“Now And Then” Episode 4 ended with Sergeant Flora receiving a call from Daniela’s son, Hugo. And immediately after, his car crashes. We also came to know that Daniela was being blackmailed by someone for money. Episode 5 shows Marcos, Sophia, Ana, and Pedro questioned about the blackmail money as they each fight their personal battles. “Now And Then” Episode 5 ends with a shocking revelation.
The Fact
Hugo had found a letter addressed to him by his mother, Daniela. In that letter, she revealed everything to him about the accident 20 years ago, as well as how she came into his life. The money was Daniela’s way of giving Hugo a chance for a better life, one that was not built on a lie. He called Sergeant Flora to tell her the truth before crashing. Hugo is in a coma now and the police have recovered a bag full of money. They also found that the anonymous messages were sent from his phone. Belinda assumes that Hugo blackmailed his mother, but Flora tells her that she was never his mother; Jessica Thompson was.
The Confession
Marcos and Isabel’s relationship isn’t on the right track as both are hiding things from each other. Isabel is distraught with Marcos and his haranguing about Sophia and how she can help him win the case they are fighting against his father. The following day, Marcos and Sophia, Marcos’s father, and their family lawyer, Silvia, sit and talk about their lawsuit. Marcos’s father seems to have an advantage over him, owning all the shares of the clinic where Marcos now works. But this is until Sophia drops the “dirty money” bomb, which would compromise Marcos’s father for life. They disperse after this meeting, and Marcos and Sophia return to his apartment. Marcos is overjoyed about Sophia having the upper hand over his father and the case. Sophia mentions how, many years ago, he had spoken about all the black money his father had and how the two could use it to go to Colombia and live their own life. They end up being intimate when Sophia discovers a bug. She realizes that someone has been listening to all their conversations for God knows how long. Marcos and Sophia start searching and find more such bugs. Back in her car, Flora is compromised because the recovery of the bugs can easily backfire. Even Belinda is shocked to find out that Flora didn’t have a warrant for the bugs, and so her installation of the bugs is basically illegal. It can get them both fired from their jobs. This makes whatever evidence they have, including the “dirty money” of Marcos’s father and their admitting to using it to pay the ransom, unusable. At the apartment, Marcos receives a call.
The Doubts
Pedro and his team, now led by Marwen and not Ernesto, have been preparing for his upcoming live debate with his competitor, Mayor Brady. Pedro’s helplessness at not being able to involve Ernesto in his campaign is eating him from the inside. Ernesto, too, isn’t willing to change their strategy for Pedro to be able to defend himself better in the debate. Ernesto tells Pedro that, on top of all this mess, the feds are also on their way to look into the campaign funds matter. Ernesto altered the figures, and it is only a matter of time before the feds find out the truth. Pedro reassures him that he will get the 2 million dollars back into the fund. Soon enough, the FBI arrives, but Ana somehow manages to get two more days to give them the requested documents, some of which Ernesto didn’t provide. As the feds leave, Ana receives a call.
The Call
Marcos, Sophia, Ana, and Pedro are all called for by Sergeant Flora to the police station. They are told about Hugo’s accident and the five million dollars found in a duffle bag in his car. Flora also tells them about the anonymous messages she found on Hugo’s phone, those about the ransom. She questions them all about it, but none of them says anything. She knows that the money is connected to Alejandro’s death 20 years ago, but she has yet to receive any kind of evidence or confession that will help establish the connection. Apparently, “the money belongs to no one.”
All four are lost, wondering about what to do next. The money’s gone, and any attempt to try to retrieve it will connect them to Alejandro’s accident, Daniela’s death, and probably even Hugo. Pedro is visibly shaken after Marcos reveals that his apartment was bugged, a step which by all means was taken by the police. Pedro suspects Hugo is responsible for Daniela’s death, and others think the same, but not Sophia. We know that she has been in contact with him all the while but doesn’t speak about it.
The Pain
Marcos plans a meeting with Silvia but arrives at the location to find out that his father is there instead. He mentions that all their conversations have been recorded by the police and can be easily used against them. And that the police have the blackmail money too. With Flora bent on sending him and others to jail, he needs his father’s help. But his father has two conditions; one, to drop the lawsuit, and two, to get Sophia out of his life.
Meanwhile, Isabel visits Sergeant Flora and tells her that she wants to hear the recordings. At first, Flora denies it but agrees after realizing Isabel’s present state and condition (she is about to get married to Marcos). She breaks down completely after listening to Marcos and Sophia’s intimate conversation. Flora visits a health center, and it is made evident to us that she has breast cancer. Isabel leaves Marcos.
The Debate
On the day of the debate, Pedro wakes up to the news that Ana’s mom has finally given them the money. Pedro, Ana, and their kids arrive at the location of the debate. But Ernesto is taken into custody by the FBI for “misappropriation of campaign funds.” Pedro gets this news from Marwen and that it is all over the news. No doubt, this is something Brady will use against him in the debate. But more than that, Pedro is anxious about Ernesto, and Ana understands this. She tries to calm him down. Pedro and Brady take the stage, and the debate begins. A few minutes into the debate, it is clear that Brady is “eating him alive,” and Pedro has to find a way to counter-attack. As the debate proceeds, Pedro thinks of how Ana helped him face his fear, stand by his friends, and not give in to the feeling of guilt. With this in mind, Pedro uses motifs of strength in numbers, justice, and safety to turn the tables on Brady, ultimately receiving accolades from the crowd. But in the back of his head, Pedro understands that the money was not given by Ana’s mother but herself. All she did was give the needed documents to the FBI, which resulted in Ernesto’s arrest.
‘Now And Then’ Episode 5: Ending Explained- Did Sophia and Daniela Plan the Blackmail?
At the end of Episode 5, we find out that Sophia used to visit Daniela often. During one such visit two months prior to the alumni party, Daniela tells Sophia about her unstable financial condition. Sophia, too, accepts the fact that both of them are living worthless lives, one that the accident contributed to the most. But the lives of the other people in the group are perfect. Marcos, Ana, and Pedro are doing well, “too well.” And Sophia says that maybe it is time to make them “pay once and for all.”
Sophia’s last words indicate that she was involved in the blackmail along with Daniela. And clearly, it was a well-thought-out plan that involved them as well. But Hugo was apparently not involved in this plan. So the question is, who killed Daniela? Was it Sophia? On the night Daniela intended to leave her letter for Hugo, a woman paid her a visit. Who is this woman? “Now And Then” Episode 6 will reveal more.
