Why "Tremembé" Stayed With Me—Even When It Fell Short

Tremembé may not be a standout masterpiece, but it is undeniably intriguing.

Set in Brazil’s most famous prison for high-profile criminals, the series explores what happens after the media spectacle dies down.

By shifting the focus from the crime itself to life behind bars, the show taps into a kind of curiosity that’s hard to ignore—especially when the criminals involved are already deeply embedded in the public imagination.

Two Sides of the Same Crime

One of the series’ strongest choices is its constant movement between the women’s and men’s wings of the prison. This structure becomes especially effective when crimes were committed by groups involving both men and women.

Watching how responsibility, guilt, and power dynamics play out differently on each side adds layers to the narrative. In that sense, Tremembé feels closer to slow-burn prison dramas than to sensational true-crime shows—it observes rather than accuses.

Performances That Humanize the “Monsters”

The acting across the board is good. The performances are convincing enough to do something uncomfortable but necessary: humanize people commonly reduced to monsters.

This approach recalls other character-driven crime dramas in which empathy doesn’t mean forgiveness but understanding. The actors may not deliver career-defining performances here, but they give the characters enough credibility to make their stories land.

Storylines That Linger

Some arcs are far more impactful than others. The storyline involving the doctor-rapist is grim, but his eventual fate is darkly satisfying—almost fun in a twisted way.

Suzanne’s (Marina Ruy Barbosa) arc, however, is pure frustration. She is manipulative and calculating, consistently getting what she wants, leaving the viewer with a lingering sense of anger. The fact that she is already free in real life makes her story genuinely terrifying.

Meanwhile, the Jatobá (Bianca Comparato) case stands out as one of the most chilling narratives in the series, unsettling without relying on shock value.

An Uneasy Ending

By the end, Tremembé remains interesting despite its unevenness. The season closes on a cliffhanger that clearly points toward a second season, suggesting there is still more to explore within these walls.

While it may not be unforgettable television, it succeeds in something harder: making the viewer sit with discomfort, curiosity, and moral ambiguity long after the episode ends.

Comments

Gen V Season 2: From Cameos to Confidence

I wasn’t a huge fan of Gen V ’s first season . For me, it lived more on cameos and ties to The Boys than on its own merits. It often felt like an extended piece of world-building rather than a show that could stand on its own. Season 2, though, feels different. For the first time, Gen V is carving out its own identity. The storylines are more engaging, the stakes feel higher, and it’s not just hanging on the shadow of Homelander or Vought headlines. The Highs and Lows of Performance That said, not everything works. The acting is uneven—some scenes land with the intended emotional weight, but others feel awkward enough that I wondered how they made it past editing. On top of that, the show piles on so much interpersonal drama and mystery that it occasionally slips into Scooby-Doo territory: a gang of young heroes pulling at conspiratorial threads, but without enough grounding to keep every subplot compelling. A Thoughtful Tribute One aspect the show handles beautifull...

Zero Day (Netflix): When Power, Fear, and Truth Collide

What happens when society’s most terrifying vulnerability—our digital infrastructure—suddenly collapses? Netflix ’s political thriller Zero Day dares to explore exactly that. Starring Robert De Niro as former U.S. President George Mullen, alongside Angela Bassett , Lizzy Caplan , Jesse Plemons , and Dan Stevens , this six-part miniseries blends conspiracy, paranoia, and deeply human drama into a story that feels both timely and unsettling. A Premise That Feels Too Possible The series kicks off with a catastrophic cyberattack that leaves the nation in chaos. It’s not just thrilling entertainment—it’s frighteningly plausible. Watching events spiral out of control, you can’t help but ask yourself: could this actually happen? Twists That Keep You Guessing From backroom deals to sudden betrayals, Zero Day is packed with sharp turns. You might think you know where it’s going, but the finale delivers a conclusion that’s both surprising and thought-provoking. Jesse Plemo...

The Handmaid’s Tale – From Brilliant to Frustrating

When The Handmaid’s Tale first aired, it felt sharp, terrifying, and painfully necessary. I wrote about the first season as a dark and brilliant adaptation, one that used restraint, symbolism, and dread to tell its story. Now that I've finished the third season, my opinion has shifted — not wholly, but noticeably. The show is still good . Sometimes very good. But it also became frustrating, uneven, and less powerful than it could have been. June Osborne: From Survivor to Exhaustion Let’s talk about June (Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men ). I understand the idea behind her arc. She was meant to evolve — to become more confident, more assertive, more dangerous. A woman shaped by trauma who stops surviving and starts fighting back. On paper, it makes sense. On screen, however, it often doesn’t work. June becomes reckless to the point of irresponsibility. She repeatedly puts others in danger without seeming to fully care about who might be caught in the crossfire. Her actions feel impuls...

All Forms of Art

Search This Blog