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| Daniella Reyes as REMEDIOS THE BEAUTY |
100 Years of Solitude is back for season 2, which debuted on August 5, 2026. Adapted from the renowned magical realism novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, it covers the seven generations of the Buendia family in the town of Macondo. In episode 4, the new railway heralds new residents, corporations, and new troubles. Conflict between Aureliano Segundo and Fenanda reaches a peak.
Find all of our recaps on the landing page.
The ground shakes and insects scatter. The banana leaves rustle in the wind. Dishes rattle. It's merely the arrival of the train into the station, but to the innocent residents of Macondo, it sounds like a beast stalking its prey. This may be the first time a train has arrived at the station. As usual, the residents of Macondo all come out like its the first day of the state fair.
Aureliano Segundo wants his kids to go see this monumental occasion with him. Fernanda hesitates, but Aureliano Segundo insists that his kids, Meme and Jose Arcadio, take a break from their learning to go. Meme's full name is Renata Remedios, with Meme being a shortened version of Remedios. Once again, Amaranta is very involved in the care of the kids. Fernanda stays behind with Colonel Aureliano grouchily keeping watch in the courtyard of the house.
The narrator calls it the Innocent Train. The first car is decorated, fittingly, with a garland of yellow flowers, a symbol of death and transition. We know we are in a new chapter. Jose Arcadio Segundo and Aureliano Triste ride on top, proudly showing off that their efforts have paid off. They are like two dads with a new baby. And Ursula shares her pride that Jose Arcadio Segundo made the OG Jose Arcadio's vision of Macondo being connected to the world a reality. Aureliano Segundo is also proud of his brother.
Other folks have arrived too, A stranger who makes "Pietro Crespi look like a fop," according to the narrator. He spots Remedios the Beauty right away. Also a businessman called Mr. Herbert, who has heard of the bounty of the crops in Macondo. He inquires about a good place for lunch, and Aureliano Segundo invites all the newbies over to the Buendia house for lunch as a grand gesture of welcome. Meanwhile, Meme and Jose Arcadio have run off, but Petra Cotes returns them to him. The two lovers pretend like they don't know each other out of respect for the kids who don't know this is their father's lifelong mistress.
As Ursula asks Santa Sofia to cook up two hens, the infiltrators starts walking through the house pawing everything. Fernanda is none to happy with this home invasion, but then again, she is always unhappy. She despises the chaos and the sounds of men belching.
The dinner party of strangers gathers in their own version of The Last Supper, with a print of the painting behind them. As she serves his plate, the stranger grabs Remedios the Beauty and asks to wed her immediately. Remedios chides him for proposing when she knows nothing about her, And we all agree. Plus this man should not be grabbing her like she's a doll he wants to possess.
Jose Arcadio Segundo walks around offering people a basket of bananas. Mr. Herbert is surprised at this new delicacy. The sun shines down, the birds sing, and a new love is discovered. Or is this Mr. Herbert's own version of a Remedios to grab. He asks where more can be found, and of course, Jose Arcadio is more than happy to show him all the stockpile. There's plenty.
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| Julian Roman as AURELIANO SEGUNDO |
The Colonel interrupts this tour of bananas to ask who invited all of these gringos over to the house. He demands they leave, but no one listen to the colonel anymore.
As promised Jose Arcadio shows Mr. Herbert the field of banana trees, and Mr. Herbert's greedy little eyes say it all. He wants to know who owns these fields. Jose Arcadio reports that no one owns them. They belong to the people of Macondo. More and more people arrive as the train becomes a regular occurrence, bringing new trinkets that people are fascinated by. The visitors see Macondo as a land of endless bounty and supply. A beautiful butterfly is put into a jar, a symbol of freedom being kept for personal gain and enjoyment. Jose Arcadio Segundo calls the butterflies a plague.
Jose Arcadio and the Colonel talk about these invaders. The Colonel warns that these newcomers are up to no good. Jose Arcadio sees this a positive. He reports that new men from Ohio are buying up all the lots around Macondo. Aureliano then recalls who owns the lots and decides to pay the old house a visit.
He steps into the home shared previously by Rebeca and Jose Arcadio II. Inside, the house has been taken over by plants that have been allowed to grow and flourish with no restraint – a representation of wildness that contrasts sharply the environment inside the Buendia house. Inside he finds his sister, very much alive. Rebeca is the only one with courage and verve that Ursula would have liked to see in her bloodline. Aureliano tries to explain that they didn't know she was alive. Rebeca is not interested in excuses; she wants to know why he came. He speaks of the property titles. He thinks if those can be located, the gringos can't move into those outlying properties. Unfortunately, Rebeca burned all of that many years ago. Aureliano leaves without further adieu.
This seems especially sad because once upon a time, Rebeca and Jose Arcadio II saved Aureliano's life. Now they are like strangers.
Back at the house, Fernanda is teaching the children prayers. She speaks to children of forgiveness and sin, reciting to them Psalm 51, a song David wrote. After stealing another man's wife, David pleads to be restored to God's favor. Ursula overhears this lesson and inquires if young Jose Arcadio would like a break. Fernanda insists he continue, remarking that with all the sinners in this house, they must remain vigilant. Ursula responds that it's a Christian value to help those in need and reminds Fernanda that she herself was given this same hospitality many years ago.
It should be noted that Fernanda here isn't wrong. These foreigners aren't exactly people in need. And it's becoming clear that the visitors may have selfish ambitions. Still, it was good to see Ursula finally regain some of that fire she seems to have lost in recent years. And further, Ursula remarks that today is October 4th, a day to honor Saint Francis of Assisi, the saint of poverty and humility.
Just then Aureliano returns home to report on Rebeca's continued existence. She has reverted to eating dirt, lost in a sea of grief and loss. Ursula is shocked and asks Amaranta if she knew. We then learn that Amaranta did somehow know of her sister's existence. She thinks of it every time she wraps her hand. We then witness Amaranta keeping watch over a young Jose Arcadio in the bathtub, continuing her cycle of only welcoming affection and bonding with children.
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| Claudio Catano as COLONEL AURELIANO |
Back in the workshop, Aureliano Segundo is playing a role of Melquiadies, speaking of the time he awoke a whole village of people and wrote all the secrets in his book. No one can know the secret for 100 years. Fernanda interrupts this bonding time and acts like this is a great sign of disrespect. She calls it a sin to hear this story and sends him out of the house with all of this things. She sends him out in daylight, thinking this will shame him. Instead, Aureliano Segundo and Petra Cotes just laugh – why should they mind?
At the house, Remedios the Beauty bathes in the tub. The stranger breaks through the ceiling, asking to put soap on her back. He falls through the ceiling and dies.
Mr. Herbert has invited a Mr. Jack Brown of Alabama to come and see the wealth of Macondo. He has brought a pack of assistants with him. They alter the topography somehow. And Jose Arcadio Segundo is appointed as foreman over the United Fruit Company.
Many laborers are hired and get to work raping the land of every banana there is. The workers doing all of this labor are not paid in cash, but vouchers they can use at the commissary. The commissary's are packed with imported goods like prepackaged hams.
Back at home, Remedios the Beauty is able to stay blissfully unaware that her feminine nature is a daily disaster. Men want to possess her and are destroyed by their desires. She visits the banana fields to see how it all works. She wanders off the path during the tour, exploring deeper into the fields. The further she wanders, the more barren the land becomes. She discovers the trees, destroyed and robbed of all their splendor in honor of progress. The image of destruction feels like a metaphor of everything beautiful about Macondo being ruined.
She comes to a railroad track and the train passes by. Past the train are fields of workers. Remedios is alone and away from her protection. They surround her, and she falls, but in their rage to possess her, they turn against each other. Remedios is able to escape she runs back to safety. Ursula, Santa Sofia, and Amaranta cluck around her like mama hens.
Out of a sense of brotherly protection, Jose Arcadio Segundo takes some men to go after anyone that would dare to lay a finger on Remedios. Instead he finds they have all massacred each other. Jose Arcadio goes to speak to Mr. Brown, to let him know of this dreadful accident. Mr. Brown offers him expensive whiskey from Canada. The two discuss this matter. Mr. Brown speaks in English and Jose Arcadio speaks in Spanish, yet they understand each other perfectly. Jose Arcadio asks for a health center, in light of the accident that happened today. Mr. Brown agrees to everything and give him some extra coupons for the commissary. More hams.
Back at the house, Santa Sofia cleans up Remedios, and the family gathers in support. The only one with critiques is Fernanda, who blames Remedios for "dressing provocatively." But we all saw she was perfectly buttoned up during this outing. Remedios stands up and says that, "Modestly is for people like you, who have to pray day and night to drive the evil out of their souls."
A mailman arrives with a package from Fernanda's father. But there's a weird smell. Turns out it's his corpse. Fernanda shows a rare moment of emotion and bursts into tears. No one is there to comfort her. When she awakes, she hears voices and music. A band plays, lead by Aureliano Segundo, vibing away with his trusty accordion. It's his way of trying to honor his father--in-law. Fernanda is not impressed. She finds his actions disrespectful to the max.
Fernanda decides to protest and punish this desecration by sending the children away. This is a crazy action. I thought maybe she was leaving with them, but no, she stays and sends the children away. As young Jose Arcadio leaves, a portrait is made of him wearing a pope-like garment. They sadly say goodbye to all of the Buendias. Fernanda thinks this is only right. She was raised by nuns, and her daughter should, too. I don't know why this is allowed to happen. And why Fernanda stays if she hates it so much.
Aureliano complains to Gerineldo that his family is going crazy. He also reports that Macondo will have a pope and a saint. I'm not sure what he means, but Gerineldo has his own news to report. There is now a newly erected monument in Macondo in memory of Colonel Aureliano Buendia, as if he is dead already.
They walk home, and the city is full of people. Mr. Brown's car wants to get through and honks the horn. At the new commissary, a man is denied admission because he does not work for the company. He has a voucher though and wants to go into the store. His son grabs an item and is accused of stealing. The security folks strike the man and his son, while the crowd stands by and does nothing. It's horrible. Only the colonel protests. They pick up the man and drag his body off. The boy's body is left in the street.
Aureliano walks into the United Fruit Company, ready to tell off Mr. Brown. He is met by his great nephew, of course, Jose Arcadio Segundo. Colonel Aureliano is there to report a murder. Jose Arcadio tries to diffuse the situation, but the colonel is outraged. He begins to rant about the conservative government. And reminds them the there are those ready to revolt. But no one tells Mr. Brown what the real issue is.
Back at the house. As the Colonel returns home, Remedios the Beauty has her own revelation. As the whole family watches, Remedios begins to rise into the air, like an angel. She is a symbol of purity. She continues to rise, never to set foot on Earth again.
It feels as if everything good and pure is leaving Macondo. The children have been sent away, and the fruit company has taken over, bringing a return to violence that the Colonel thought he and his family were rid of. The image of Remedios rising into the sky is in stark contrast to Fernanda's version of sainthood. For her, it looks like prayer and penitence, and never allowing oneself a moment of joy. For Remedios it's freedom from expectations and anything that stifles the soul.
It's also hard to see this fallen version of the Colonel. He always had those blazing eyes that struck fear in anyone who would stand in his way. Now, he is ignored and dismissed as just another old man.
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