Thursday’s Widows Ending Explained: How Tano, Martin and Gustavo Died? Las viudas de los Jueves
From 14 September 2023, Thursday’s Widows (Las viudas de los Jueves) will be available on Netflix. This is a TV series based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Claudia Piñeiro. A new and compelling title that the streaming giant offers to its subscribers, with episodes characterized by suspense, tension, secrets, and mysteries. At the center of the plot are five families, who seemingly seem to have a perfect life. But one day Teresa finds her husband and her two best friends dead. When the truth comes out about what happened, dark secrets come out. based on the 2005 novel of the same name by the Argentine writer Claudia Piñeiro and on which a successful feature film had already been based in 2009. As we explained to you in our review of the series, Thursday’s Widows has all the ingredients to appeal to a very large audience: drama, passionate plots, suspense, and an intriguing mystery to solve.
All seasoned with the typical atmosphere of a soap opera. However, under the surface of “guilty pleasure”, of pure entertainment, there is hidden a very sharp and timely criticism of the world that the series tells: that of the super-rich, whose only interest is to maintain their status and appearances, even with closest friends. In the six episodes that make up the series – each one, apart from the first, dedicated to one of the protagonist families – the criticism becomes increasingly precise, highlighting the dual soul of a story capable of talking about discrimination and classism in the most effective way possible. The world in which the author set her novel, of which she was part, is that of an isolated community deliberately detached from the rest of the world, from the “poor”, but which suffers the effects of the economic crisis which time seriously affected Argentina.
At the center of Claudia Piñeiro’s book is, in fact, the period of the early 2000s, a moment of crisis that dramatically affected the economy of her country and shook the consolidated status quo. In the Netflix series, we completely change the setting, we move to Mexico, but the premises that start the story vary slightly: we find ourselves in a luxury residential complex, Los Altos de las Cascadas, deliberately separated from the reality of poverty and delinquency of the rest of the country. An idyllic community which, however, is not immune to the reversals of fortune and in which secrets and rot sooner or later come to the surface: in the following article we will delve into the meaning of the series and the explanation of the ending of Thursday’s Widows, trying to put into light the most important themes of this story.
Thursday’s Widows: The Story Plot
In the prestigious community of Los Altos de las Cascadas, five families will face a tragedy: between secrets, gossip, and intrigue, the identity of the culprit will slowly come to light. But who are Thursday’s Widows? It is a group of rich ladies who gather every week, without their husbands, for chats and confidences (and quite a few drinks) in the exclusive community of Las Cascadas. Five women – Teresa (Irene Azuela), Mavi (Cassandra Ciangherotti), Mariana (Zuria Vega), Lala (Mayra Hermosillo), and the newcomer Carla (Sofía Sisniega) – tell each other about their lives, their husbands’ work successes and new goals achieved by their children: but what lies behind the broad smiles and the clinking of champagne glasses? Each of them has secrets, from an unsatisfactory married life to certain scandals that, if they came to light, could ruin them.
One of them, Mavi, who is also the real estate agent of Las Cascadas, seems to know them all but, as a good friend. This is at least until Thursday 26th December, when something happens that will upset all their lives: an evening of alcohol and drugs at Tano’s (Omar Chaparro) and Teresa’s house ends in tragedy. But what set in motion the deaths – accidental – of three prominent members of the small, privileged community? Mavi is ready to tell us the whole truth and, throughout the six episodes that make up the series, she will publicly air the dirty laundry of her friends and their families.
Thursday’s Widows Ending Explained: The Death of Tano, Gustavo, and Martín, Was it Accidental?
Towards the end of the Netflix series, Ramona and Juandi make a drastic decision. During the funeral, the boys enter the group chat of “Thursday’s Widows” and share the recording of the moment in which Tano, Gustavo, and Martín lost their lives. In this way, it is discovered what happened to the three men? Although the women are upset by the content of the audiovisual, Alfredo brings them all together and tries to keep them calm, while explaining the circumstances behind what happened. It turns out that Tano was advised by Alfredo to take out life insurance in his name, to keep his family safe, even when he passes away. Being aware of Martín and Gustavo’s problems, the subject convinces his friends to do the same. So, they agree to end their lives and make everything look like an accident so that their loved ones can enjoy the insurance money. In that sense, Tano made sure that the other two kept their word, before the automated snow machine fell into the pool, electrocuting them and causing a blackout.
Although Ronie was also going to be included in the plan, he eventually returned home, where he had an accident when he was distracted by the lack of electricity. Mavi, who previously had an extramarital affair with Wagner, arrives at the house at the precise moment this accident occurred and takes her husband to the hospital. The man returns home with a motorized chair, while Mavi feels extremely guilty. That’s why she confesses to her husband that she slept with someone else. Far from initiating revenge against Wagner, Ronie is willing to stop being a burden and move on, just like the rest of the characters. Alfredo tells the wives that the best thing they can do is continue maintaining the version of the accidental death since it is the only way to benefit from the insurance. In this way, they must carry the truth while trying to live normally… despite everything.
A Privileged Community
Numerous wealthy families live in Los Altos de las Cascadas, in particular, we will get to know five of them: that of the Scaglias, whose head of the family Tano (Omar Chaparro) is an important company manager, that of the De la Lunas, very religious and interested in politics, that of the Andrades, in which the famous cosmetic surgeon Ernesto transformed his wife’s appearance, that of the Guevaras, in which the real estate agent Mavi (Cassandra Ciangherotti) is the only one working and, finally, the Maldonados, who have just arrived to Mexico from Spain. But who are the Thursday widows? The wives of Las Cascadas – including the protagonists Teresa (Irene Azuela), Mavi, Mariana (Zuria Vega), Lala (Mayra Hermosillo), and the new entry Carla (Sofía Sisniega) –meet every Thursday to exchange confidence and gossip.
To kick off the story, and the journey into the innermost secrets of all these families, a dramatic event which in the first episode – on the 26th of December – irremediably upsets the lives of the characters: Tano, Martìn de la Luna and Gustavo Maldonado they are found dead in the swimming pool of the Scaglia house, electrocuted while swimming drunk. Ronnie, Mavi’s husband, had also attended the party with her friends, but had left shortly before the fatal accident, apparently upset; when he arrives home, not feeling himself due to alcohol and marijuana (which the man grows in his greenhouse), he falls from the second-floor window, seriously injuring himself. Luckily Mavi, as soon as she returned, found him and quickly took him to hospital. But are the deaths of Tano, Martin, and Gustavo accidental? Or is there something more hidden behind what happened?
Family Secrets!
Episode after episode, all the secrets of the protagonist families are revealed, and we discover that each of them is hiding something. Tano Scaglia has recently lost his job; Martìn de la Luna left the political party that her family had been part of for generations but went bankrupt trying to start his own business; Gustavo Maldonado physically abuses his wife Carla, of whom he was extremely jealous, Ronnie, finally, failed in all the undertakings undertaken in his life, placing everything on his wife’s shoulders. Only Ernesto is successful at work he shuns the company of other husbands whom he considers too different from him, but the only way he knows to show love to his wife is by improving her physical appearance through cosmetic surgery.
Tano, desperate for his economic situation, tries to convince his friends to take their own lives with him, convinced that it is the only way to save their families (who would be “repaid” for the loss with insurance money). Martìn accepts, defeated by money problems and hating himself for being forced to move his family out of Las Cascadas; Gustavo decides to participate because he is desperate after Carla finally left him; Ronie, however, although almost convinced by the insistence of Tano, who accuses him of being a dead weight for his family, backs out at the last moment. To kill himself and take his friends with him, Tano drops one of the snow machines that he and Teresa had rented for the Christmas party into the swimming pool, and the three die from electroshock instantly. Ramona and Juandi.
Suicide or Murder?
The deaths of the three men must necessarily be accidental for their families to collect insurance money. Ernesto having rushed to Tano’s house first, had noticed that Gustavo had been killed and, to maintain the appearance of an accident and thus save everyone’s reputations, he had quickly fixed Gustavo’s broken nose. However, the truth – filmed by Ramona and Juandi – can put everyone in danger: the two decide to reveal it to their mothers on the day of the three men’s funeral, sending the video of the murder/suicide in the widows’ Thursday group chat. Panic understandably breaks out among the women but, speaking with another neighbor, Alfredo (the first to have suggested the idea of suicide to Tano…), they decide to keep the secret to obtain the insurance money.
Tano the Brave?
Tano is the one who devises the plan that will lead to his and his friend’s death. The man chooses to kill himself to save his family, making a courageous choice, or at least that’s what he tells himself. In the episode dedicated to the Scaglia family, we discover that courage is the attribute that man considers most important: the courage to make it on his own without the help of his rich father, the courage to attempt reckless but successful ventures at work, etc… Teresa also continually repeats it to him: he is the bravest of all, the one who dares, who looks higher. But is it really like that? The choice to kill himself might seem courageous in his eyes, but in reality, it is quite the opposite, the man chooses not to face his problems and the blame of the rest of the family and decides to exit the scene quickly and painlessly. Bringing his friends with him, then, is yet another proof of his cowardice, Tano does not dare to kill himself.
The extreme gesture towards Gustavo confirms how much the man could not allow others to abandon him. As he often repeats, Tano must be a master of his time and his choices to feel fulfilled and at peace with himself, even better if he can also control those of others. Behind suicide, there is therefore not the desire to help one’s family members but rather to not have to face the inevitable loss of status. He and Teresa would no longer be the most prominent family in Las Cascadas, no longer at the center of their social circles. The best choice, therefore, is the least courageous one possible: not to face shame and take your own life.
Hide Your Sins?
Is there redemption for these families who have lost their husbands and friends? Not Teresa, Mariana, and Lala decide to move on with their lives, hiding what Tano, Martin, and Gustavo did. The choice, to keep their lives as they have always been, is to cover everything up, to hide the horror behind a veneer of happiness and well-being. Mariana, who has not lost her husband, fears having to give up her position in her circle of friends, so she becomes an accomplice to the silence and decides to remain silent. The only one for whom things seem to have changed is Mavi: after discovering that her husband also wanted to take her life, her relationship with him improves, and the two decide to start again. In the final monologue.
Is Thursday’s Widows a True Story?
Many Netflix subscribers are wondering if the Thursday Widows TV series is based on a true story. The answer is no. The episodes are based on the 2005 Argentine novel by Claudia Piñeiro. The story told is a work of fiction. When she wrote the novel, the writer was inspired by the advice of Marcel Proust. Not everyone knows that the Netflix series represents the second screen adaptation of the novel. There is the first film of the same name, that of Marcelo Piñeyro in 2009.
How Tano, Martin and Gustavo Died?
What happened that tragic night? Towards the end of Thursday’s Widows, the truth comes out. It all begins when Tano, desperate for his economic situation, decides to commit suicide. The man, however, wants to make his death appear like an accident, so that his family can get the insurance money. In this way, he believes he can sacrifice himself for his family and provide for them one last time. To make this happen perfectly, he decides to involve the other residents of Altos de la Cascadas. He manages to convince Martin, while Gustavo is hesitant. Instead, Roni leaves before their plan begins. So what is Tano’s plan in the series Thursday’s Widows? While their wives spend time together, all of them have to take a dip in the pool. Tano has to knock over the artificial snow machine, thus causing their deaths.
Martin lets himself be convinced by his friend and we see him awaiting his death in the swimming pool. Gustavo has second thoughts and wants to leave. But then Tano attacks him and drowns him. The car falls into the pool and Tano and Martin die instantly. There is a temporary blackout in all the houses and Roni, who has already returned home, falls from his terrace and ends up in hospital. That night, however, the two teenagers who live there, Ramona and Juandi, filmed the whole scene with their cell phones. Therefore, they are aware that it was not an accident. On the day of the funeral, Juandi decides to send the video to the women who were widowed, revealing the truth to them. The footage shocks everyone, but they decide never to speak of the matter again. This is because life in Altos de las Cascades is about appearances and money.
Will Thursday’s Widows 2 Happen? What We Had Known About the Second Season
Will there be a second season of Thursday’s Widows? It is still too early to say whether it will happen or not. In fact, for the moment, there is no official renewal announcement. It must be said that Netflix presented it as a limited series of 6 episodes. Therefore, it is more likely that there will not be a season 2. Despite this, the series was received very well by subscribers. Therefore, a renewal cannot be definitively ruled out.
