Netflix’s 2023 series, Neon is about three best friends who moved to Miami to fulfill their dreams. Santi, Ness, and Felix’s dream had always been to work together. Santi was a talented reggaeton artist, and his best friends Ness and Felix were his manager and creative director, respectively. Ness was a headstrong woman determined to find the best deals for Santi, and Felix was the oddball who always had the best ideas when it came to filming. Santi had gained popularity after the release of his song “Exagerao” on the internet. They knew Miami was the place to be now that Santi had a popular track, but they soon realized that the journey to become a recognized artist was not an easy one.
Spoiler Alert
Why was Mia lying?
Mia claimed to be an influential figure at the biggest reggaeton label, BPM Records, but in reality, she was an assistant to her manager, Oscar. She connected with Santi after coming across his song, and the three friends were hopeful that she would ask Santi to sign a record deal. However, the first meeting did not go as planned. Mia did show interest, but she did not promise anything to the trio. Mia wanted to make a name for herself in the industry, and she knew she would not be able to do so if she continued to work as an assistant. She planned to guide Santi in the right direction, and once he was ready, she would propose to Oscar to sign him. Even though Mia had been working at the company for quite some time, she was not promoted. It broke her heart when a new assistant was promoted instead of her. Later, she learned that he was related to the CEO. Mia realized that the entire industry was extremely biased and pro-nepotism. It was not easy to be bossy and confident every day, but to climb the ladder she had to act like the woman she wanted to become.
Mia was resourceful, and she helped Santi connect with important people. It was Felix who first figured out Mia’s secret when he met Oscar at a party, and he disclosed that she was his assistant. Oscar wanted to show Mia down after he learned that Mia had fixed a show for Santi. Felix believed it was his duty to tell Santi the truth, but Mia stopped him. She promised to help the new talent, and they agreed to keep her truth a secret for the time being. At the end of Neon, Mia’s truth surfaced when she tried to swap artists to record a song. Mia pitched the idea of launching Santi to Oscar, but he started to lose interest when he figured out that the guy had only hit. She lied about him recording a song with Jota Rosa to impress Oscar, and it worked. Josa Rosa was supposed to record a song with Isa, but Mia lied about Isa being ill and instead sent Santi to record his song. She did not expect Oscar to be at the recording studio, but thankfully, Felix came to her rescue. He managed to distract Oscar, but not for long enough. Oscar found out about the swap that Mia pulled off. While he was impressed by Santi’s talent, he fired Mia for going behind his back. Santi and Ness felt cheated when they found out that Mia had been faking all along. Felix continued to be in contact with Mia. At the end of the series, Mia managed to convince Javier Luna to appoint her as his manager. She prioritized his love for magic and music, and the result was a success. Mia proved to Oscar that she did not need influence or support to grab a place in the music industry.
What caused the distance between Santi and his best friends?
Once Santi signed with BPM labels, Oscar introduced him to Isa. Santi admired her, and the opportunity to go on a date with her was a dream come true. Isa made it clear that their relationship would be a PR stunt. She was trying to reconnect with her roots, and she decided to produce a reggaeton song. She needed credibility, and Santi could help her rebuild her image as a reggaeton artist. Santi agreed to the deal once he realized that Isa was well-connected to the entire industry and that by being in a relationship with her, he would get the attention he always desired. Isa was manipulative, and when Santi innocently discussed his new song “Corillo” with her, she convinced him to change the lyrics and release it as a duet song. Santi wrote the song with his friends in mind, but later, it was converted to a love song. Ness was particularly disappointed in Santi for giving Isa the space to hinder his creative process. Instead of realizing that he was being used, Santi did not mind sharing the song with Isa as long as he could attend all the cool parties. He accused Ness of being jealous and not understanding the bigger picture.
Santi’s relationship with Felix was also affected because of Isa. Felix was asked to direct Isa’s documentary, and he was extremely grateful for the opportunity. Felix was heartbroken when, all of a sudden, Isa fired him. He expected Santi to defend him or at least speak on his behalf, but Santi remained silent. Both Felix and Ness felt unwanted in Santi’s life, and after spending time together by the beach, Ness decided to represent Felix and help him find the artsy projects he was looking for. Santi was not happy with Ness dividing her time between him and Felix. He was upset that his friends decided to bail on him when the entire idea had always been to help him grow as an artist. Ness reminded him that it was not just for Santi’s dream that they had moved to Miami; they all had their own dreams, and that was why they shifted. Both Ness and Felix walked away, and Santi was left all alone to figure out his life.
How did Santi win his friends back?
After losing his friends, Santi started to realize that Isa was using him. He wanted to terminate their deal, but Isa threatened to destroy his career if he refused to act according to her plan. Santi felt a connection with the journalist, Celeste, and they eventually kissed at Daddy Yankee’s party. Isa had secretly taken a picture of their intimate moment and used it to blackmail Santi. It was not just his career that was on the line, but also Celeste’s. It was all the more heartbreaking for Santi to watch his friends work together for Javier Luna’s performance while he had to constantly face Isa’s insults. He missed the life he once had, and he felt extremely trapped in the current situation. He wanted to become famous, but not at the cost of losing himself and his friends. What started as a duet song eventually became Isa’s song, with Santi featuring in it. Santi knew he had to take a stand for himself, and the New Year’s Eve show was his only chance.
Javier Luna performed before Isa, and Santi with the help of Mia managed to enter the stage during Luna’s magic act. He announced that his relationship with Isa was a PR stunt. He admitted that, for a second, he had deviated from his goal and was chasing the glamour. He added that the song “Corillo” was written for his friends, whom he lost on the way. At the end of Neon, Santi performed the original “Corillo” on stage. Isa was stopped from disrupting his performance. She stared at Santi in disbelief; Isa, of course, did not feel guilty for trying to pass his song as her own. Santi’s performance was a success, and it was also heartwarming to watch Mia and Felix share a kiss in the audience.
What happened to Santi’s music career?
During Neon‘s ending, the three best friends get together to figure out their future. According to the internet, the audience loved Santi’s performance and honesty, but that was not the only aspect that Ness and Felix had to take into consideration. BPM was not in favor of Santi’s reaction; it was a bad look for their label, especially because they represented Isa as well. Isa was not ready to let go as easily; her legal team had already started to take measures against Santi. Oscar called Felix to warn Santi that they were suing him and that the legal cases would destroy his career, and he could easily say goodbye to his dream of becoming the best Reggaeton artist. With uncountable legal cases and a 400-grand debt, Santi, Ness, and Felix felt completely lost. Santi did the right thing, and the audience loved him, but that alone could not save his career. Even though it seemed like Santi’s career was doomed, Neon does end on a promising note. Santi received a call from Daddy Yankee, and he expressed how much he enjoyed Santi’s performance. When Santi discussed how he would be boycotted by the entire industry after what he pulled off, Daddy Yankee asked him to stop by his recording studio. Santi could not believe his luck—his idol truly loved his style and was interested in working with him even after all the mess. Santi, Ness, and Felix’s dream of making it big in Miami finally came true.
