Good Morning, Verônica Season 2 & 3 Round-Up

By Redmanwriter on July 13, 2024

Alice Oscura, Featured Writer

Disclaimer: The following mentions themes that may be triggering to some readers. And SPOILER ALERT.

During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, a Netflix series that caught my interest was the Brazilian crime/thriller series titled Good Morning, Verônica based on the novel of the same name written by Brazilian crime novelist/lawyer Raphael Montes. The first season consisted of eight episodes and incorporated some particularly disturbing and heavy societal themes of physical and mental abuse of women.

The story follows a female police clerk that works in the Homicide division named Veronica Torres, played by Brazilian-born model turned actress Tainá Müller. After witnessing a woman named Marta committing suicide right before her eyes, Veronica, always striving to do the right thing, begins investigating the circumstances behind the victim's suicide. She soon gets caught up in a web of a secret crime syndicate that's infiltrated themselves into key positions of power, including the police and legal system of the country. At the end of the season, Veronica fakes her death with the help of her loyal friend, the coroner Victor Prata (Adriano Garib) falsifying her death certificate in order to buy herself time to investigate and hopefully topple the syndicate once and for all. The cliffhanger indicated a greater threat lying ahead for the intrepid ex-police clerk.

Season 2

Although the second season got the go-ahead just a month after the release of the first, it took almost two years to release. In August 2022, Good Morning, Verônica finally returned with the much-anticipated follow-up, only to receive lukewarm reviews.

The series opted for a slightly shorter season, with just six episodes this time around. Just like the previous season, the plot once again focuses on some heavy and extremely sensitive societal topics. The story continues just a few months after the events of the previous season. Veronica assumes the identity of Cláudio Brandão (Eduardo Moscovis) murdered common-law wife Janete Cruz (Camila Morgado). Veronica continues her investigation with the help and support of her friends Prata (Adriano Garib) the coroner, IT specialist for the Homicide division Nelson Moralles (Silvio Guindane) and eventually the Chief of Police, Gloria Volp (Ester Dias).

Moving up another rung on the villain hierarchy, we are introduced to a man being hailed as a type of healing Messiah. Matias Carneiro (Reynaldo Gianecchini) appears to be a man with the power to heal the sick, is the key patron to an orphanage for wayward kids and street children, and seems to have the perfect family. However, Carneiro is actually a sociopath who uses the illusion of having the gift of healing in order to take the opportunity to SA women in his congregation. His psychological manipulation and twisted methods of controlling of his wife Giselle (Camila Márdila) and teenage daughter Ângela (Klara Castanho) is an uneasy watch as it builds to a disturbing crescendo of his ultimate sinister plans involving the latter. Pretty soon his daughter slowly begins to notice the warning signs, and she eventually tries desperately to escape despite being emotionally conflicted with her feelings of loyalty towards her father. At the end of the second season, Veronica has to go on the run again after briefly being reunited with her children. And Carniero, now under house arrest, is seen showing a picture of Veronica's daughter Lila (Alice Valverde) to an unseen person while inciting the mysterious person to exact revenge for their fallen brother, Cláudio Brandão.

In comparison to the previous season's villain, Carneiro is more diplomatic as opposed Cláudio who was much more intense and brutish. The way that Cláudio was able to incite sheer terror even in the simplest of settings was something that I appreciated a lot more in the first season. However, it doesn't mean to say that Carneiro isn't just as disturbing a character, by any means. Fair warning though, Good Morning, Verônica is not an easy watch because the story gets inherently darker and more unsettling at every turn. Keeping an extremely open mind here is the key.

I believe that the main reason why the first season outperforms the second is due to Veronica's character. The quality in her character that endears the audience to her in the first place doesn't ultimately continue to stand well for the second time around. As a mere police clerk feeling bound by duty to do what's right and get justice for women, the character's flaws made her relatable to Joe Public. She's entitled to her mistakes and rushing in headfirst, guns blazing, without rationality. But the second time around, it in fact makes the character more than just annoying as she continues to trudge forward still fumbling around despite knowing her enemy's capabilities. Veronica's persistence which turns into obsession in taking down this criminal syndicate constantly creates danger and conflict to those around her, and it can get more than a bit exasperating to see this play out.

The overall cast performances were quite good, especially for the youngest cast addition, Brazilian actress Klara Castanho (Amor à Vida) in the role of the main villain's daughter, Ângela Carneiro. Her performance really stood out, as she does an excellent job of portraying someone who was being systematically controlled and abused. She displays certain body languages and behaviour that people take for granted but are actually warning signs of something going wrong deeper within the person's psyche. It is inevitable that her performance will have the desired effect on the audience.

Season 2 Score: 6 out of 10

Season 3

Due to the moderate reaction towards season two, the series decided to wrap up the story in a special three-episodic final season to give its fans a much-needed conclusion to the harrowing story. The concluding story does give the impression of being hastily done. However, it is filled with jaw-dropping secrets and even more unsettling character developments. In the finale season, we meet the third and final villain, who's the head of the entire twisted crime syndicate. The story predominately gets its darkest and most disturbing in this final chapter, and there's more than a few surprising bombshells revealed. Sometimes it's a hard to watch, so be warned it's not for the faint of heart.

Without revealing too much, Veronica finally gets her chance to confront the head of the crime syndicate and ends up uncovering a demented family secret. The newest key cast addition is Brazilian model/actor Rodrigo Santoro as the final villain Jerônimo Soares. He's a very wealthy Ranch owner who is sexy as hell but so very psychotic, extremely intimidating and scary as heck.

There is one revenge-fueled sequence in the final episode that is a bit hard to take seriously because it comes across tacky and slightly laughable despite the serious nature of the plot. The conclusion is one nobody's going to see coming, but it's definitely a conclusion befitting such a conflicted character like Veronica Torres.

Season 3 Score: 7 out of 10

In Conclusion

Good Morning, Verônica should be applauded for not being afraid to incorporating hardcore issues that usually make most people uncomfortable to discuss. It forces the audience to stand up and take notice of how many people are being secretly abused and psychologically manipulated and controlled. The cinematography employs a method of maintaining specific character intensities and reactions during the poignant scenes with lots of close-ups, even if the character is doing the most mundane activity. It manages to draw the audience's attention so much that when something suddenly happens, it's unexpected and very startling. It was also a nice added touch at the end of each episode to include the contact information hotline for those who may wish to seek assistance if they or someone that they know is suffering from any form of abuse.

The plot really encompasses what it is like to be a woman in a male-dominated society and not being taken seriously when an abuse if reported. It also shines a great big spotlight on the many different crimes perpetrated against women from those in a position of authority. There are some who have made negative comments against the series, describing the story as "disgusting" and criticising the over-the-top violence. I don't see it that way. As a woman, I can sincerely appreciate what they were trying to achieve. It's all about female empowerment in a society that has failed numerous times to protect its women against horrible crimes. Definitely a must-watch for women from all over the world. All three seasons are available on Netflix for streaming.

And you can check out more thrilling reviews on Robot Mango Reviews below:

Dark Alice has an old soul and a curious mind. I believe that anyone can be a hero and that the good guys should always win! I dislike cruelty to animals and think that they have far superior qualities to humans. My motto is there is no future without the past. I also have a weird penchant for Paranormal TV shows even though the slightest sound makes me jump. I enjoy writing reviews and throwing in fun facts to pique the readers' curiosity. My ultimate goal in life would be to become a published writer one day. Read More