'Cable Girls' Season 5B: Carmen a mourning mother or devious devil? There may be redemption yet
Spoiler alert for 'Cable Girls' Season 5B
Doña Carmen de Cifuentes (Concha Velasco) has been a pain in Lidia Aguilar's (Blanca Suarez) neck since the first season of 'Cable Girls' aka 'Las Chicas del Cable'. Carmen did not like that her son, Carlos Cifuentes (Martino Rivas), was so enamored with a mere cable girl, one of the employees in the family's communication company. It also did not help that her son-in-law, Francisco (Yon Gonzalez), was equally enamored, after all, Francisco and Lidia had a history.
Carmen's motivations could have been put down to her wanting the best for her children, Carlos and Elisa (Angela Cremonte). She schemed to separate Carlos and Lidia, even when they were getting married. The worst came when Carmen schemed to kidnap their child, Eva, so she could use the baby for an operation to save herself. Often, it was hard to discern why Carmen kept doing what she did. Carmen's hatred for Lidia was intensified because of Carlos repeatedly choosing Lidia over her. But even then, Carlos always had a soft spot for his mother -- something that prompted Lidia to run away with Eva and Francisco so that Carmen could never get to her daughter.
In the final season, we saw that Carmen was in charge of the reeducation camp that Lidia was sent to after she was captured along with Carlos. Carlos was killed with his death being made to look like suicide. Knowing Carmen, she definitely had it in for Lidia, who she no doubt blames for her son's death.
Just as she learns that her co-conspirator, Romero was responsible for Carlos's death and not Lidia, she also loses her daughter, Elisa a Romera shoots her. A devastated Carmen has nothing to live for now and she goes to Lidia and for the first time, she and Lidia are on the same page.
Though Lidia is still suspicious of Carmen, the latter comes through, helping Lidia rescue all the women, including her friends from the reeducation camp. Before Lidia leaves, Carmen gives her the deeds to a few properties, something that Eva can have though her sole grandchild has never come to know her. With her mission and vengeance against Romero complete, Carmen shoots herself.
The final season helps open the blinds on this character that no doubt was hated by many fans. After all, Carlos and Lidia's happy ending was probably ruined because of her and many of Lidia's troubles across all the seasons happened because of Carmen.
Yes, Carmen was a mother in mourning, but that cannot excuse everything she did to Lidia and the other women. She did sell medicines in the black market when the women in the reeducation camp desperately needed them. She also schemed to separate mothers from their children to sell the latter -- this coming from a woman who knows the pain of losing a child is unforgivable.
It is up to the viewers to decide in the end. Was Carmen just another wrong person? Perhaps circumstances in her life led her to become what she was. Perhaps, she got a deserving end.
All episodes of 'Cable Girls' are now streaming on Netflix.