature of revenge, how much collateral damage it takes with it, how all consuming it is and how empty it all is despite it all. Regardless of what we see or cheer for in novelas, revenge is a journey of two graves and Yago higlighted this perfectly.

Also, I really grew to like Ivan Sanchez thoughtout Yago who I really disnt like as an actor based on La Tempestad and Lo Imperdonable. Because of Yago I was also tempted to start watching Las Aparicio which stars Gabriela de la Garza
 

Gracias, Nandicta. Great work. The entire team of this series did a fantastic job keeping up with all the action and plot twists.

I'm still floored at the ending. This was worse than LQLVMR.
 

Thanks, Nandicta. Great job. So glad you and the recapping team kept delivering superb recaps despite Uni's stop and go and switcheroo midnight broadcasting.

Yago is one of the best serial TV shows I've seen. No cookie-cutter plotting and characters. The gran final was probably my least favorite episode though.

ITA with everybody that Omar/Yago should've stayed alive for his kid. Lucio raised Mati to adolescence, but Yago could've steered him through to adulthood with the help of Melina, Jonas, and Bruno.

I hated the shootouts with the police. I know they weren't trying to hurt the police and deliberately shot one officer only in the leg so he'd survive. But those shootouts to save Yago, who should've gotten a good lawyer and used Lucio's tape, were reckless and stupid.

What I did like: Lorenzo and his dad on the bus (But what the hell were the baddies doing there? Yuck.)

Lucio definitely got off way too easily. Sorry we didn't get to see Katia and Teo cozy together and Julia and Abel with the baby.
 

Steve - Abel was my favorite criminal too.
 

I wonder and possibly agree with Yago about being a parent. These last barch of episodes were abput Yago reclaiming Omar the soft cheerful man he once was and realizing adter everything that Omar was gone and all that was left was this man hated.

Mayve Matias would be better off with people who had made bad choices but were good than with those who had made hurting others their purpose in life.

I dont applaud his decision butnI uneerstand it. Also Lucio plenty in Jail maybe not enough Im okay woth his ending. He died as petty and envious ever.
 

Niecie: It would've been nice to see the ghosts of Fidel's sons: Benjamin & Uri too considering both were killed by Daddy Michell.


 

Nandicta: I'm still watching "Infames". This political thriller & female version of Yago had 130 episodes.

The Body Count on "Infames" must've been higher than Ezel & Yago!

 

I am confused. What made Yago die? I saw him caressing Sara in the hospital, next thing it looked to me like he was with her & the rest of those who died in this show inside a white school bus, as if going in it to some life after death -- don't see how it cud be either Heaven or Hell. Did Yago commit sewer pipe? I never saw him kill himself.
 

So I guess we are to conclude that Yago poisoned himself in the hospital when Sara died. I found it too subtle to infer until now. Well, I thought the story was ghastly, not entertaining. I guess I would have appreciated it more if I had known it was going to be a tragedy. But if a tragedy, there is supposed to be a prophet or witch at the start that predicts what will happen, which inevitably comes to pass. Did they do that? I don't recall it if they did. This was a worse tragedy even than Donde Esta Elisa. I had toyed with the idea that this could be a tragedy, but I thought they would have a sort of sapped happy ever after for the tragic couple -- but no
 

BTW, it was no Greek tragedy because for the Greeks they did not show gory violence on stage; someone would come on stage & report the awful thing done verbally. The level of violence shown here was just sick, though it doesn't bother me much to see it personally.
 

Nandicta, What a riveting recap. Superbly done. To all the recap pets, I dropped in here and there ...... your work and efforts were so appreciated. This was a bit dreary in parts, but more unique than the usual fare. Abel was one of my favs as others have also said.
On to the next!

Mena

 

That was recappers... Spellcheck created a doozy!
 

Omar Guerrero died in the prison fire.

Omar was obsessed with Sara and couldn't live without her. Yago tried but it was always Sara. When Yago learned Sara was going to die, he knew he was going to die too. Sara was his life. Sara dead, Omar dead. It's just that simple.

Yago/Omar never would've been able to raise Matias. He was either going to kill Lucio, put Lucio in jail or go to prison for killing Sara (had Sara not given her statement to police). Matias thought of Lucio as his dad. He never would've accepted Yago/Omar as his father knowing what he did to Lucio (prison/death), even if Matias knew the entire truth.

The only 2 people to feel bad for regarding Yago's death would be Bruno & Melina (also Abel), for they have lost Omar again. Omar was dead to Jonas the moment he was arrested for the casino robbery.

With the knowledge that Omar was Matias' bio dad, and Sara and Lucio dead with no other relatives to claim Matias, the road is clear for Jonas and Melina to get custody of Matias. This is how they will have Omar again.

Abel talked about having his second chance with Julia but for Yago, there was no second chance. Omar didn't want to be Yago anymore, he wanted to be Omar. But he couldn't be Omar without Sara. If Sara is gone, then Omar is gone.


 

Matias also inherits half of Camilo's fortune. Perhaps when he grows up, he can put that money to good use (as well as Yago's fortune).

An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind. The Fidel/Selma/Camilo trio is all dead, along with the Omar/Sara/Lucio trio.

What did revenge get Camilo? The love of his life killed, and she died still never loving Camilo. He earned the disgust of the only woman who did truly love him, Julia.

What did it get Fidel? Again, the love of his life Selma killed. It didn't being Benjamin & Uri back.

What did revenge get Lucio? The love of his life Sara killed (ok by his own hand) and he gave up the chance to raise Matias because he was either going to jail or getting killed.

What did it get Yago? He lost it all, the chance to be with Sara and the chance to raise his son. Sara died & Matias likely wouldn't have accepted him as his father. Wouldn't Matias have wanted revenge on him for putting Lucio in jail or killing him?

The cycle of revenge is now over, as everyone in the revenge circles are dead.
 

Thank you Nandicta for tying this up in a bow.

"And there are loves that leave a precious little boy parentless, for no valid reason whatsoever"

I'm happy Yago and Sara didn't get to run off and enjoy the spoils of their spoils.

It's also better Matias won't have bio mom and dad around, pretending to care.

Meeting Sara was Omar's ruin and meeting Omar was Sara's. Juvenile amorous obsession.
 

Yesterday was a series of catastrophes so just getting to read this now. Agree with what Anon 207 said--and summed up so well-- "an eye for an eye leaves everyone blind".

I'm assuming that when we see Yago drop a vial on the floor of the bus, that he had taken poison while he was with Sara in her final moments.

I also liked the ambiguous image of the bus. While the "good guys" and the "bad guys" were on different sides of the aisle, we know from watching the story that most if not all of these characters displayed moments of kindness and generosity, in addition to moments of cruelty and destruction (well, we didn't see any of that in Thomas or Hernan but it's possible that Hernan was an okay child before he was tutored in mayhem by Thomas.

But all human beings are flawed. And all human beings have the same destiny--death. (Just recalling the words of the Rabbi at the most recent funeral) So I was haunted, yet also strangely comforted, by the calmness of everyone on the bus. Their suffering was over. We fear death and yet death represents (as far as we know) an end to our physical and/or emotional suffering. And so that final bus ride for me represented "the peace that passeth all understanding".

I worried about Melina and Jonas living long enough to raise Matias to adulthood but realized he also would have Bruno as a wise surrogate father, so I was okay with Omar/Yago bowing out. For all the reasons that Anon 207 mentioned.

Nandicta...You were and are a superb recapper, team captain and friend. You have blessed us with wit and humor, timely language lessons, incredible pics and captions and most of all your passionate involvement with these characters and these stories. So happy to be in your "virtual family room" watching this with you and all the commenters and recapping team.

Have a blessed day and treasure the time you have with loved ones. And forget the grievances. In spite of the rushed finale, that seemed to be the final message. At least for me.
 

Also, if Yago left Katia instructions to send a postcard every month from him from a different place in the world, he may have left Teo & Katia instructions (and possibly Abel too) NOT to tell the Guerreros about his death...to let them think he left town forever after Sara's death.

After all, Omar Guerrero was already dead and "Yago Vila" had no family so it would be easy for Katia & Teo to administer Yago's estate without Jonas, Melina & Bruno knowing.

I don't think Matias knew that Yago was Omar, so there's no real need to upset the boy by telling him Yago was Omar.

I think Camilo probably killed himself for the same reason Yago killed himself: Selma was his life (Sara was a Selma substitute) and Selma was dead; therefore Camilo was dead.

I think if Selma died, Sara dissed him but he was still on good terms with Julia, Camilo probably wouldn't have killed himself. But with Julia distancing herself, Selma dying and Selma Substitute dissing him....there was no point to living anymore. Selma was Camilo's life. With Selma gone, Camilo was gone.


Revenge is stupid. Obsessing over someone is also stupid.
 

I am a bit confused. Did Sara truly tell the police about Lucio's crimes (including rape and attempted murder)? Or was that imaginary? She seemed fine during the confession. Why did she die afterwards?
 

"it shows the destructive nature of revenge, how much collateral damage it takes with it, how all consuming it is and how empty it all is despite it all. Regardless of what we see or cheer for in novelas, revenge is a journey of two graves and Yago highlighted this perfectly."

"an eye for an eye leaves everyone blind"

"Revenge is stupid. Obsessing over someone is also stupid."

"...treasure the time you have with loved ones. And forget the grievances."

In total agreement with you all. Could say it better. Indeed, these are the lessons that this series made very clear, at least to me.
 

Nandicta, I won't get to read this till later. I'm looking forward to it, but I'll need to be in the right frame of mind.

I watched this last night. It wasn't as ridiculous as I had feared it would be, but yes it was rushed (no confessions/boasting from Lucio about killing Ambar and Selma) and I would have appreciated an epilogue. I felt devastated by the ending and had to watch an hour's worth of vulgar, surrealistic comedy to rinse it out of my mind before going to sleep.

I definitely don't agree with what Yago did, and am stunned that his friends didn't intervene when they knew what he had in mind. I guess there is only so much you can do, but they kinda didn't do anything at all except cry. Anything else they could have done might have made a difference.

Oh well. Tofie: "I'm happy Yago and Sara didn't get to run off and enjoy the spoils of their spoils." YES. I didn't really want them to end up happy-ever-after, alive, as if nothing had ever happened. But I did want Yago to learn how to move on and finally have his own life. Maybe take on yet a new identity, if he's so hung up on hating Yago. I didn't want to see him succumb to self-pity, which is exactly what he ended up doing. He ran away from the challenge of having a life of his own that wasn't about Sara or revenge. That would have been a victory, really the only possible victory for him.

Question: when did Yago have time to go to the poison store?
 

Gobluefan- Yes, Sara had some moments of lucidity and was able to speak to the police after Lucio's 2nd attempt on her life. But the doctor had already told Yago that the internal damage was too great and that her body would likely not hold out for much longer.
 

I'm nodding my head at everyone's comments. This might not have been the best gran final, but it sure was thought-provoking. It deserved to be two hours.
 

I meant to say above, could NOT say it better. You know what I meant.
 

But Omar & Sara DID get their happily ever after. Just not here on earth.

Omar's family would've remained opposed to the relationship and to Sara herself.

Matias never would've accepted Omar/Yago as his dad, because LUCIO was Matias' dad.

Omar & Sara never would've fully been able to trust one another. Omar would always deep down think Sara was plotting against him and Sara would always deep down think maybe Omar was plotting on her.

If Omar/Yago had not killed himself when Sara died, he would've been a living dead man. He would've been broken and destroyed the rest of his life. He just sped up his eventual demise.

Now no one can separate Sara & Omar ever again. Not Damian or Ambar or Lucio or Ximena. And in 60-80 years, Matias can join them but for right now, Sara & Omar are together, wherever they are, and no one can separate them ever again.


PS. Even though Katia may send postcards, this time Melina will know that Omar is truly gone.
 

Matias is a bright boy who watches the news and knows his way around social media. He would find out Lucio murdered Sara. With this devastation about his dad, who knows how Matias would feel about Lucio and finding a possible father figure in family friend Yago.

Since Lucio fell off the roof (after blows with Yago), his death could've been communicated as a suicide. Like this episode, Yago moved too fast and didn't give himself a chance to think through all the possibilities of life.
 

Nandicta - Yadar - LOL. A much-needed laugh. Thank you also for the photos, and for tying this all up so well.

I think Lucio got in a snort or two just before his showdown with Yomar on the roof. Isn't cocaine an anesthetic? I think it's only a local anesthetic, though, so I hope it didn't help, and that the SPLAT was very unpleasant.
 

Thank you Nandicta and thank you to all of the wonderful recappers that stayed with this after it moving to Unimas!

Overall I really enjoyed this TN as there were twists and turns and always felt like it was moving forward. Not happy with Yomar choosing death over his son, which is why I like the Ezel ending more. I understand his reasoning but I think it is short sighted. After all he has put his family through he should have tried to live for them.

Oh well, I thought all of the actors were great. The actor who played Tomas is now the protagonistas father on Despertar Contigo. I enjoyed the first week but I may bail since it isn't being recapped and I need a break from so many tns. TV3 moves so slow I'm not even watching, just reading the recaps.

Thanks everyone for sticking to the Yago patio!
 

I liked the actor who played Omar and hope we get to see him again in other tns/series.
 

Thank you, Nandicta - amazing recap, as always. Yes, the finale was rushed and I felt like someone was playing a joke on us when that "FIN" popped up out of nowhere. I sat there in front of my TV, my head did a quick double take and I looked around at no one like, "Whaaaa....??" But other than that I like how it ended. Nothing else would've made sense. Totally agree that Nomar (No Omar) would have been useless in raising Matias. But I would have preferred the dead "good" guys to be looking out the train window and see ANOTHER train with the bad guys going in the opposite direction!

Genia
 

The only people on the good train would probably be:

Ambar
Casino Guard
Lorenzo
(maybe) Selma
Benjamin
Uri
Alejandra
Candy the Dog

Everyone else (including Yago) would be on the bad train
 

Anon207 - Totally agree re the good train. This would show "divine" justice.
 

I'm nosing my way in to let you know I'm now watching Yago, though I didn't get to watch this live with Caray-on-the-Patio crowd.

I only want to read recaps as I watch the episodes on-line, so I'm not reading anything here. Thanks for the excellent recaps, despite the time change. I'm in awe that you recappers kept everything straight and comprehensible.

Since it's at El Fin, the only comment I wish to make after 12 episodes is that it's gripping drama--just the kind I like. This is probably Flavio Medina's best role--after having seen him in Amor Bravio, Quiero Amarte and YoNo--where he is suave, debonaire and totally unlikable. The other main characters are very good, too.

I noticed immediately that Sara's son was named Matias, just as he was in Montecristo (Azteca's version). So far I'm enjoying Sara's duplicity and Ambar's naivete. Yago is in a place all by himself. Ummm, delicious. What a far cry from LaTemp's nutcase in red pants.

The only thing that unsettles me is the constant flashbacks, although they are necessary to fill in the backstory, unfolding a little at a time, I wish they wouldn't interrupt the current scenes so often.

I liked Ambar's name, but often got confused, when others, even Yago spoke her name. It always sounded almost like...Ombar...Omar... Sometimes when I hesitated to do a double take, I missed the next sentence--often crucial.

I don't like Abel's Rattail either. Melina's eyes bother me. They're hard not to concentrate on while important things are being said.

That said, at the rate of 2 episodes a day, I'll be "caught up" with everyone in about a month.
 

Thank you Nandicta and everyone for the recap. It was a very good TN just that the ending spoiled it for me. A lot of people sacrificed a lot for Yago and he ended up killing himself. I don't see Fidel doing this if Selma was killed. I believe he would have carried on for julia sake. I am so annoyed with Yago. He was sooo obsessed with Sara everyone saw how obsessed he was!
 

Gracias Nandicta. I am very late for commenting as I was busy with other lively things! It was really not a problem to recap this show as I also grown my style along the way. I also have to thank you for your great leadership skills as everything was in perfect order as it should be.

I was pretty dissapointed how the "Fin" came. It should have been a bit hour longer to atleast taste some happiness. It was pretty selfish from Yago to make his parents and Mat suffer an yet another enormous loss especially Mat who lost his biological mother, adopted father and later his true biological father.. The kid is turning Lucio 3.0 for sure! Yago's death(?) just kind of wasted all of his emotianal build up from the first episode.

The acting was pretty powerful though. Flavio&Gabriela de La Garza were at the top of their game. Mario Zaragoza, Patricio Castillo &Manuel Ojeda were also casted very well. I got annoyed by Ivan at first but he slowly grew on me as the show started to come to an abrupt end. It's seems to be casting humour for Ivan to always portray revenge driven lunatics (I didn't watch La Reina Del Sur).

For those asking about Flavio playing a good guy, he guest starred in the movie "The Perfect Dictatorship" alongside Silvia Navarro. Right now he is in the movie "Estar or No Estar" where he plays a protagonist role.

If I compare Yago to the miniscule watching of Ezel, I would say Ezel wins eyes closed for it's very powerful script, action &performances that blow you away. Yago tried it's best and it did have some redeeming qualities such as the humour but Ezel will always be more memorable for me.
 

I had some thoughts about Omar/Yago dying in the end, but everyone, esp. Anon207, has said it better than I could. After everything Yago had done, no way could be an effective father to Matias, especially after causing the death of the man Lucio thought of as his father. He and Sara were really more into each other than the family anyway. Not that they didn't love other people, but they put each other first. Matias is better off.

He got a hint that something was going on there, and Jonas and Melina will slowly let him know the truth. They, unlike almost everyone else, aren't the lying type. Maybe the postcards are for his benefit since there's no way Melina and Jonas won't find out about Yago's death. Poor them.

And now Julia has half of Camilo's and probably all of Fidel's money to go start a nice new life somewhere far, far away. But not Texas. Try Australia. And share some of that fortune with Teo and Katia so they can go somewhere too.

Kelly
 

Selma WAS killed. We will never truly know what Fidel would've done, since Camilo killed him. But if the past is any indication, Fidel probably would've continued his revenge against Camilo.
 

This show was abit depressing. The ending was horrible. Did he kill himself. If he did that was ....... horribley. And very sad. Im glad its over. Good recap tho. Thanks Nandicta, for
Stickin with this.
 

Thank you all so much for taking the time to read and share your impressions of this episode. I'm grateful for your kind comments and intrigued by your character analyses.

I admit that I was initially miffed because the finale took me off guard! It dawned on me that this episode was it after Lucio died. My problem was not with the finale itself but with the pacing. The same goes for the rest of the series. I loved the acting and the story so much I wanted it done a bit more slowly, at a pace closer to the one of the Turkish original. I wished the Mexican adaptation gave the story time to unravel, the emotions time to engulf us and the characters a better opportunity to show us why they are how they are and do what they do. Things were rushed in "Yago" so much that most of the commenters think the last scene takes place in a bus, when the setting is actually a train. I'm not only going by the original series, I know it's a train because, on her hospital bed, Sara asked if the train will take them to the beach. However, she was speaking so softly, most viewers missed it and the director immediately cut to what appears to be a bus. The goodbye to his parents was rushed, we didn't see Julia in the finale, the goodbye to Abel didn't explain the rationale behind Yago's decision... So, it all seemed like something rash and haphazard.

To be continued
 

Cont.

In the original series (you can check the video I shared after minue 14:23), when Ezel/Yago says goodbye to Ali/Abel, he explains to him that Ömer/Omar died the day the police entered that room and dragged him to jail. He is only here on borrowed time, living a borrowed life, because Ezel/Yago is a mirage. He explains to Ali/Abel that his friend Ömer/Omar is gone, that Ali/Abel let him go the day he agreed to frame him, the day he allowed the police to arrest him for a crime he never committed. Even though they found each other again and Ali/Abel was forgiven, forgiveness did not undo what happened. Maybe that's why we ought to think things over more thoroughly, because a "sorry!" after the fact does not always cut it, nor does it undo the harm caused. Ezel/Yago also seemed to have prepared his posthumous life more carefully. He left a gift for every birthday to be sent to Yan/Mati, addressed to him by his uncle Ezel/Yago. Then, on his 20th birthday, he'd receive a house as a gift, but this time addressed to him from his father, with the full story of Ömer/Omar explained to him via a letter written by Ramiz/Fidel. This careful preparation does not excuse the terrible decision Ezel/Yago took to leave his child but, as a viewer, I understood to a cerain extent. I understood that his decision was not solely motivated by Sara; it was also caused by the shame Ezel/Yago felt at having become an assassin, responsible (directly or indirectly) for the deaths of many innocent people, including his boy's parents. Indeed, Ezel/Yago murdered Cengiz/Lucio; Eysan/Sara died because he didn't take the necessary precautions to protect her; and Ömer/Omar was irrevocably gone when Ezel/Yago let revenge take over and bury any goodness that remained from his previous life. In the original, Ezel/Yago takes the poison because Ramiz/Fidel gave him the ring that contains it in case he wants a new start. Not an escape from his reality, not a cowardly way out but a new start. He instructed him to ingest the contents of the ring when he was ready to leave everything behind and start afresh. I believe that Ezel/Yago may have thought the "new start" was a metaphor for life after death. However, because Ramiz/Fidel is always one step ahead of everybody, I believe he had Ezel/Yago's new life all planned out. Just as he wrote Ömer/Omar's story before dying and gave his daughter Azad/Julia instructions to give it to Ezel/Yago, Ramiz/Fidel gave Ezel/Yago a drug whose effect will eventually wear off (like the Count of Monte Cristo did with the young man who wanted to kill himself). He also gave him a key to some unidentified place, where he would surely find instructions on what to do next. The payoff being that when Yan/Mati turns 20 and learns the story of his father, he would come looking for him and they would be together at last. That's why Ramiz/Fidel's voice-over at the end of Ezel says: "In real life love doesn't defeat revenge and father and son don't meet beyond death." Then he adds, chuckling: "Or do they?" :D That's when Yan/Mati knocks at the door, a figure opens and, although we don't see who it is, that nervous tick Ömer/Omar and Ezel/Yago share is unmistakable (he scratches his head just behind his ear lobe)! Wow! He lives! Ramiz/Fidel was prepared for everything from the start. Always one step ahead of everybody! :)

To be continued
 

Cont.

Why am I tell you all this? Why am I harping on and on about Ezel's ending? Here is why: Because although the Mexican ending was rushed and gave me very little to work with, I have decided to interpret the last scene of this Yago series in the following way. When Yago closes his eyes and drops the vial of what appears to be poison, Fidel picks it up then turns to Salma and they share a tender and complicit smile. I choose to believe Fidel is smiling because he, once again, manages to surprise Yago by being several steps ahead of him. Once again, he tricks Yago into thinking he was making a decision when, in fact, it was Fidel who steered him towards his desired outcome. I believe Fidel gave Yago a chance to grieve for a while then an opportunity to start again. When Omar was nearly dead, Fidel rescued him and gave him a new life as Yago. Why couldn't this happen again? In my theory, Fidel rescued Yago and gave him a new life as... We'll never know. But I'd like to think that a few years down the line, a dashing twenty year-old Matías Guerrero (not Sarquis. Guerrero!) shows up at his father's door, ready to meet him. He would've read his story, accepted his dad (hence the change of his last name) and forgiven him for everything that transpired during that crazy quest for revenge. THE END ;)
 

Nandicta - Thanks for sharing the Ezel ending. A much more fitting and haunting final to this tale.

Coming to work this morning, I saw a guy with a cigarette behind his ear -- something I never usually see. Basta, Abel! :D
 

Nandicta- Thanks for laying out the finale of Ezel. It seems like these writers might have done the same had they had two hours, instead of one, for the finale. Alas, we can always imagine that those extra details did in fact happen in this story, but we just didn't get to see them.

Considering that this series was already struggling for an audience, I don't think a slower pace would have helped it in that score at all. I think it would have been wonderful, and I think this cast could have done wonders with even more material to work with. But the material they did get wasn't bad, and I enjoyed it immensely.
 

Thank you for describing all of that, Nandicta. The way they had Fidel pick up the bottle and smile at it makes me wonder if it hadn't indeed been part of the original plan to end the same way as Ezel.

In general, I was very happy with the pacing of this series. The breakneck speed was such a refreshing change. It is really only with the finale that I'm frustrated we didn't have more time.

Although our fin was already way too rushed, a flashback in which Fidel gives Yago a small bottle and says "take this when you're ready to leave everything behind and start afresh" would have taken just a couple of minutes. And it would have given the entire thing a very different feeling. But I don't know if there's a couple of minutes that could have been traded for such a scene. The dumb shootout with the cops outside the hospital, maybe. That would have bee a good trade.
 

Niecie, "Basta, Abel!" Hahahaha! I'd rather see the stale cigarette behind the ear than that dreaded rat-tail!

Vivi, You're right about the struggle to find an audience and precisely for this reason, I reckon that slowing down the story a bit and emulating Ezel's highly emotional and sweet. The mother-son relationship, the slow blossom of the romance between him and Sara, the bonding with his father before he revealed his identity, his attempts to win over his younger brother, etc. This made the series telenovela-like as opposed to the gritty and action-packed feel of a crime series that Yago was going for. I personally like gritty series but there were times where playing on the sentimental would've helped. Also, making Sara more sympathetic would've helped a great deal. Remember that early scene where Sara made her sister go shopping for a new dress to go meet Yago only to later lie to her that the date was canceled? That scene sealed it for me and many viewers. Also, Sara's eagerness to jump in the sack with Yago, whereas in the original he seduces her little by little and she is really conflicted about betraying her sister. Making the love story more romantic, conflicted and emotional as opposed to pure sex and fire made many of us irritated with Yago and Sara, as opposed to be gripped into a will-they won't-they suspense. In conclusion, making the story a bit slower, sappier and more intense would've given the classic telenovela viewer something different but familiar at the same time. I also that the music played a big role as well. It was mostly action-type ambient music.


JudyB: Thank you for your lovely comment and for your continuous encouragement. I loved this: " treasure the time you have with loved ones. And forget the grievances." You are absolutely right. Life is too short to hold grudges and set aside what matters (family, loved ones, good health) to pursue what doesn't (revenge, influence, supremacy).

Anon207: "Revenge is stupid. Obsessing over someone is also stupid." Excellent! If we mus choose one thing to take away from this tragic tale, this is it!

Steve, I forgot to reply to your request for photos of the finale. It's duly noted. I'll have something up in a day or two. Please bear with me.

 

UA: Loved your suggestion that Flavio Medina play Félix in a Mexican remake of the "Odd couple"! In a way, I've always seen Lucio and Abel as the Odd Couple in this one. There was a particular scene in jail where Abel is seated in the visitation room and Lucio arrives and hugs him from behind, whining: "Compañere!" That scene cracked me up so much I replayed it several times. It was during those first difficult days in jail, when Lucio was getting smacked around all day. Then Lucio learnt how things worked and, thanks to his talents as a card player, his knack for paying favors and his slick snake oil salesman tricks, he was running the joint in no time! This is the main reason why I don't think Lucio would've suffered that much in jail. Even though, just like you, Carvivlie, Kendra, Cathyx, Niecie, Julie and others, I believe Lucio got off too easily. He should've been arrested and humiliated. More importantly, he should've seen that he lost to both Yago AND Omar: Lost his freedom, his money, his sense of false superiority as well as Sara and Mati. He should've suffered by being transferred from penitentiary to penitentiary, where he would get fresh welcome beatings and leave before he gets a chance to establish a strategy for survival or a gambling ring.

Carvivlie, Countx and Vivi, I totally agree about the actors' performances in this one. They were simply superb! I was already a huge fan of Flavio Medina and Manuel Ojeda and now I have discovered the outstanding acting abilities of Gaby de la Garza and Mario Zaragoza and I'm truly impressed! Pablo Valentín was so endearing, he made me love Abel, my favorite criminal (as Kendra called him)! Ivan did the best he could and I commend him for giving it his all, I do. However, that actor who played the title role in Ezel is insuperable! Holy moly, he was simply magnetic! He had a very expressive face and the ability to go from melting you with his tenderness to striking the fear of God in your heart and everything in between, in the most effortless way. I don't even know his name but I'll definitely look up his work.

J, Mena(recap pets! Hahaha!), Duchess, Kelly, Nina and Enoch, good to see you again! Glad you could join us for the finale.

Genia, welcome, or welcome back! :)

Anita, long time no read! Hope all is well with you. Enjoy Yago! You're in for a fun ride and wonderful performances.

Tofie and Julie, I'm with you. I could get onboard a variety of different scenari for the ending, except to have Sara and Yago ride into the sunset together, establishing a happy love nest and enjoying an opulent lifestyle over the rubble of the many lives they destroyed. That would've been the worst ending ever!
 

Julie, OMG, yes! Those shootout scenes were so annoying, especially the ones at hospital! They were already parked out back, totally undetected! What did that stupid stunt achieve? However, what truly aggravated me was, when Yago came out and they fired at the cops, they sat in Abel's SUV and had a casual chinwag, instead of getting teh heck out of dodge! They wasted so much time, allowing Lucio to be ahead of them, once again! To be fair, these bozos are useless without Fidel's guidance!

Totally agree about the scene between Fidel and Yago, where he hands him the vial of (fake?) poison, drug or whatever. It would've taken a couple of minutes tops. However, they chose to make it all about Yago and Sara's eternal "love" or whatevs, except that throughout the story, they ensured that Sara was unsympathetic and Yago so selfish that hardly anybody rooted for them or believed in their love. Oh well, I'll go back to finish watching Ezel and imagine what these fine Mexican actors could've done with the extended script! :)
 

I also kind of hated Lucio's sudden change of temperament. When he came to Sara he seemed sincere by his desire to change his life around until Sara humiliated him once again by not allowing him to visit Mat for a bit( Until Yago&Sara told the truth to Mat). I am not saying that she brought it on herself but actions bring reactions( Favorite quote from Abel's grandma). The years of Sara's dominance over Lucio had definetly paid off in a very negative way.

I also wish that the story had more time to breathe. Ezel was also quite fast but everything had much more emotion behind it. Every 2 Hour long episode of Ezel was worth a goldmine.
 

Countx: It's funny but I had also the same interpretation of Lucio's goodbye scene to Sara that turned into that tragic rape scene. Check it out if you get a chance, in Thursday's discussion thread. Mati is definitely Lucio's biggest weakness. He loves him more than anybody in the world.

"I also wish that the story had more time to breathe. Ezel was also quite fast but everything had much more emotion behind it." Totally agree. I like the way you described especially allowing the story to "breathe".
 

I agree, Nandicta, it would have been better to make Sara more sympathetic. Our Sara was written like an automatic betrayal machine. Her childhood provided the ingredients for a more sympathetic character, but she was so reliably selfish that there just wasn't any way to root for her.
 

The LIFE AFTER DEATH was presented, not as "death just ending suffering." Nobody's character seemed to have changed by death; Camilo still had evil in his eyes. If Able had been in the celestial bus, he would have had his needle-nosed pliers in his hands, LOL. There is nothing to lead us to believe that death ends it all for this show. It is appointed to man once to die, but after that the judgment. They were all on the same celestial bus, white -- not a red one for those going to Hades. Perhaps they are all heading for a judgment which separates sheep from goats, though they were all goats to me -- despite the fact that there are distinct judgments known: Great White Throne, Bema (Judgment Seat of Christ), as well as Sheep & Goats, probably the Sheep & Goat judgment (Matthew 25) is the one most popularly considered in our culture -- neglecting the 3rd group ("my brethren," whose treatment decides the status as sheep vs goats).

A reference was made above to the peace that passes all understanding. That is not a peace, however, which follows death in its context in Philippians 4. "   Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say, Rejoice. Let your forbearance be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. In nothing be anxious; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. "

I have to wonder how much of this ending was Turkish (vs changed by Hispanic writers), as to me it isn't what I expect from Turks -- yet Turkey is so famous for having been secular, that perhaps they can morph their traditional beliefs in original ways for a drama.