Angela Diniz: Murdered and Condemned is a series whose ending is revealed in both its title and its narrative structure: every episode opens with flashes of the shameful trial of Doca Street before returning to the past to reconstruct his relationship with Angela Diniz, culminating in one of the most emblematic femicides in Brazilian history.

For Brazilians over 50, it makes sense not to over-explain who is who, almost skipping what came before the fatal romance between the socialite and her killer. But for younger viewers — or for international audiences (all series now aim abroad) — this narrative formula feels questionable. We are just one episode away from the finale and already know that, more than murdered, Angela was also deemed guilty. This weakens our engagement with the romance and with the chronic languor of a character who spends 90% of the time in a bikini, drunk, rubbing herself against men or women, and 100% of the time with her arms raised. She is the “panther,” and she takes the nickname literally.

Still, I am committed. Let’s go to the recap.

Episode 4: Air Bridge

After introducing Doca and Angela at high-society parties, the episode shows how the couple fell in love and lived intensely through the final months of her life.

Adelita Scarpa and Doca Street travel to Rio to visit Angela, who is living with Ibrahim Sued. The two are not yet lovers, but the attraction between them is evident, as are the discreet flirtations behind their partners’ backs.

At the nightclub, Angela dances sensually as always, flirts with men and women, while Doca makes it clear that he is ready to be with her. Taking advantage of the moment when their companions are distracted, they meet secretly on the stairs.

When they part, Doca tells Angela that his life is “in her hands” and that if she gives the signal, he will “go all in.”

Angela’s lawyer explains that, in the repressive society of Minas Gerais — and Brazil — a divorced woman cannot remarry, which prevents her from obtaining custody of her daughter. She must be, or at least appear, “tamed.” Desperate, Angela asks Ibrahim to marry her, even if only for appearances. He reminds her that he has already abandoned his wife and children for her, but says that marriage is impossible.

Driven by impulse, Angela goes to São Paulo after Doca. If what he said was true, she wanted him. And for him, that is irresistible. Adelita arrives home just as the two are leaving and tells him he may go, but only with the clothes on his back — everything else there never belonged to him. For Angela, that is enough, even with the explicit warning that he is “worth nothing.”

They begin a passionate romance, filled with parties and dinners. Doca soon starts saying he wants to be with Angela “out in the wilderness” or in Búzios, but always alone. There is no bitterness between Angela and Ibrahim, and he also warns her that Doca is not a man for “playing house.” She disagrees.

This, then, is the version the series presents: Angela enjoyed Doca, the sex and the companionship, but she stayed with him because she needed a husband or a stable partner — and believed she could shape him into that role.

She travels with him to Belo Horizonte, but tensions quickly arise. Doca has little patience for the hypocrisies of Minas society and does not like to share Angela, not even with her daughter. At a club, when Angela runs into an ex-boyfriend, he causes a public scandal that only makes the “stable companion” façade worse. The fight is so ugly and so public that it brings serious consequences: Angela loses her visitation rights, and worse, the girl no longer wants to see her. It leaves Angela emotionally devastated.

Back in Rio, the couple argues violently. Angela asks for time. Doca refuses — and resorts to physical aggression. He leaves the house, and she is left terrified and shaken, not knowing what to do.

Episode 5: Bones Beach

The episode’s title already sends a chill down the spine of anyone who knows that the beach in Búzios will be Angela’s final destination.

After another return to the trial, to the sound of period music, we see Angela crying on the beach, arms raised. After the assault upon returning from Belo Horizonte, she and Doca had separated, but he apologized, promised to change, says he will quit drugs, and claims to truly love her. He proposes a trip to Búzios. Angela hesitates… for seconds. Then she accepts.

Another montage follows, set to 1970s music. Sex. Passion.

When they arrive in Búzios, everything seems like a new beginning. More sex. It soon becomes clear, however, that Doca wants to “hide” his girlfriend. He does not want either of them to drink alcohol. At dinner, the mood collapses when he tells her to “stay calm” and not act “crazy” if she wants to regain custody of her daughter. Angela responds by drinking the rest of the wine straight from the bottle.

The next day, even with an almost empty beach, Doca gives up staying at Bones Beach because there are people around. They go instead to a deserted beach and remain naked. More sex. That night, when he once again refuses to go out for dinner, Angela tries to call her daughter, anything to place herself among other people. Doca sticks close to her.

The pain of being separated from her child overwhelms her. She is not happy. Doca asks Angela to marry him. That night, the socialite realizes she is practically locked inside the house. She wants to see people, but he insists that everything was arranged for the two of them alone. The atmosphere is claustrophobic. When she spots someone she knows, she throws herself into the sea. Doca becomes enraged when she returns to drinking, flirting, and leaving him alone. The tension grows heavier, with Angela seemingly “challenging” him. Soon, Doca returns to drugs.

At a party, Angela meets a German tourist, Gabrielle, in whom she takes an interest. Doca drags her home by force, drunk. He says he is leaving, but before that, he slaps her across the face. Angela is devastated. And everything repeats itself: he returns remorseful, apologizes, and she accepts.

But something changes. Angela ignores the breakfast he prepares and grows colder. With her friends, she remains the same: festive, funny, quick to laugh. The plans for a “honeymoon for two” collapse, and Doca becomes openly irritated. He sinks into cocaine as consolation. His imbalance is evident. Still, Angela stays with him.

The days become unbearable for Doca, irritated by Angela’s emotional distance. To make matters worse, Gabrielle reappears. The couple now argues in front of everyone. When they are alone, the clash is inevitable. Angela tries to end things because the violence escalates. He claims he gave up “everything for her.” Angela humiliates him: Doca never had anything to give up — he only switched women to keep someone else signing the checks. She throws him out of the house — the scene that opens the series.

For a few seconds, she breathes in relief. Then he returns. Armed. We hear only the gunshots. Four of them.

The final episode will be entirely devoted to the trial.

The series is meticulous in its period reconstruction. Even Búzios, now so organized, was at the time a small summer town for fishermen and the rich and famous (discovered by Brigitte Bardot in the 1960s). The house where the crime took place, on the quiet Bones Beach, closely resembles the real location — unlike the film Angela.

Emílio Dantas and Marjorie Estiano bear little physical resemblance to their real-life counterparts, which is not a problem: both capture the soul of their characters, the aggression and the rebelliousness. Still, there remains the feeling that something is missing.

The honesty in portraying Doca as he was — a man who lived off wealthy women, possessive, jealous, and addicted to drugs — is an important strength (especially considering that he was practically acquitted of murdering his girlfriend). But the mystery of who Angela truly was remains unsolved. The excessive sexualization of her character disturbs me for how close it comes to the same misogyny that condemned her. She was open about sex — shocking at the time, not today — but her languid gestures in every situation, her constant speech between kisses and caresses, do not feel realistic.

And in the trial, our stomachs will once again turn. After all, because of all this, Justice considered the crime a case of “defense of honor.” An unacceptable concept. Always was.