'Dark Desire' Ending Explained: Final twist leaves potential for a Season 2 but the show doesn’t deserve one
Spoilers for ‘Dark Desire’ or ‘Oscuro Deseo’
Netflix's new Mexican erotic thriller, ‘Dark Desire’ or ‘Oscuro Deseo’ is a strange tale. There are two things that define it. One, everyone is constantly having sex with everyone else. And two, everyone has deep dark secrets. If skeletons in closets had any kind of market demand, this show would be a bone factory.
The Spanish-language series centers around Alma Solares (Maite Perroni), a prestigious lawyer and college professor who is married to a powerful judge, Leonardo Solares (Jorge Poza). But twenty years of marriage has robbed them of excitement. And the lovelorn Alma, one day, meets a handsome 23-year-old named Dario (Alejandro Speitzer).
The two have a wild night that Alma later regrets. But try as she might, there is no getting rid of Dario. And yet, there is more to Dario than an obsessive desire to possess Alma.
The death of Alma’s best friend Brenda (Fernanda Yepes) opens a Pandora’s box of secrets and lies. A littering conspiracy takes the center-stage as it is slowly revealed how Dario was brought in by Leonardo’s brother Esteban (Erik Hayser), both of whom had an affair with Brenda. It was further revealed that Esteban was really in love with Alma and he hated his brother and that the crippled ex-cop was behind all the carnage in the show.
But the story is unnecessarily complex. Twists after twist leave audiences confused about what really is happening. And ultimately, you’re just left to accept the show for what it is, a royal mess that is mildly entertaining.
The final episode sees more twists and turns. While everyone assumed Dario was dead -- we were led to believe that Esteban killed him because he broke away from the plan and fell in love with the woman he was in love with, Alma -- that wasn’t so. Even though Esteban escapes after a scuffle with Leonardo -- and Leonardo, in twisted irony, too gets shot in the leg like his brother -- the story is yet to come to a conclusion. In the end, we see that Dario is still alive and now he holds some kind of leverage over Esteban. In fact, so powerful is Dario now, that he tells Esteban that the roles have reversed, that it is Esteban who works for Dario now.
So, what does that mean for a season 2? As far as the story goes, it is open-ended, and should one want to, more can definitely be explored. But it is also a question of whether or not it should be. The series has received fairly negative reviews and there is yet to be any kind of announcement for a second season. So, while it is absolutely possible that there may be another season of ‘Dark Desire’ or ‘Oscuro Deseo’, it is unlikely that audience impressions will contribute to it.
In the unlikely event, there is one, the showrunners should definitely consider, one, cutting the story short (18 episodes are a lot), and two, keeping things simpler. In the earlier episodes of the show, the script remained weak, but it was a coherent enough story. But the progression made it almost impossible to follow.
‘Dark Desire’ or ‘Oscuro Deseo’ is available for viewing on Netflix.