[Recap] The last episode of Amor à Vida

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The 9pm Brazilian novela Amor à Vida ended yesterday after 221 episodes, being one of the longest Brazilian novelas that were aired in recent years. Its predecessors in the same timeslot ‘Salve Jorge’ and ‘Avenida Brasil’ had each 179 episodes.

Even though the last few months of the novela were exhaustive to watch because of the repeated/crazy scenes and storylines, the last episode was amazing overall. Although some of the scenes reminded previous endings of telenovelas, many of the scenes in this one were innovative and very refreshing to watch. So let’s begin this recap…

The episode opens with a scene where César visits Aline in jail. Aline can finally stop pretending that she loves him, and reveals him the entire truth about her revenge plan: that she was Mariah’s niece, that her mother was killed in that accident that she thinks he ordered and that ever since she planned to take revenge and therefore seduces him, stole his money and made him become blind. César confesses that he took Paloma away from Mariah because he was afraid of losing her, but also insists that he didn’t know anything about the accident.

When he asks about their son, Aline says it was the only way to separate him from Pilar. In spite of everything she’s done him, he says that he still loves her. He can’t seem to realize that she never loved him, and humiliates himself in front of her:

César: You loved me. Me too. You had a lover, Ninho. I hated it. I was always the one who cheated and suddenly I was cheated by you. But… I forgive you, Aline.

Aline: [laughs] You’re kidding me. Forgiving me…

César: No, it was a terrible mistake. But come back to me. The love I have for you is bigger than anything. I’ll pay for a lawyer to get you out of here. Come back to me. It’s all I want in life.

Aline: Stay away from me, you old jerk.

César: What?

Aline: I was always sick of you. Of your hands… every time toy touched me, I was sick. I wanted to vomit when I was sleeping with you.

César: So… everything was a big lie?

Aline: A big lie. I’m sick of you. What I have for you is… this.

Shocked César suffers a stroke and is taken to the hospital.

Meanwhile, Félix is shocked and moved to tears by Paloma’s request to get him back his job at the hospital, but still refuses. He thanks her, but says he’s got other plans. Both Bruno and Paloma are surprised. He affirms that a new affection emerged between him and his sister, but says he want to start over in another place. He doesn’t want the kind of life he had before.

Their conversation in interrupted when they find out about César’s stroke. When César’s returns home, he looks completely dejected and depressed and talks to the family about Aline’s words about the accident, about which he didn’t even know. He says that what happened to him was unfair and Pilar agrees. She then shocks the entire family when she reveals that she was the one who planned and provoked the accident that killed Aline’s mother and left Mariah invalid because she was in despair and afraid to lose her husband. She asked her driver to cut the brakes of the car, but didn’t know that there were other people there besides Mariah.

She tells Paloma that when she looked at her at first she didn’t only see her as her rival’s daughter, but also saw her blame for what she had done. She asks César to forgive her, but he says she destroyed him. She begs him to let her raise his child with Aline and promises to become the best mother for him.

Meanwhile, Thales and Natasha get married.

Herbert and Edith’s wedding ceremony begins, but Edith desists and says she can’t marry him. She reveals that she doesn’t love him, and that her mother convinced her to marry him because of money, practically selling her, as she always did. She also confesses she always cheated on him. She then runs away with Wagner, not before throwing away her bouquet. The couple celebrates that they can finally be together and don’t need to hide it and party the night away with some pole dancing in a club, sex in the bathroom and pop champagne in the street.

We move on to the vow renewal ceremony of Bruno and Paloma. All the family members and medical staff from the hospital are present. Félix brings César, in a wheelchair and in a bad mood. Bruno calms Paloma, and she says she has a surprise for him later on.

The always sly Amarilys tries to flirt with Samuel, saying that the embryo implant didn’t work out yet, and implying that they may use more ‘natural’ ways to conceive the baby, of course, only because his partner really wants to have a baby. But their conversation is interrupted by Niko, who appears to be a friend of Samuel, and tells him all the dirty truth about Amarilys and about her real intentions. He warns the couple that she probably also plans to separate them and have a baby with one of them. The shocked couple cuts all ties with her and demands her to leave their house.

Félix tells Pilar that he want to take care of his father. He is then surprised by Paulinha, who insists on knowing why he always ignores her. When she begins to cry, he gets down on his knees and says he’s ashamed because of what he had done and that she was his victim in the past. He affirms that did her something terrible in the past. She says that in spite of everything and her own curiosity, she will wait for the day when he’ll want to tell her the truth. She then asks him to give her a kiss and become her friend. He happily agrees, lifts her up and kisses her gently. He promises to be her friend for life.

Bruno and Paloma renew their votes in the family mansion. They reaffirm their love for each other, and Paloma tells him the big news: she’s pregnant again. Bruno is ecstatic to her the good news.

We have a small time jump…

Aline joins other prisoners in a plan to escape from jail. She calls her partner and asks him to bring her the money to prison. Meanwhile, Thales holds a book signing for his newest book, which has a veeery original name: Natasha.

We also say goodbye to the novela’s love quartet Patrícia, Michel, Silvia and Guto, who quarrel a little like always, but finally seem to get along. Silvia and Guto bring their adopted daughter Catarina to visit Patrícia and Michel’s newborn Dudu. Patrícia says they’re becoming one big family.

Paulinha and Paloma visit Ninho in prison. Paulinha cries and asks him why he did what he did. He explains he was very stupid, and that he wanted to earn money to be a good dad for her. She also tells Ninho she wants to become a doctor and he encourages her. He tells her he loves her. She also tells him she loves him and that he’s also her dad. He tells her that she was lucky, because after all that has happened to her and being abandoned in the garbage, she’s got a very cool dad, Bruno. He also apologizes to Paloma and congratulates her for her beautiful family, wishing them the best.

Meanwhile, we see that Félix and Niko moved to Rio to a beautiful house on the beach, where they live with César and the children. Jonathan stops by to visit them with his girlfriend. He goes to see César, who is still very depressed. He doesn’t want to talk much. When Jonathan present him his girlfriend, he says: “At least you’re a man”, while Félix rolls his eyes. Jonathan tells his dad that he passed the university entrance exams for architecture and they celebrate.

Check out Félix’s little dance:

We see Gina and Elias’ son baptism ceremony in the evangelical church.

Carlito takes Márcia down the aisle. With not one, but a few white flowers on her head, her and Atílio/Gentil’s wedding finally begins. But right at that moment Validerene (who’s having a really bad hair day), says her water broke, which obligates the priest to accelerate the ceremony. Márcia gets mad and complains that her weddings always go wrong, and Atílio reassures her that this wedding was valid and will be the last one.

Valdirene gives birth to another girl. They all move in to a new house. Seeing that Atílio is busy with work, Márcia tells her new husband that he needs to leave Atílio in the office and come home as Gentil. This turns him on and he asks her to do that Chacrinha show she promised him. Wearing a swimsuit and with feathers and a flower in her hair, she finally does her little number, and the happy couple ends up in bed.

Bruno, Paulinha, Pilar and Bernarda visit Linda’s exposition. Bruno tells Linda’s family about Paloma’s condition: she’s having a difficult pregnancy and almost lost her child, but she’s better now. They congratulate Linda. Linda’s parents tell Pilar they’re donating part of the earnings to a center that specialized in autism. Linda and Rafael seem to be in their own little world during the exposition. Linda tells him that he’s her inspiration, and he tells her that she finally overcame her limitations and brought out the talent that was always hidden inside of her. The scene is beautiful and we see the objects of the paintings come out of them and float in the air.

Aline and her jail mates finalize the plans for their escape. They pay some guards that turn off the electric fence and stage a fight between the prisoners to distract the guards. But when it’s her turn to climb the fence, it is turned on again and she dies electrified by the fence.

In spite of her problematic pregnancy, Paloma finally gives birth to her son via C-section.

The family is thrilled. They then reveal the baby’s name: Bernardo, after Paloma’s grandma Bernarda. Bruno tells Paloma she gave him the biggest present he could have wished for, and she says she’s happy that they managed to overcome everything they’ve been through and become a family.

Félix and Niko talk about everyday issues. We learn that they opened a new restaurant in Rio and that Félix manages both restaurants. We also find out that César is doing better, although he prefers to eat by himself and stay alone. When Niko is about to leave for work, Félix asks him to stay. The hold each other, and Félix tells Niko he changed his life. Niko tells him that he can’t live without him, and Félix replies that he’s the one who can’t live without Niko. And then they kiss. Applauses everyone: it’s the first gay kiss in a Brazilian novela! Hurray!

The final scene. César wakes up and Félix gets him out of bad and helps him change. They go outside to take a sunbath by the beach. Félix takes care of his dad and helps him in every step of the way. In front of the sun, we finally see a little smile on Félix’s face.