Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Pasión De Gavilanes’ on Netflix, Where A Family Seeks Justice For Their Sons Accused Of Murder

How can one accurately judge a beloved telenovela that has run for nearly 300 episodes? That’s the task at hand as we review the second season of Pasión de Gavilanes, the Colombian telenovela that first premiered in 2003 and featured a complex love story about the Reyes brothers, Juan, Oscar and Franco, who despise a local wealthy family, the Elizondos, and blame them for their sister Libia’s death, but that doesn’t stop the brothers from all falling in love with the three Elizondo daughters, Norma, Jimena, and Sarita. The first season of Pasión ran for 188 episodes, and now Netflix has just released all 82 episodes of season two, which picks up 20 years after the first season ended to continue the story of the classic series that originally ran on Telemundo.

PASION DE GAVILANES: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: Two horses gallop across a scenic estate set amid the backdrop of beautiful mountains. A woman sits atop one of the horse and tells the hirsute man with her, “You’ve always followed me, and you continue to do so after 20 years, honey.” She dismounts and they kiss, continuing to exchange loving quips about their loyalty and passion for one another. These people are Juan Reyes Guerrero (Mario Cimarro) and his wife Norma (Danna Garcia), and if you followed the original series of Pasión de Gavilanes, the sight of these two and their passionate, enduring love would be a big, satisfying homecoming, welcoming us all back into the show that merged the men and women from two very different families into one.

The Gist: When we first catch up with Norma and Juan after their 20 year gap between seasons, the couple are discussing their three sons, the eldest Juan David, and their trouble-making twins Erick and Leon. What kind of troublemakers are they? Well, in the first few moments of the show, we see the decaying body of an old man, Genaro Carreño, being pulled up from a lake by divers. Soon, Leon receives a call from an unidentified voice, which tells him that their secret is no longer a secret, very, “I know what you did last Verano.” The caller suggests that the twins’ secret will become public knowledge soon, and the body in the lake has been found. Leon panics and races off to find his twin brother and together, the pair skip town on horseback realizing that they’re in trouble. But did they really kill that man? Maybe not, but the fact that they flee doesn’t look good.

When Juan and Norma learn their no-good sons are wanted for murder, they’re rightfully upset but Juan, who looks like Antonio Banderas in a mass market romance novelization of El Mariachi, all sexy exposed pecs and long tresses, is your classic toxic rich guy. With his gruff, gravelly voice, he threatens the police and the expression on his face constantly reads, “Don’t you know who I am?”

The sons are arrested and jailed, which angers and upsets the entire extended family who all conclude that though these young men are idiots, they’re not killers. But the victim’s son, Felix, disagrees and continues to accuse them of killing his father, having gotten an anonymous call himself, likely from the same person who called Leon earlier, telling him the twins were responsible.

Meanwhile, since you can’t stretch out this “did they or didn’t they?” murder mystery for 82 whole episodes, there are plenty of B- and C-stories interspersed throughout to keep things interesting. First is that of Rosario Montes (Zhurick Leon) who has returned to town to buy a bar, Bar Alcala, where she used to perform, and start over. She’s joined by a loyal but opinionated assistant named Gunter who clearly hates her new plan. Gunter, however, is also in contact with Rosario’s belligerent and abusive husband and estranged daughter, Muriel, who are desperate to know where Rosario is, since she has clearly fled from them. That bar is, of course, in San Marcos, the same town where the Reyes family lives, and she once had an affair with Franco Reyes, Juan’s younger brother, which is how she ties into this whole plot. (Speaking of Franco, his wife, Sarita and her children are not on good terms with him, but that’s a mystery that will reveal itself somewhere in the next 81 episodes.)

There’s also Jimena and Oscar Reyes, who we see in Milan at a fashion show that showcases Jimena’s designs. At the show, she announces her decision to retire from high fashion and runway shows to work more closely with Oscar on a new line. And back at the Elizondo homestead, the matriarch of the family, Gabriela, cares for her senile father, Martín, who is near death but has wild premonitions and visions that cause night terrors. There are issues across every generation, in Pasión de Gavilanes!

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? While some telenovelas can have the feel of a daytime soap opera, Pasión de Gavilanes is much more akin to nighttime soaps that feature wealthy, complicated families tangled in romantic drama, legal battles, and murder plots: think of Nashville, Dynasty, or Desperate Housewives.

Our Take: There are many layers of backstory to Pasión de Gavilanes and while it would certainly be a richer viewing experience to watch season one so that you can fully appreciate season two, that’s a task that would take some serious bingeing if you haven’t already watched it. Happily, season two can be fully enjoyed without the context of the first season and as far as soapy dramas are concerned, it’s thoroughly entertaining. Sure, the plot is dragged out, that’s what telenovelas and soap operas do. And sure, everyone in the show is incredibly good-looking, especially the potential murderers (I forgive you, you hot bad boy twins!), the scenery is beautiful, and the return of nearly the entire original cast goes a long way toward fan service. But Pasión is well-constructed and features a solid story that’s entertaining and addicting and well worth your time. (Assuming you have 80-ish hours to spare.)

Sex and Skin: There’s some passionate kissing, but thus far everything is tastefully PG.

Parting Shot: As Norma, her sister Sarita, and her son Juan David wait for the twins to be released from jail, they stand on the street outside the courthouse. While they’re there, Rosario, in thigh high boots and red lipstick, walks past in actual slow motion, and Rosario makes eye contact with all three. “Buenos dias,” she says to Juan David, who smiles back, but his mother and aunt stare in awe at this woman from their past. “What’s wrong?” he asks the women. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Indeed – a ghost that screwed Sarita’s husband and kinda looks like she wants to screw Juan David right now.

Sleeper Star: Zharick León as Rosario is so far the most intriguing character, her history with the Reyes family, her obvious goo-goo eyes at Juan David, and her separation from her husband all feel like they’re going to cause a lot of trouble in town.

Most Pilot-y Line: “They could be real pains sometimes, but they’re still our cousins.”

Our Call: STREAM IT! Pasión de Gavilanes is one of those shows where SO much happens in one episode, and yet the story kind of stays in the same place for a while, so you don’t have to worry too much about losing the plot. It’s perfect for when you just need a guilty pleasure that will comfort you for a good long while.

Liz Kocan is a pop culture writer living in Massachusetts. Her biggest claim to fame is the time she won on the game show Chain Reaction.