Buried
Episode 2 of Now and Then starts once again in Miami 2000 with Alejandro’s funeral. All the familiar faces are there, and it’s juxtaposed nicely by the present day funeral of Daniela, whose son is completely torn up over what’s happened. The group are surprised to learn she had a child. It’s actually a really slick opening, although as we settle in the present, Pedro questions Marco over what he was doing at Daniela’s. Just then, Isabel, Marco’s fiancé, arrives, breaking the conversation up. She’s introduced to everyone else, including Ana and Sofia who are both there in attendance. When Marco tells them all that the police have Daniela’s tapes, the trio are rattled. They believe the police could well have evidence of what they did 20 years ago. Tensions are high, given Marco and Sofia have a lot of history together, and they drive back with Isabel quizzing them over what the nature of their friendship was in the past. Naturally, we get a few flashbacks to show this, with Sofia and Marco passionately kissing and making love. Back in 2000, the investigation continues as the officers focus on the car Alejandro was found dead in. With the seat pushed all the way back, it seems to back the theory that actually he wasn’t the one driving. Flashbacks confirm this theory, as the group move him into the driver’s seat, and take his phone away too. In the present, Pedro reveals to Ana that he paid the ransom money from the campaign funds they have. Given she’s fighting against corruption, if this gets out it’s going to destroy both their careers. Pedro makes a promise that he’s going to pay it back once they win the campaign but Ana is not so sure. When Luis shows up with a bruised eye, Pedro learns he’s been in a fight with a girl at school called Zoe. She was calling Pedro an immigrant and he stood up for his father. Despite this distraction, Ana is still angry at her husband for lying and jeopardizing what they’ve built together. However, the attention here turns to Marco, who’s called in for questioning around Daniela’s death. He admits he wasn’t at the clinic, he was in his car – and with Sofia. The timeline can be corroborated by her, given they were sleeping together. The sergeant also confirms that a tape has been taken from the collection they found in Daniela’s place, which appears to be the one showing exactly what happened in the past. Not only that, but it appears Marco is also taking pills too. The sergeant refuses to let him go until the story can be confirmed. When the sergeant shows up at the hotel, she learns that Sofia hasn’t actually booked herself in. She did get dropped off at the hotel but the footage shows her walking away and leaving some time around 1.45am. Ernesto rings Pedro asking to talk. He’s found out about the 2 million missing from the books – which is obviously Pedro’s doing. When Pedro shows up at the office, the two end up kissing. It would appear that Pedro is also sleeping with Ernesto behind Ana’s back, continuing this web of secrets everyone appears to be holding. Back home, Pedro breaks the news to Ana that Ernesto knows about them. Cut back and forth with this are scenes from the past, as Ana admits 20 years back that she’s the one who gave Alejandro drugs and put them in his drink. Despite Alejandro being dead-set on his swimming, Pedro swings things in his favour, bringing up that Alejandro had a drug problem given he was arrested 3 months prior to his death. Still sticking to the 20-years-back storyline, the investigators gain a ping on Alejandro’s phone as it appears someone has turned it on. As they all scramble out, we cut forward one more time to the present and see that Daniela’s son has all the ransom money in his truck and he leaves with it.
The Episode Review
The case is just starting to get interesting now, but it comes with a side order of soapy melodrama for good measure too. While this in itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it also cheapens the story a little given everyone seems to be either cheating or working behind each others’ backs. Despite this, there’s no denying that the editing in this show is very impressive, with the seamless transitions between the past and present working well to keep things stylish. Furthermore, the show deepens the ties between characters this time as well, with lots more emphasis on the supporting players and how they tie in to Marcos and his plight. With Daniela now dead and her son involved in some way, we’ll have to wait and see what all of this means for our characters.
