Humberto Hinojosa Ozcariz’s Netflix film, Untamed Royals should really be called “Untamed Brats.” The story feels all too familiar. It’s all about how unfair life can be—where the rich snobs keep doing whatever they want and get away with it, while the poor, hardworking folks are always the first to be blamed when something goes wrong—beaten down by society. In this film, the story revolves around a wealthy man named Santiago, who starts noticing that things are being stolen from his home. Naturally, everyone suspects the poor driver, Polo. Why? Because it’s easier to blame the help than to consider that Santiago’s own son Xavier or his son’s best friend, Gerardo Larios, could be responsible. After all, they’re rich kids who already gamble and waste their parents’ money, so why would anyone suspect them of stealing? But then a detective named Rodrigo is hired to figure out what’s really going on. The question is: Will Rodrigo uncover the truth? And if he does, will he actually bring the real culprits to justice? You’ll have to read the recap and explainer of Untamed Royals, to find out.
Spoilers Ahead
Why was Rodrigo hired?
The movie introduces us to Victoria and Santiago, two rich snobs who live in a fancy upscale neighborhood with their two kids, Mariana and Xavier. Of course, they have plenty of staff working for them, including their driver, Polo. But when Santiago’s expensive watch went missing, Polo was immediately accused of stealing it. Despite Polo insisting that he didn’t do it, they fired him anyway. This obviously didn’t sit well with Polo, and it wasn’t liked by other staff members like Paty and Mari either. I mean, why would they be happy? They were sick of being blamed for things they didn’t do just because they were poor. It’s always the same story with the rich assuming it’s the help whenever something goes wrong. But it wasn’t just the parents who had that snobbish attitude. Xavier and Mariana were just as bad. Guess who stole the watch? It was none other than Mariana, their own daughter, who stayed quiet the entire time, happy that she wasn’t the one being blamed for the stealing. She didn’t care about Polo at all, which made it clear just how selfish these people truly were. And then another example came after Polo was fired, when Xavier refused to take a cab to his parents’ anniversary celebration, as according to him, taking an Uber made him look like he had no class. This from a guy who had no problem lying, gambling, and stealing without any remorse.
Funny thing is, in the first half of the movie, you wouldn’t be able to tell how terrible he really was. But soon after, your perspective will change. Xavier was getting ready for his parents’ anniversary and went to take a shower. It was just him and Mari, the maid, in the house. Out of nowhere, a man walked right into their house to rob them. He even beat up Xavier in the bathroom after tying up Mari so she couldn’t call for help. But here’s the kicker—it was all fake. The whole thing was a setup. Xavier and his best friend, Gerardo Larios, staged it all. Gerardo was the one stealing while Xavier put on a show by pretending to scream and act like he was being attacked. Mari had no clue; she really believed they were in trouble. To make the whole thing look more believable, Gerardo even grazed Xavier in the stomach with a bullet before they left. So with the money gone and their son hurt, Santiago and Victoria were, of course, furious. They hired a detective, Rodrigo, to figure out who this “thief” was that had the nerve to rob them. They were worried about their safety and their wealth, but little did they know, the real thief was right under their noses—Xavier himself. And what was all this for? Gambling. Also, Gerardo needed the money because he wanted to impress some woman named Pilar, who had expensive tastes. He was trying to flaunt his wealth to win her over and get another gambler off their backs. They were confident that the police would never suspect them. To them, it was a foolproof plan.
How did Reneta find out about the theft?
Reneta lived in the same upscale neighborhood as Xavier, Mariana, and Gerardo. She was Xavier’s girlfriend, but just like the others, she was a rich brat. She loved horseback riding and had been doing Instagram live under her popular page Women Warrior, where she would hand out money to the poor to make herself look generous and thoughtful. But in reality, she was only doing it for attention. She had no real intention of helping anyone; it was all just for show. Reneta had her own problems at home. Her mother, Angelica, had married a wealthy man, Reneta’s stepfather, who Reneta didn’t like at all. But for the sake of her brother, Vincent, and her mom, she stayed with them. Still, it was clear that Reneta wanted more. She wanted to be richer, move out, and live on her own with tons of money so she could flaunt it online and fake-help people just to gain fame. Xavier knew all about Reneta’s ambitions, and that’s why he and Gerardo came up with a plan. They made a fake call to Reneta’s mother one day by pretending to have kidnapped Reneta. They demanded $2 million for her safe return. Reneta’s mom, terrified, ended up paying the money, only to find out later that her daughter was perfectly fine and that the whole thing was fake. The culprits had taken her money and run. Reneta was heartbroken when she realized how cruel this was. But her shock deepened when her own boyfriend, Xavier, confessed that he and Gerardo were the ones who stole the money from her parents. He tried to manipulate Reneta by telling her that since she wanted to live life on her own terms and boost her Women Warrior page, this money would help her do just that.
What happened to Vincent?
It turned out that Xavier wasn’t the only master manipulator in the family—his sister Mariana was just as capable of brainwashing others. She had a gut feeling that her brother and Gerardo were somehow involved in the whole stealing and fake kidnapping. To confirm her suspicions, she hid in their car one day when they went gambling. Sure enough, she overheard their entire conversation about how they’d pulled it off. They were celebrating how they had fooled everyone, outsmarted the police, and left the poor, helpless staff being blamed for everything. When Mariana confronted Xavier, at first, it seemed like she might talk some sense into him. But in reality, she was just as greedy and selfish as Xavier and Gerardo. Instead of stopping them, she took things a step further. She manipulated Reneta by telling her that Xavier and Gerardo hadn’t been able to collect the full $2 million from the fake kidnapping. She claimed they needed more money to really secure their future and suggested something even bigger: they should kidnap Reneta’s younger brother, Vincent, to scare her parents into paying more. Shockingly, Reneta agreed to the plan, and together, the four of them—Xavier, Mariana, Gerardo, and Reneta—went ahead and kidnapped Vincent. They drugged him to keep him quiet, but in a horrible twist of fate, the poor child overdosed and died. Panicking, they dumped his body on the side of the road and drove away and left him there like nothing had happened. The price they paid for their greed was too much, especially for Reneta. She was devastated by Vincent’s death. But for Xavier, Mariana, and Gerardo, there was no remorse. They got what they wanted—the money—and to them, that’s all that mattered.
But if you think the police are going to stand up for the helpless staff in the end, you’re wrong. From the very beginning, Rodrigo and his partner, another officer named Martinez, knew it wasn’t Polo—they knew it was Gerardo and Xavier behind everything. But they were just as greedy and corrupt as the rich kids. Instead of seeking justice, they killed Polo and framed him. They claimed Polo had confessed to the crimes, and they even planted the gun used to graze Xavier in Polo’s house. As for Paty, Polo’s romantic interest, she got dragged into the mess too. Since she was the last one seen with Vincent before he died, they pinned the blame on her as well. She was arrested, even though she had nothing to do with it. To cover their tracks, Rodrigo and Martinez took money from Gerardo and acted like everything was resolved. In the end, the secrets of Gerardo, Xavier, and Mariana were safe with the dirty cops. The poor, innocent people—Polo and Paty—ended up paying the price for others’ crimes. And the so-called “Untamed Royals,” Gerardo, Xavier, and Mariana, carried on with their lives, untouched and unbothered. They were still being helped by their house staff, going about their days like nothing had happened, after destroying so many lives for their greed. And the justice system? It worked in favor of the rich, as usual. There was no hope for the innocent to get justice. Even hoping for it felt hopeless if you ask me.
