'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAcACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABjAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQgQAAEDAwMFAQAAAAAAAAAAAAMBAgQABQcSMTIUFyEiI1EBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQRAQACAgMBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwAEESFBUv/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8AhZKzAZthDb2T5RALG6iSNwWazjEVrF+iaVTlWY+5+Ux+kG93JsVviOiythpw3X8pSiXPF1qfaB4BiNCMY6WtADuqM1QVZZ//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Marked Heart, the Colombian action-thriller series, returned with a second season, exclusively on Netflix on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. Originally titled, Pálpito, the Spanish-language series was created by Leonardo Padrón. Padron also wrote the story, alongside Carlos Eloy Castro. Camilo Vega directed the Colombian series. As stated in the official synopsis for season 2 of The Marked Heart, released by Netflix:
"After faking her death and fleeing the country, Camila is tricked into returning to the chaos she'd left behind — now magnified in inconceivable ways."
Since the second installment was dropped on Netflix, the audience has been quite curious to learn how season 2 of The Marked Heart has turned out.
Much like the first season, The Marked Heart season 2 also revolved around the dark world of organ trafficking, revenge, and a never-ending love triangle between Camila, Simón, and Zacarías. Despite promising acting by the lead cast, the story's plotlines felt quite outlandish and far-fetched. The second season also felt way too lengthy and massively dragged on.
The Marked Heart season 2: A potentially compelling thriller let down by eccentric twists and an inconsistent pace
A dramatic story centered around revenge and poetic justice
Season 2 of The Marked Heart picked up right where the first season ended. In the second season, Camila was reunited with Simón. As shown in the first season, the two fell in love with each other passionately after Simón's late wife Valeria’s heart was transplanted inside Camila’s body. Season 2 saw the continuation of their budding romance even after learning the truth about the heart transplant.
The entire new season showcased how Zacarías wanted to exact revenge on Simón by hurting him and his loved ones after he lost Camila to him. However, in a shocking turn of events at the very end, Zacarías was seen taking the high road by donating his own heart to Simón's daughter Samantha, who required it to stay alive. Thus, the story served quite the poetic justice at the end.
As bizarre and melodramatic as the story sounds, it was quite entertaining to watch. Despite having several repetitive and absurd moments throughout, the story was still emotionally driven and compelling. Thus, the writers of the second season did a good job of presenting the audience with an engaging story.
A well-thought-out direction fell short due to its undeniably long length
It's safe to say that the direction of the Netflix series' second installment was quite impressive. It was seemingly well-budgeted and each episode was executed extremely well by the director. In particular, scenes such as the one where Camila is reunited with Simón or the one where Nicky, Simón and Tomás were abducted by Sarmiento or the one where Camila saw Zacarías's body at the end, were all perfectly captured.
However, where it fell extremely short was its pace and length. The second season had a total of ten 41 - 50 minute long episodes, which could have been easily cut down to 6 - 7 episodes. Many of the scenes felt forceful and unnecessary. It was clearly too long and was incredibly hard to fit within the time frame. While the emotional moments managed to captivate viewers, the melodrama made the narrative monotonous at times.
Arresting acting by the lead cast members
The lead cast members, including Lucía Domínguez as Camila Duarte, Sebastián Martínez as Zacarías Cienfuegos and Michel Brown as Simón Duque, executed a fantastic job portraying their respective characters and giving the audience a sense of urgent drama that centered around their characters throughout the second season.
Domínguez stood out the most as she gave a powerful performance, showcasing the in-depth vulnerability and layers that her character demanded. Without a shred of doubt, she did her complex character justice. Martínez's portrayal of the antagonist was also quite gripping to watch.
Other supporting actors in the series' season 2 include Moisés Arizmendi, Valeria Emiliani, Margarita Muñoz, Juan Fernando Sánchez, Julián Cerati, Mauricio Cujar, and a few others. They also did a promising job of adding some extra drama to the story. Thus, the series' second installment is definitely worth the watch.
Don't forget to catch The Marked Heart season 2, which is currently streaming exclusively on Netflix.
