Sintonia Season 3 ending explained: A search for a better tomorrow

Popular Brazilian drama, Sintonia, just returned to Netflix with its explosive third season, carrying the arc forward. A steep cliffhanger in the second season saw Nando, aka Luiz Fernando Silva (Christian Malheiros), find out that his criminal lifestyle, especially the final mission, has made headlines. It also saw the departure of Donizete Santana da Costa, aka Doni (Jottapê), as the youngster embarked on his dream quest.

This season had a wholly different tone, deviating a long way from the usual depictions of youth in the favela. Not only are the characters older and more mature, but there are also more downbeat and gut-wrenching struggles, especially for Nando, who had to be a part of some really dangerous missions in this year's edition of Sintonia. This season also saw their friendships challenged, with Doni now in Europe and Nando deep into the underworld.

The ending did resolve some of the crises and brought the friends back together in a heartwarming sequence. However, this did not last long as a surprise twist shook the friends in the closing moments. Read on to find out what the ending of Sintonia meant.

---

Sintonia ending: A beautiful farewell cut short by sins of the past

Sintonia did not normalize crime but rather artfully depicted how it works in the favela. While the first season barely adhered to the "crime and punishment" theory, the second and third seasons depicted how the road to success in the world of crime always ends up in a dark place. The final episode was a testimony to this.

It would be unfair to say that Nando acted out of greed. Kondzilla's direction always depicted how, more often than not, teens in the favela have no other way out. By the end of this season, Nando had managed to carve himself a good path, but it was cut short by a twist.

The last episode focused on the three friends, Nando, Doni, and Rita (Bruna Mascarenhas) trying to fix the things that they have done wrong and come out as better individuals. While Rita's struggle was more moral, Doni and Nando had to face their demons in a bid to correct the wrongs.

Rita withdrew from running the council at the last moment, much to the displeasure of the pastor and the church. She ended up volunteering as the new community leader of Vila Aurea. This way, she did what she really wanted to do.

Doni, on the other hand, finally fixed everything with Tally by writing her a song and apologizing for his behavior in the past few days. They got back together on an emotional note.

Nando took the boldest step by deciding to say farewell to the world of crime. Though his comrade warned him that he was down too deep, Nando chose to build a new life. He opened a cafe business, where the three friends are seen talking in the last scene.

However, before the happy ending could be realised, a few police officers burst into the cafe and asked Nando to kneel. As they prepared to arrest the youngster, two other gunmen burst in. The screen cut to black with the sounds of gunfire and screams still playing. Whatever went down between the cops, gunmen, and Nando was not depicted in this season.

This aptly sets up another season of the show, leaving viewers with a fascinating cliffhanger. Whatever went down, in the end, was extremely violent, unlike anything the show has depicted before.

Viewers will have to wait until the fourth season of Sintonia to find out what happened in the shootout.

All the episodes of Sintonia season 3 are now streaming on Netflix.