Habeas Corpus Ending Explained: Directed by Luiz Villaça, the Netflix Brazilian legal drama is based on real-life cases by Innocence Project Brazil and stars Marjorie Estiano as Inez and Any Gabrielly as Marina, alongside Danton Mello, Marisa Orth, Vladimir Brichta, Naruna Costa, Natália Lage, Luiza Gabus Mendes, Felipe Ricca, Hypólito and others.
Habeas Corpus Ending Explained
Why Did Marina Join Inez’s Study Group?
Marina’s motivation to be part of Inez’s study group on wrongful convictions is not simply because of her interest in criminal law or desire to help Jonathan. There is another more personal motive behind her wish to get acquainted with Inez, since Marina is actually Larissa Linhares, the daughter of Eliane Linhares, who was previously convicted as a result of Inez’s efforts. Larissa grew up with all the problems brought by her mother’s incarceration, taking the responsibility for raising her little brother since his mother had been put behind bars.
Nevertheless, her relationship with Jonathan began to take on greater complexity than she had initially intended. In this case, while everyone else believed the tale that put him behind bars, she took Jonathan’s side and believed what he was saying to be true. In this way, her personal crusade turned into an honest attempt to help a person whom the system also failed. Her secret identity is one of the most shocking discoveries of the season, since Inez finds out that the student who assisted her in proving that the conviction was unjust happens to be the daughter of the man whom Inez had wronged years ago.
Was Jonathan Really Innocent?
Yes, Jonathan was an innocent man because he had been in jail for six years for a crime which he did not commit. This is because the process leading to his conviction was very poorly conducted as compared to the facts that would have led to his guilt. Inez and the students point out various weaknesses that exist in the case such as the problems regarding the confession, weak testimony of witnesses, and the alibi which brought contradictions in the story told by the prosecution. Helinho, who had been jailed with Jonathan for the same crime, came out later to give testimony which revealed that the uncle, Evandro, had a grudge with Jonathan.
Moreover, the research found out that Tina, the name of the police chief at the time, had deliberately distorted the truth to pursue her personal career objectives. Jonathan was a perfect victim to be blamed for the crime because of his disadvantaged position as a poor Black person without any support from institutions. Inez rejected the attempt made by Tina to bribe Jonathan with lighter punishment in exchange for admitting guilt of a crime he claimed he did not commit and dragged Tina straight into the courtroom and contested the investigation. It was discovered that the original verdict against Jonathan could not be confirmed and the court voided the judgment.
Was Inez Able to Prove Jonathan Was Not Guilty?
Yes. By the Habeas Corpus episode 8, Inez manages to clear Jonathan of all charges by showing that the case against him was basically faulty from the start. The team managed to gather facts that point out flaws in the original investigation, such as Jonathan’s alibi, the confession which he had made under pressure, and the testimony that had been a crucial piece of evidence in sending him to prison. The fact that Helinho had changed his story became critical as this helped to discredit the narrative that had imprisoned Jonathan. Inez did not accept the solution proposed by Tina, where Jonathan would be punished in court for a crime he did not commit.
The final trial represents another major landmark for both Inez and Jonathan. Inez interrogates Tina concerning the way the police collected the confession of Jonathan and treated the evidence, and at the same time she mentions that Jonathan was an easy target considering his social status. Inez also admits her own mistakes as a lawyer, thus making the story personal since she herself uncovers the injustice in the legal system.
At last, the court admits that the conviction of Jonathan cannot be considered as valid, and Jonathan is released from the prison after six years. The success does not wipe out the damage done to him: he has lost a few crucial years of his life, which he needs to make up for now.
What Happened to Tina in the End of Habeas Corpus?
As the police chief who gained some fame from the successful resolution of Jonathan’s case, Tina is sure to get punished when Inez and her team bring to light the mistakes made in the investigation. In this case, Tina attempts to protect her story throughout the entire time by trying to make a deal in which she could go scot-free while Jonathan would receive a lighter sentence. Inez turns down this offer as it means letting the guilty party take the blame for something he never did. Instead, she calls Tina to the stand and questions her on the process of obtaining Jonathan’s confession.
When Jonathan’s conviction is overturned and the issues with the investigation come to light, Tina is unable to hold on to her stance. An internal affairs investigation ensues, and Tina is forced out of her position as police chief for the state. The career of Tina, which has relied upon her success in the case until now, ends up crumbling due to the investigation that reveals just how badly the case was botched. Flávio is also under investigation, as well as the relationship that the law firm has had with Tina. Thus, even though Jonathan is finally released, Tina has to deal with the professional repercussions of her actions at the end of Habeas Corpus Season 1.
Did Silas Break Up With Marina?
Yes, in the ending of Habeas Corpus, we see that Silas ends things with Marina once he finds out that Marina had feelings for Jonathan. Jonathan and Marina grow closer while working on the case together, partly due to the fact that Marina is one of the few individuals who actually listens to him and believes his side of the story. Things go further between Jonathan and Marina once Jonathan expresses his feelings toward her. In the midst of the final hearing, Jonathan calls Marina from jail and tells her that he loves her. She reciprocates his feelings, but Silas catches wind of their conversation and realizes that she was falling for someone else.
Silas, therefore, breaks off the relationship between him and Marina; leaving her love life in limbo along with the new-found freedom of Jonathan. After the exit of Jonathan from prison, Marina is already there waiting and both of them have an important meeting, thus signifying the fact that their feelings for each other are still there. However, it is not established at once that they form a pair. Jonathan just had the freedom of six years of prison life and Marina had her own set of problems in life to face.
Did Eliane Linhares Really Cause the Fire?
No. At the end of Habeas Corpus, everything is different from what the audience believes happened in the case of Eliane Linhares. Eliane had been found guilty following a fire at the property of a politician, and Inez had been involved in getting her guilty verdict. For many years, she had been carrying the burden of this act, having stayed in jail while her daughter Larissa took care of her little brother. However, it turns out that she had been taking the blame for her daughter’s actions.
It was Larissa herself, while still young, who caused the fire. Eliane decided to shield her daughter from being punished and took the blame upon herself and thus got herself convicted. Larissa’s whole experience is much more complicated in that way. She comes into Inez’s study group in order to reveal the injustice against her mother and make Inez take responsibility. However, there was an important detail that she did not mention until now. Inez will have to go through another case which she herself once messed up. And Larissa will have to face the fact that her mother paid the price of losing her freedom to save her daughter from the same fate.
Will There Be a Habeas Corpus Season 2?
It definitely sets the stage for a Season 2 of Habeas Corpus to come, but the first season doesn’t indicate whether another season has been ordered. The main reason for this possibility is the case of Eliane. Jonathan’s wrongful conviction has been cleared, but immediately after the case, another case starts where Inez decides to look into the case of Eliane’s conviction. It is especially important in the sense that Eliane is not just another person, whose case Inez is trying to look into. Inez was one of those who helped in Eliane’s conviction, whereas Larissa had joined her life with a fake identity.
However, there remains one big problem that arises regarding Larissa after the fire revelation. Larissa knows that the fire was started by her when she was a kid, whereas Eliane gave herself away to save herself from it. If Inez takes up the case and manages to challenge Eliane’s conviction, the involvement of Larissa in the matter will become difficult to hide. This makes another set of problems arise, which are different than those of Jonathan’s case. However, there remains enough content to continue Habeas Corpus Season 2, but the series’ end comes at the point when Eliane’s case is just about to start.
Also Read: Habeas Corpus Review: Gripping Wrongful Conviction Story That Sometimes Overplays Its Twists
