The Leopard’s ending is a devastating reminder that all good things must come to an end. It seems it is the season of father-daughter relationships set in Italy, because this is the second piece of media I’ve seen on Netflix recently based on the same subject. The Italian show tells the story of an aristocratic family in Sicily, namely the Corbera family, led by the prince of Salina. The titular character is the prince himself, who, through the tumultuous era of 19th century Italy, tries to keep his family together and uphold their dignity as best as he can. In all honesty, I did feel like the show was more about his daughter and nephew than it was about the prince himself, but I understand the title of the show now that I’ve finished it. In The Leopard’s final episode, the prince finds himself sickly and learns he has brain cancer, but the man wants to keep his flame ablaze right to the end, so he doesn’t tell his family. Concetta is being courted by Bombello, and she has just told her father that she wants to forge her own path and not follow the one he expects of her. But do either of them get what they want? Let’s find out.
Spoiler Alert
Does Concetta Marry Bombello?
In The Leopard’s finale, Bombello shows up at the prince’s home in Sicily to ask to marry Concetta in Milan, at his family’s church. The prince is initially furious at this idea, but I suppose, as any good father would do for their daughter, he caves. Concetta is very happy with the idea of marrying Bombello until she goes to a ball with her dad, and Tancredi is there with Angelica. It is at this ball that Angelica confesses to Concetta that, as a wife, she knows in her heart that Concetta was always the right woman for Tancredi and that she should’ve married him. By this time, Angelica is cozying up with the French ambassador to get Tancredi a job in France, and Tancredi has been sleeping around with random women because all he wanted with Angelica really was to “have” her.
I suppose at its heart,“The Leopard” is a tragic love story between Concetta and Tancredi. After stealing glances through the night, they meet outside near the fountain; this is after Angelica said what she did to Concetta. Concetta kisses Tancredi, and I guess she’s almost enlightened by this kiss because, to me, it looks like she’s realized she was right all along and maybe marrying Bombello is a bad idea. On the other hand, the prince gets notified that Russo is trying to devalue the prince’s old land to buy it for cheap. The prince hates this idea of the “hyenas” being able to get what was theirs, and he has a fight with Sedara right there at the ball, but what he doesn’t realize is that Sedara doesn’t come from money either, and he’s basically insulted him too in this situation. Anyway, it seems nobody really cares because, soon after, Angelica asks the prince for her promised waltz. He takes her up on her offer, and their dance is so beautiful that everyone in the room stops dancing.
For the prince, he’s seeing his beautiful wife in Angelica, thanks to the dizziness brought on by his sickness. Angelica’s grandfather was known to be a thief, who did whatever he could for a quick buck. So, this scene is a little bit ironic because the prince voluntarily dances with her, knowing all of that, because their families are associated with each other for life. The prince also tells his son, Francesco, his only remaining heir since Paolo died trying to be too brave, that he should have some fun at the ball and not worry about much. This is, in a way, a sign of him changing with the times but also giving us a hint of what’s about to happen next.
The prince believes the Republic of Italy will get worse, not better, in this new age. I suppose he believes his rightful place as nobility is well-deserved, and royalty are the lions and leopards of the world, whereas the new bourgeoisie are the jackals and hyenas. He genuinely believes that what’ll come next will be catastrophic. The prince and Concetta return home, holding onto each other, a happy father with his daughter, who is soon to leave him, but this is not the case. The prince collapses after showing Concetta some flowers that he’s really proud of. The way he describes them, it sounds like he’s talking about his children, and then when he’s telling her how much he loves them, he falls to the floor.
The family learns of the prince’s illness. Tancredi and Bombello come to visit him, and he seems to be happy. Just before returning home, the prince had told Concetta that she could marry Bombello wherever, as long as he was by her side. I think this sentence plays a factor in Concetta’s decision not to marry Bombello. She tells him that she doesn’t want to deceive him, because she’s clearly in love with Tancredi and will never get over him. Bombello is a dignified gentleman about it and leaves with no objections, but Concetta lives a spinster for the rest of time. I suppose she could’ve become a woman of Christ at the end of the day, no?
What Does The Prince Ask Of Concetta?
From the start of the show, we know that the prince likes Concetta the most amongst all his kids. But, with Paolo dead and Franceso being too young, the prince, on his deathbed, asks Concetta to basically take over family affairs and look after the family, even if it’s in her brother’s name officially. This is also why she remains single; that way, she can help her brother and keep her family protected. It looks like by the end of the show, the rest of the family is also well, and more heirs are on their way.
During The Leopard’s ending, a statue of Garibaldi is mounted in Sicily, proving that everything has truly changed with the prince’s death. However, Concetta manages to keep things safe and buys back her father’s land, thanks to Angelica’s money. Though everything else faded away and things began to change, Concetta managed to keep her father’s dream alive, i.e., keep “The Leopard” alive by buying back his estate and rescuing the family from distress. Concetta, being a modern woman, will change with time, and though her family will fade away with time, she’ll continue to be remembered and keep the Corbera name alive.
I suppose it seems like The Leopard is a tragedy, but I think, in the end, Concetta was the happiest of them all, living a life her father would have been proud of. With Concetta, “The Leopard” may have faded away, but it still stays standing. At the end of the day, this is a show about the father-daughter relationship, and after many ups and downs, eventually, Concetta came back to her dad and managed to save his name.
