When Victor Rodríguez (David Palacio) saves Karen Arbeláez (Valerie Domínguez) from being shot during an assassination attempt, their lives become inexplicably intertwined. But reality has a habit of getting in the way of fate: Victor is a famous musician searching for a meaningful connection, and Karen is married to an up-and-coming politician. That doesn’t stop their love from growing — even as their obligations, fears, and loved ones’ ambitions get in the way.
Read on to learn more about the swoony Colombian drama series Forbidden Woman, aka La mujer prohibida, which also stars Rodrigo Candamil Bernal, Fernando Solórzano, and Katherine Vélez.
It’s out now. You can stream 61 episodes on Netflix.
As Karen Arbeláez (Domínguez) waits for a flight home to Bogotá, Colombia, she meets a boisterous woman, Amalia (Vélez), the mother and manager of famed musician Victor Rodríguez (Palacio). While Karen admits she’s unfamiliar with Victor’s work, the two women chat, and Amalia learns about Karen’s life: She has a 10-year-old son, Sergio (Coy), with her husband, Alexander Orduz (Bernal), a shrewd politician. Alexander has recently launched a bid to become his party’s next presidential candidate, and his platform — centered on conservative, traditional family values and national security — has been controversial. He sees his wife’s position as the director of Women Without Barriers, a foundation that provides assistance to victims of domestic abuse, as a boost to his image. But his campaign has already hit a snag: He’s involved with Fernán Caballero (Solorzano), a corrupt, wealthy rancher. And if Fernán doesn’t get his political favors, he’s happy to offer his funds to Alexander’s opponents instead.
Upon landing in Bogotá, Karen meets the charming Victor, who’s immediately smitten with his mother’s new acquaintance. While the two chat, Amalia leaves them momentarily to use the ladies’ room. Fernán is also at the airport, having returned home from a business trip. He greets Karen, his daughter Doris’s (Junco) sister-in-law and best friend. Just as they’re preparing to leave, two gunmen shoot at Fernán, Karen, and Victor. Fernán, who appears to be the target, is hit, but Victor leaps into action and saves Karen. She insists that nobody else, especially her husband, would risk their life for her like that. Their connection is instantaneous.
Fernán lives, but trouble is brewing on the Caballero ranch: His eldest son, Daniel (Moreno), blames him for his mother’s death; and Doris’s husband — Karen’s brother Esteban (Sáenz) — recently found out that she cheated on him. Fernán has also been discussing mysterious business opportunities with an alluring woman, Gisela (Escobar). And then there’s the matter of Fernán’s illegitimate youngest son, Gerardo (Moreno), whom he fathered out of wedlock with his housekeeper, Maria (Gaona).
Despite the drama, Karen recovers from her brush with death in time to attend her younger sister Kitty’s (Gálviz) birthday party. That’s where she finally meets the man Kitty’s been seeing: Victor, who’s just as stunned to see Karen as she is him. The tension is palpable, and when uptight Alexander leaves the party early, and Kitty is indisposed, Karen and Victor share several intimate moments, including a dance. Even with everyone fawning over Victor, he can’t keep his eyes off Karen. As the days and months pass by, their attraction to each other becomes too apparent for anyone to ignore. Karen’s politically minded husband wheels and deals in absolutes, but Victor believes in the power of human connection through art, and he shares her passion for helping the less fortunate. Is their love stronger than the fear of death? Or, at the very least, the fear of losing the lives they’ve always known?
