The Marked Heart
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The Marked Heart
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Marked Heart is a Colombian drama featuring mature themes, including kidnapping, organized human organ trafficking, and political corruption. It features some gory scenes of organ harvesting, as well as fights, shootings, and bloody injuries. There's strong innuendo, including nudity (bare breasts, partial bottoms), romantic entanglements, infidelity, and a marriage of convenience are all themes. There's lot of cursing in Spanish (though some are translated), and drinking and cigarette smoking are frequently shown.
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What's the Story?
THE MARKED HEART (a.k.a Pálpito) is a Colombian drama about a man determined to infiltrate an organ trafficking ring after his wife is murdered for her heart. Simón (Michel Brown) and Valeria (Margarita Muñoz) are happily married with two children. But a romantic evening ends tragically when the couple's car crashes, and Valeria is kidnapped from the scene by a members of a dangerous organ trafficking syndicate. Meanwhile, Zacarías (Sebastian Martinez), a wealthy political consultant, does what he has to in order to procure a healthy heart for his fiancé Camila (Ana Lucía Domínguez), a talented photographer who is in desperate need of a transplant. Camila gets her heart, while Simón looks for clues in hopes of finding his missing wife. But when the two cross paths, it unleashes an unexpected chain of events, while Zacarías contends with the consequences of his actions.
Is It Any Good?
This dark thriller, which is dubbed in English on Netflix, is full of twists and turns designed to keep viewers engaged until the last moment. It's also very much a soap opera, thanks to its multiple plot lines, ensemble cast, and relationship drama. Its premise, the essence of which stems from Colombia's history of organ trafficking and transplant tourism, is both disturbing and morbid, especially since it allows viewers to see what exactly happens to Valería once she is abducted. The strange love triangle that emerges as a result of these events only adds to this. Meanwhile, The Marked Heart shoves a combination of stories about organized crime, romance, political corruption, mystical fantasy, and amateur detective work into a handful of episodes, making it feel very dense. Some may find all of this to be too much of a stretch, and will find it hard to tune in to. Others will simply view it as a contemporary approach to the traditional telenovela and just go with it.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the success of international shows and movies in the United States. How can viewers appreciate and enjoy international media content if they don't speak the language? Does it matter?
Dramas and telenovelas from Latin and South America are often known for plot lines that are far-fetched, but moving and entertaining. Do you think The Marked Heart takes this too far? Why or why not?
TV Details
- Premiere date: April 20, 2022
- Cast: Michel Brown, Margarita Muñoz, Sebastian Martinez, Ana Lucía Domínguez
- Network: Netflix
- Genre: Drama
- TV rating: TV-MA
- Last updated: February 17, 2023
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