Based on the tumultuous love lives of two of the most notable figures in Spanish history, the Netflix series Untameable: Cristo y Rey brings to light the journey of Angel Cristo and his lady love, Barbara Rey. The Netflix series has just dropped its first episode, depicting Angel Cristo’s rise as the world’s best tamer and his first encounter with Barbara Rey, a famous television actress and a heartthrob of 70s Spain. In this tale of love, let’s see how things actually started between Angel and Barbara and what we can anticipate in the next episodes.
Spoilers Ahead
Why Did Angel Want To Meet Barbara?
The first episode opened with Angel Cristo performing the stunt of putting his head inside a lion’s mouth. He was awarded the title of “Best Tamer in the World.” The scene shifted to the timeline of 1979, in Madrid, Spain, where in Cristo’s house we see him alone. He was an alcoholic and a very aggressive person. As he visited his circus, “Circo Ruso,” he became furious to see his tigers were getting transferred. Because of new regulations issued by the Spanish authorities, there were some troubles regarding circus stunts with animals, but Angel didn’t want to pay attention to that. He halted the transfer by shooting the tires of the vehicle. Blasco, his manager, came to calm him down and asked him to get ready as they had a meeting with their financier, a television industry leader, Fernando. Every year, Angel used to organize a gala in his circus, and this year he wanted to do something extraordinary. He wanted to hire singers like Mari Trini, but his hopes were shattered when Fernando told him that they couldn’t do the gala this year. It broke Angel’s heart. He was in debt and owed millions to multiple moneylenders. So he needed to continue his shows and perform at galas to make more money. One of his friends and associate Juan suggested Angel hire a famous television actress and singer, Barbara Rey, to perform at their gala.
Angel initially didn’t think much of Barbara. So, he made some calls to other singers and performers, but none of them were interested in performing at his gala. Finally, Barbara remained the only option Angel could go for. In the midst of all this, he reminisced about his wife, Renata, a trapeze artist whom he first met in his circus. They fell in love and tied the knot. But Renata lost her life to a disease, leaving Angel all alone. He wanted to become a father and raise a child, but fate was not on his side. However, he raised the circus and the animals in it like his own children, so no matter what happened, he wasn’t ready to give them all away.
Meanwhile, moneylenders became a major problem in both Angel and Blasco’s lives. One night, Blasco was attacked by a group of moneylenders to whom he owed $4 million. The guy not only alerted Blasco to the mounting interest on the loan but also stabbed him in the ear with a knife. But for some reason, the next morning, Blasco didn’t disclose the matter to Angel and said that he’d slept with a married woman, whose husband had attacked him and given him this injury.
Taking one of their clowns, who was a close friend to Angel, Blasco and Angel went to meet Barbara Rey for her shoot. Angel talked to Paco, Rey’s manager, asking him to let them talk to the actress for a while. Paco hesitated at first, but he tried to convince Barbara to give her precious time to them. However, at the time, Barbara was in a relationship, and the guy, who was her mysterious lover, came to meet her at her seat. So she just took off with the guy on his bike and apologized to Paco that she couldn’t meet Cristo right then. Cristo witnessed her hopping onto a bike with her mysterious lover, which further agitated him. He walked away from the place and began to despise Barbara for her arrogant attitude.
How Did Angel Convince Barbara To Perform At The Gala?
In the evening, when Angel lost all hope that they would be able to continue the shows or perform galas this year, a car pulled up outside of his circus. Barbara Rey and Paco emerged from the car. Barbara felt bad for standing them up earlier, so she came to apologize in person. The clown friend and Blasco welcomed her warmly, but it was Angel who messed it up all over again. He appeared drunk and frustrated. He asked Barbara to sit, but there was anger and resentment in his voice. He even went so far as to humiliate her for her choice of films, commenting that she needed to show her skin to make the film a hit. Barbara couldn’t stand the humiliation and walked out of his circus. Even though Blasco and the clown friend tried hard to convince her, she’d made up her mind. She got into her car and left the place. Everyone was mad at Angel for his lack of emotional control. As Angel tried to drink more to calm his anger, Blasco asked him not to. Angel realized his mistake and decided to rectify it.
The next evening, when Barbara was performing and singing at a show, Angel came to meet her outside. Initially, Barbara didn’t want to talk to him, but his outward charm was hard for her to ignore. Angel politely asked for forgiveness and managed to convince her to pay a visit to his circus and to get familiar with the animals in it. Barbara came to know that Angel had lost his wife last year, so she felt for him and sympathized with his pain. As Angel returned to Circo Ruso, taking Barbara with him, he introduced all the animals, especially the elephants, to her. She was fascinated by how Angel tamed these elephants and performed his stunts. So it seemed likely she would say yes to his proposal and would be performing at his gala.
Who Was The Mystery Man Barbara Rey Was Dating?
After Barbara came back, we saw a car parked outside of her house. Barbara met the driver, who gave her a letter. Barbara got into the car, which took her to the palace of the King of Spain, Juan Carlos I. Juan Carlos I was the mysterious lover Barbara was in love with. But it seemed like they kept that relationship very private, probably to save themselves from constant media attention. But it was clear that as much devotion and love as Barbara had for Juan, Juan did not have the same for her. Perhaps Juan was only looking for a casual and sexual relationship with Barbara, whereas Barbara definitely wanted something serious. In the next episodes, we will learn more about the dynamic between Barbara and Juan and how Angel Cristo will win her heart.
