'Invisible City' Season 2 Review: Nature-themed Netflix fantasy series hits harder in second coming
Mild spoilers ahead for 'Invisible City' season 2.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: After a two-year hiatus, Netflix has finally released the second season of the Brazilian fantasy drama 'Cidade Invisível' aka 'Invisible City'. The season sees some characters returning, including Marco Pigossi as Eric, Alessandra Negrini as Inês, Julia Konrad as Gabriela, and Manuela Dieguez as Luna. While the first part of the series introduced several Brazilian folkloric beings like Curupira, Cuca, and Saci, Season 2 doesn't shy away from introducing new entities and delves deep into the mythical side.
In Season 1 of Netflix's 'Invisible CIty', we saw Eric, a recent widower and Environmental Police who is hung up on his wife's death, strongly believing that she was murdered. In his quest for truth, he comes across the folkloric creatures living amongst them. His daughter Luna was possessed by Dry Body, which Eric transfers to himself. When we last saw Eric, he stabbed himself in order to get rid of Dry Body. In the process, Eric is left unconscious and is carried into the forest by Curupira. The season confirmed that Eric has certain powers and can act as a channel for those powers. Besides, in Season 1, we see the forest play a major role in the series. The same holds true for Season 2 as well.
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The hidden forest
If Season 1 was a glimpse into the Brazilian culture, Season 2 widens it further. The gist of the season can be summarized from the quote used in the series, "People have lost their connection to nature. Nature and humanity are not mutually exclusive. There must be a balance for them to coexist." Taking place more than 2 years after the events of the first season, Season 2 is set in the lush Amazon forests.
There is a hidden place in the forest named Marangatu, filled with gold. The Castros family has been trying to steal it for more than 30 years. They run illegal mining and contaminate the water around the forest. Their main goal is to find the treasure and they even imprison some of the powerful creatures, including Lazo, the Zaori (who can see gold and treasure), and a child named Bento, with the powers of a wolf. The portrayal of the Castros family can be considered a metaphor for all who exploit nature for selfish reasons. And what's even worse is the Castros family now has Debora, a power viper and an indigenous woman, who was taken away from her family when she was a little child. Her mother was murdered by Castro and now she is the mastermind of the treasure hunt along with her so-called brother, Castro Jr. The Castros used Debora to find the treasure. Though Debora has changed her identity over the years, she manages to reclaim her true self once she is back in the village. It is also revealed that Debora's intention was to protect her land. But the price she had to pay for it was brutal.
Nature must be protected
Though it's almost a cliche now, the importance of nature is not stressed enough. 'Invisible City' manages to convey that message by staying true to its course. The show had made some difficult choices but they seem to have worked perfectly. The series itself is shot in the Amazon and manages to transport us to the setting. It shows us how natural wealth is monetized through illegal means in ways one would shudder to think about. The show leaves you with strong feelings about the preservation of nature and that thought can be attributed to the success of this show.
The series also deals with other entities like Clarice, who has the power to become the flaming mule, and Bento, who can transform into a wolf and considers their power to be a curse rather than a gift. Meanwhile, Eric refuses to accept his and Luna's powers and wants a normal life instead. All of them, however, come to terms with the fact that their powers are a part of them and embrace that reality.
Overall, season 2 of 'Invisible City' has managed to surpass the expectations set by season 1 in the span of just 5 episodes. It stresses the importance of conserving nature and its resources through an authentic and genuine representation of Brazilian culture. 'Invisible City' is undoubtedly one of the best Netflix originals out there and a perfect series to binge on.
The first two seasons of 'Invisible City' are available to stream exclusively on Netflix.