'Control Z': What happened to Sofia's dad? His reappearance and second vanishing act deepen the mystery
Contains major spoilers
Right from the beginning of Netflix's Spanish teen drama 'Control Z', viewers are led to believe protagonist Sofia Herrera's (Ana Valeria Becerril) father is dead. Sporadic flashbacks of a much younger Sofia screaming at what looks like blazing flames come and go, always ending with those of her from her stay at a psych ward. It is almost established that her father is dead until the hacker exposing everyone's secrets sends her photos of her meeting a grown, middle-aged man outside a local pub. Given how shaken it leaves her, it's confirmed that this man is in fact Sofia's dad. But how did he come back? Where was he all these years? More importantly, what happens to their bond after her classmate Raul (Yankel Stevan) manages to blackmail him into the abyss once again? These are the questions the debut season leaves us with.
When we meet Sofia, it's evident she doesn't like putting up with her mother one bit. She preferred her father's company - made more obvious by the way she fondly reminisces about him every time she has to tell people that he's dead. But several deep scars and healed gashes on her arms also indicate her father's death and its aftermath to be traumatic enough for Sofia to succumb to self harm; that is until all the way in episode 7, where thanks to Raul, we see the reason behind Sofia's scars.
It all started with Raul's father's verbal, emotional, and physical abuse towards him for petty incidents. When Raul took some pictures with his dad's black money, their school's tech guy, Bruno, hacked into his phone and blackmailed him for money. This followed by an off chance meeting with Sofia on the school's roof led Raul to realize just how fake and miserable the dual existence of her peers except Sofia's was. So he decided to seek Bruno's help and hacked Sofia's phone to gather intel on her, and when he stumbles upon the tragedy of her father's death he decides to toy with the situation a little.
Never explicitly disclosed on the show, but quite possible nevertheless, it is most likely Raul who spurred Sofia's father to return to her life a whole decade later, that too in secret. The shock of finding out he's alive and had just disappeared and abandoned her overcomes Sofia and she has a breakdown that sends her to the psychiatric facility. Her breakdowns explain the scars, but we don't really find out just why Sofia's father stayed away all these years. Or why he pretended to be dead, for that matter. It is only when Raul gets impatient about grabbing Sofia's attention and starts blackmailing her with photos of her meeting her father that some answers crop up.
Despite her reassurances that she will find the guy, Sofia's dad worries he will go straight to prison. Considering the family had had a funeral and lowered the casket for him, his concerns are valid. But it is only when Raul personally blackmails him with his real name that he disappears once again. How this doesn't bother Sofia or she copes with it so easily is again something the show doesn't explore. Neither do we find out what it is her father does that requires him to abandon and disappear with such nonchalance. Sure he has a new identity now, but is that all? Or is he involved in something way worse that Sofia won't be able to bear? Only a second season can tell!
'Control Z' premiered on May 22 with all 8 episodes only on Netflix.