Abhiroop Das
Helmed by Samuel Kishi, Lucía Puenzo, and Nicolás Puenzo, Netflix’s ‘No One Saw Us Leave,’ originally titled ‘Nadie Nos Vio Partir,’ is a Mexican Drama series based on the eponymous memoir by Tamara Trottener. Here, the spotlight is on two families seemingly on the verge of falling apart, with the lives of the innocent at stake. Valeria’s world turns upside down when she comes to know that her husband has taken away their children. Moreover, her attempts to reach them are met with more challenges, forcing the involvment of an ex-Mossad agent in the search and rescue operation. However, as the distance between the mother and children closes, challenges arise from every corner. This harrowing experience has an irreversible impact on Valeria’s psyche, with the potential to change her relationship with her children and her connection to herself forever. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Carlos is the Father of Valeria’s Unborn Child
While much of the show is about Leo’s decision to kidnap his children and Valeria’s fierce response to it, the storyline is also concerned with her relationship with Carlo. To that end, a major development takes place in episode 4 of the show, when we learn that Valeria is pregnant with Carlos’ child. This occurrence, surprising in itself, becomes even more complicated when placed within the larger frame of events, with Valeria now also having to take into account the fate of her unborn child. While she rejects the notion of losing one more child, that conviction is soon put to the test as the choice between prioritizing her health or the recovery of her kids comes into play. While Carlos, both as a doctor and as the child’s father, advises her to stay at home, Valeria decides to take matters into her own hands, promising the safety of the child.
As the story continues, Valeria becomes more conscious of the fact that she is pregnant, and that begins to affect many of her minor actions throughout the day. This also serves as a bonding exercise for the couple, as Carlos brings in his stethoscope to hear the baby’s heartbeat and share the sound with his partner. The promise of a beautiful future ahead gradually begins to materialize. However, the contrast between that idea and the present becomes all the more apparent. Valeria’s plan, which involves circling throughout Israel and looking into one Kibbutz after another, involves a significant amount of physical, psychological, and emotional labor, all of which slowly begins to take a toll on her body, and by extension, her unborn baby. Things come to a climax when her car is stopped by the military, with the discovery of a gun creating misunderstandings, followed by rough restraining measures. While Valeria and her team’s name is cleared due to their Mossad connection, this act is not without consequences.
Valeria Has a Miscarriage Likely Due to a Stress Buildup
Following the horrifying encounter with the military, Valeria wakes up one night to find herself bleeding. Fearing the worst, she wakes up Carlos, whose examination soon confirms that she has lost the baby. While we are never given the exact reason that caused this to happen, it can be inferred that the stress buildup, compounded with the recent military scare, is the potential trigger for her miscarriage. The news comes as a heartbreak to both parents, with the stethoscope coming back into the picture once again, except this time, he is unable to hear any heartbeat. This reversal of the previous scene doubles down on the intensity of the moment, with both characters sharing the unbearable grief of losing their loved one. Valeria’s near-indecipherable expression only adds to the emotional pain that she is unable to bear, but nonetheless has to endure.
Valeria and Carlos’ reactions to the miscarriage help in both exhibiting how they process grief, while also setting the stage for the future of their relationship. For Valeria, the primary emotion alongside sadness becomes guilt, as she believes her strenuous activity to be the cause of this turn of events. To that end, she apologizes profusely to her partner, while also acknowledging that this will never undo the tragedy that has unfolded. In response, however, Carlos empathizes with her, making it clear that it was not her fault. The fact that he is a doctor adds further weight to the statement, momentarily giving Valeria some relief. However, more is exchanged through their eyes and expressions than mere words, as the look in Carlos’ eye reflects the immense sadness he is bound to feel as a father. Those feelings are echoed by Valeria, and the couple merely sits in silence, knowing that a chunk of their selves, both in body and in spirit, is now permanently gone.
Given that Valeria and Leo’s relationship begins with an affair, it is under constant societal scrutiny, with each up and down in their dynamic creating room for more discourse. As such, the couple’s plan to have a baby also marks the first step in the idea of them having a new family, which makes the ultimate tragedy all the more heartbreaking. Notably, Carlos comforts his partner by reminding her of the goal to save Isaac and Tamara, which brings the story back to its original premise. As such, the grief of losing one child becomes one part of the story’s larger thematic structure, where the idea of a parent’s control over a child’s future is put into question. Although by the end of the story, the two kids are rescued, that does not change the fact that Valeria and Carlos have just lost a child of their own. However, with the story ending on a positive note, it is possible that the future has more in store for the couple.
Read More: Why Did Leo Take the Kids Away From Valeria in No One Saw Us Leave?
