Abhiroop DasNetflix’s ‘Rivers of Fate,’ originally titled ‘Pssica,’ follows Janalice, a teenager whose life goes from bad to worse when she is abducted by a sex trafficking ring. From here, the protagonist is forced to endure an unsettling amount of abuse, and all her attempts to resist are only met with more oppression. The creators take a unique approach in their representation of this crime by also diving deep into the mind of Preá, who leads the kidnapping gang. Still living under his father’s shadow in the criminal underbelly of the Amazon basin, he seeks to carve out his own path, but also distances himself from the brutalities of this lifestyle. While he starts out as one of the traffickers, their story sees a number of twists and turns, and over time, Preá’s internal conflicts take over his actions, particularly those directed towards Janalice. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Preá’s Fate is Ambiguous, But Leans Towards His Death
In the season finale of ‘Rivers of Fate,’ two men vie for control over Janalice, with the cruel Philippe Soutin on one side, still hoping to mint money by exploiting her, and Preá on the other. The latter’s intentions are more complex, as while he does want to emancipate Janalice on some level, his goal is to make her his wife, regardless of how she feels about it. This twisted sense of control results in him pulling every string he can to fight for her freedom, but it doesn’t account for his own contribution to her abuse. Ultimately, Preá and Phillipe exchange fire, and as a result, both are shot. While the latter loses his life immediately, Preá’s fate remains uncertain to some extent, as we see him fall to the ground and lock eyes with Janalice, hoping that she would help him. When she instead rushes towards safety, he lies on the ground, defeated and seemingly on death’s door.
While it does appear that Preá is on his last legs following the shootout, the precise details paint a more ambiguous story, as he is visibly hit near the shoulder. As such, there is a possibility that the bullet misses all the vital organs, in which case he has a high chance of survival. However, that does not mean good news either, as the local fire department’s attention on Coq d’Or means that his criminal activities there have not gone unnoticed. At the very least, Preá is bound to be arrested for the murder of Philippe, which further increases the distance between Janalice and him. Additionally, there is no clear indication of the severity of his injuries, and whether he survives or not ultimately depends on how quickly he can get medical attention in such a scenario.
While there is a case to be made for Preá’s survival, some of the visual imagery strongly suggests his demise. In particular, he seems to remember his visions, which are scattered throughout the show. These images show him and Janalice celebrating a free life on the beach, with the two seemingly in love. However, this is likely just a part of the criminal’s wishful fantasy, which ultimately collapses with Janalice’s exit. To that end, the sequence, which ends with him lying motionless on the beach, can be interpreted in two ways: it might mark the end of his dream of being together, or it might serve as an analogue to how his fate in real life turns out. Furthermore, Preá’s expressions ceasing at the end of this dream sequence also strengthens the idea that he dies in the moment. However, the same scene can also be read as him simply resigning to his fate.
Preá’s Actions Directly Affect the Larger Criminal Network
Regardless of whether Preá lives or dies, one thing that is for certain is that he is now in the French police’s spotlight. As such, there is a possibility of all his crimes coming to the forefront. This likely spells the end of his criminal gang, given that his only competitor, Gigante, is dead too. With an entire industry collapsing, the crime world in the Amazon river is sure to be in chaos, with a new leader potentially taking Preá’s place. Additionally, even if he survives, he still has a target on his back, as the Mayor still bears a grudge about his actions at the birthday party. That, coupled with the risk of Preá revealing details about the criminal operations, means that there is a strong probability of his being killed sooner or later. The legacy of his father, Tabaco, is all but over, with all hopes of his son becoming a new leader ceasing in light of these developments.
In a similar fashion, the ambiguities in Preá’s final moments on screen do not change the fact that Janalice is finally free from his clutches, and with each passing moment, the unlikelihood of their paths ever crossing continues to grow. Right until the end, the criminal never has a moment of self-reflection and remains oblivious to the power imbalance at play. When his attempts to strike a relationship with the protagonist are thwarted at every step, he appears to only double down on his ambition, even exerting himself on Janalice physically. This interaction shows the more contorted forms of abuse that survivors have to endure, with the nuances of a captor-captive dynamic only amplifying the nefarious nature of a person like Preá. By not painting his actions as a form of redemption, the show expresses a great amount of sensitivity to the situation, and that makes the character’s conclusion a fitting punishment.
Read More: Is Rivers of Fate a True Story? Are Janalice and Preá Based on Real People?
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