Share and Follow

Brazilian action-drama Good Morning, Veronica (now on Netflix) returns for a third and final season of the gritty, intense adventures of the titular police clerk-turned-vigilante played by Taina Muller. Veronica’s attempts to enact vengeance against men who abused women eventually morphed into some heavy-duty drama within her own family, which then found her infiltrating the deep, opaque muck of religious cults and organized crime. The new season, which consists of three episodes, introduces a new character played by Rodrigo Santoro, and once again finds Veronica’s vengeful crusade tangled with her tormented personal life. We should expect nothing less by now.

Opening Shot: After a catch-up recap that doesn’t count as an official opening shot, we get a low angle on a woman’s feet as she runs through the woods wearing blinders and being chased by a man on horseback. 

The Gist: We don’t see the horseman’s face – he just tranquilizes the woman and takes her away. Knowing what we know about Veronica, this guy is gonna get the crap killed out of him before this is all over. Cut to: Veronica her damn self. You’ll recall from previous episodes that she uses an alias now, and poses as a journalist; she also took down mob boss Matias (Reynaldo Gianecchini), who hasn’t taken kindly to her endeavors. Veronica motorcycles into Monte Azul to poke around a building that used to house the Order of Faith. Matias’ goons find her and chase her into a church, where she meets Jeronimo (Santoro), a fellow with incredibly ropy muscles who offers to protect her. She’s totes suspish, as she should be, since the guy, with his ponytail and vest and watch chain, is a walking, talking, sultry-ass red flag. But she goes with him anyway – like I said, incredibly ropy muscles and sultry-ass – back to his sprawling horse ranch, where he lives with his rather severely grimfaced mother, Diana (Maite Proenca), and their creepy-ass incestuous vibes. Neat!

This doesn’t stop Veronica from doing what she does, namely, pointing a gun at Jeronimo – twice, even – and then shtoinking him out in the barn on a pile of hay. But hey, at least he seduced her by making small talk about the monetary value of stallion jizz, and taming a very big horse right there in front of her. Should she trust this guy? I dunno. But when he gets up the next morning and does Very Aggressive Yoga out in the pasture while resembling the capoeira guy from that one episode of Bob’s Burgers, I’m thinking no, she shouldn’t. Did I mention that his mom peeked on them while they played hide the sausage? Well, she did.

Back in Sao Paulo, Matias stalks his estranged daughter Angela (Klara Castanho), but she maces him and he ends up in prison. Meanwhile, Veronica checks in with her close compadre Gloria (Ester Dias) and meets with a documentary filmmaker who reveals to her that the Monsignor of the Order of Faith used to rape girls at the orphanage so he could sell the babies; said filmmaker was one of the babies, all of whom were branded with a tattoo: a horseshoe. Hmm. Is it me or are there many HORSE CLUES in this episode? We learn that Jeronimo listens to metal while futzing around in his laboratory – I bet he’s playing with horse spooge! – instead of Kitaro like you’d expect. He’s full of surprises, this guy. When Veronica’s daughter Lila (Alice Valverde) is nabbed by Matias’ goons, who put a bullet in Gloria for her trouble, Jeronimo offers to help, but should she accept it? He seems fishier than a Long John Silver’s platter, but again, ropy. Veronica ends up visiting Matias in prison for a quid-pro-quo-Clarice scene, and before I get too spoilery here, let’s just say it goes poorly. I mean, if it went smashingly, we might be less compelled to let the autoplay do its thing, right? 

GOOD MORNING VERONICA S3
Photo: Courtesy of Netflix

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Veronica maintains its blend of Sons of Anarchy plot-driven cheesiness and feminist-vigilante vibes of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Our Take: Third verse, same as the first and second – but this time, with more intensity. Good Morning, Veronica sure seems to be ramping up the bleakness with every passing episode, putting its protagonist neck-deep in mob dealings, religious cults and decades-old conspiracies, all peppered with murder, rape, trafficking and other grossnesses. As ever, this series is not for the faint of heart, especially if chiseled, slightly damp horse breeders with piercing eyes and clingy mothers give you the willies.

Keeping the plot pedal to the metal is this series’ M.O., and it’s even more urgent in this, the first of a three-episode series finale. You get the sense that multiple conflicts are introduced and/or further developed with great haste, so everything can be resolved in three short hours. And that’s fine; I’m not sure how much of this bleak subject matter one can endure before you’ve just had enough. This series traipses precariously close to exploitation, using real-life horrors as shock-value plot points in a borderline-sleazy action-mystery, then tacking on a PSA with info about counseling for victims of abuse and violence. If you’re this far into the series, this obviously hasn’t bothered you, and you’ll keep on keepin’ on until the bitter end – all you can do is hope Veronica gets the best of this ugly world before she succumbs to its darkness.   

Sex and Skin: The roll-in-the-hay scene shows a lot of unclothed hips and other misc. skin, but not much in the way of bits.

Parting Shot: A closeup of grimfaced Jeronimo, making a phone call. 

Sleeper Star: Proenca is the Lucille Bluth of this plot, except even more so. She just oozes ewwww everywhere she goes.

Most Pilot-y Line: Gloria ain’t too sure Veronica’s making smart choices:

Gloria: Veronica, he (Jeronimo) could be the guy who tried to kill you.

Veronica: Girl, what if I told you he already stabbed me?

Our Call: Season three of Good Morning, Veronica ramps up the ferocity for one big final shebang. If you’ve made it this far, there’s little doubt that you’ll STREAM IT and see it through.  

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Share and Follow
Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You May Also Like

Dolly Parton Settled Porter Wagoner’s Lawsuit by Paying With All She and Her Husband Owned

Porter Wagoner gave Dolly Parton her big break and, years later, one…

Hurun’s Worldwide Wealth Report 2024: Top Nations and Cities for Billionaire Count

The latest Hurun Global Rich list points to China as the country…

“I’m the one paying your school fees” — Man tells his son after his wife claimed to be the one making the payments

Nigerian man rants, informs his son that he is the one paying…

Gallery Showcase: VIP Tour of Art Basel & Discussion Circle With William Lim, Hosted by Burberry

Across the two VIP preview days for Art Basel, Prestige collaborated with…

Maya Rudolph and Jimmy Fallon Couldn’t Hold Back Tears During Will Ferrell’s Final ‘SNL’ Table Read in 2002: “Everyone Was Crying”

Maya Rudolph and Jimmy Fallon took a trip down memory lane on…

Abby Hensel, Famous Conjoined Twin from ‘Abby & Brittany,’ Ties the Knot

Conjoined twins Abby and Brittany Hensel gave viewers a taste of their…

Sarah Hyland Announces Departure from ‘Love Island USA’ Amid Speculation of Ariana Madix Taking Over

It looks like Ariana Madix is adding another gig to her resume.…

Avril Lavigne, Katy Perry, and Others Set to Perform at iHeartRadio Music Awards

It’s not complicated: Avril Lavigne, Katy Perry and more musicians are ready to roar at…