Imperio De Cristal

Imperio de Cristal is a 1994 Mexican Telenovela, based actually on the series I Claudius. It stars Rebecca Jones as Sofia Vidal, a woman whose life changes after attending a party at the Lombardos' mansion with her husband Uriel and her daughter Katia, Cesar, the headship of the Lombardo family and company (the powerful crystal entrepreneurs), finds out that Sofia is the daughter of his impossible love. Elena, who died tragically in an accident, when Sofia was still a child.

Cesar, without Sofia knowing it, decides to protect her because of Elena's memory, which he cherishes still. Cesar is married in second nuptials to Livia Arizmedi, a former actress who dreams on recovering her career. Sofia's appearance seriously worries Livia, considering her an intruder who could displace her, just as Elena would have done in the past. Livia, who hides a terrible secret that involves Sofia, plots against her, trying to separate her from the family. Sofia slowly gets involved with the lives of the Lombardo family.

This show provides examples of:
"Don’t touch me or I’ll break!"
 * Adorkable – Claudio, with some of Badass Adorable
 * Based On an Advice Book - The whole plot is based on I Claudius. The patriarchs are Cesar and Livia (Augustus and Livia). Cesar (Augustus) favors Sofia (Julia) while Livia wants Augusto (Tiberius) her own son from a previous marriage, to become the heir. Both Livias plan cruel schemes in order to make it happen.
 * The forced marriage between Augusto and Sofia is similar to the one between Tiberius and Julia.
 * Octavio is based on Postumus. While one is Claudio's older brother and the other is Claudius' close friend, both were the family heirs, so the Livia on their respective series killed them with poisoned figs.
 * Augusto owns a doberman named Caligula.
 * Claudio is loosely based on Claudius. Both are considered fools by their respective families, but they have some close friends. And both are silent spectators of the events of the series and they are forced to pretend to be fools so in order to save their lives. The difference is that while Claudius was born lame and with a palsy that made him twitch and stutter, Claudio was abused and traumatized by Augusto, causing him to act like an Adult Child. However, unlike Claudius, Claudio manages to achieve his happy end (his family realize how important he is to their lives, specially his twin Narda and he gets a glass-designer job in the family business).
 * In the end Julio kills Augusto (similar to when Caligula kills Tiberius) and both become the rulers in their respective families. However, unlike Caligula, who turns out to be an even worse ruler than Tiberius; Julio achieves a happy ending and he is able to live with Sofia and his now united family by his side.
 * Beneath the Mask – Narda. She really loves Bruno, but she refuses to show it. And in the end they are happily married.
 * Also, her relationship with Claudio, her twin. At first she is ashamed of him, due to him being an Adult Child, but she later accept him and they get along like they used to do in the past.
 * Berserk Button – Never mention Elena’s name in front of Livia.
 * After Claudio is brutally beaten by Augusto, he suffers a mental breakdown, refusing contact with everyone but Julio (and later some others). Also, never mention Octavio in front of him.

"Play the fool and let people think you're an unimportant idiot. Then, they won't try to kill you"
 * Beware the Nice Ones – The one who ends up ruining Augusto’s plans is Claudio, his naïve and traumatized brother. Justified, because Octavio, at the moment of his death, persuaded Claudio to act like he was retarded and crazy so Augusto will never suspect of him. He does. And succeeds.
 * Big Brother Instinct - Most of the characters feel this (in varying degrees) toward Claudio.
 * Big Fancy House – The Lombardo family mansion.
 * Big Screwed Up Family - Let me see...Cesar, a traumatized man who mourns the death of his impossible love; Livia, a former actress who dreams on recovering her career and will kill everyone for it; Augusto, who will do everything in order to receive his father's inheritance; Narda and Claudio, one neglected and the other traumatized and scarred for life. Check, check and check.
 * Julio is the only one who is fair normal and he is considered the black sheep for that.
 * Bitch in Sheep's Clothing – Augusto.
 * Black Sheep - Julio is considered to be this by his parents.
 * Bratty Teenage Daughter – Narda. But she just does it for attention of her parents.
 * Break the Cutie/Corruption of a Minor – Claudio was abused physically and mentally by Augusto all his life. He later broke down after Augusto pushed him causing the boy to fell on a glass table and the trauma was so great that he was sent to a mental asylum in which he spent all his childhood and teenage years. The worst part is that everyone in his family knew the abuse but they preferred to ignore it because sending Claudio away was initially easier than coping with Augusto.
 * In the end, when all his family apologize to him for neglecting him, he is just too nice and forgives them all without a second thought, despite he went for all those traumas.
 * Brooding Boy Gentle Girl – Julio and Sofia.
 * Cool Aunt - Andrea, Cesar's sister, is this to everyone but Augusto.
 * The Chessmaster - The entire plot of Imperio de Cristal is shown to be a set of multiple gambits made by Augusto, from Octavio's death to abusing and traumatizing Claudio, making Narda pregnant, and his plan to marry Sofia and kill Cesar and Julio.
 * Children Are Innocent – The day her mother, Elena, died, Sofia met Livia (the person who killed her mother) and they had a brief conversation until both her mother and Livia left in the car that caused an accident and Elena’s death. The innocent girl had no idea what was going on.
 * In Claudio’s case, it will be Adult Children Are Innocent. He witnessed Octavio’s death, but instead of understanding that Augusto caused his death, he blamed himself.
 * Sharply averted with Augusto, who abused young Claudio for pleasure.
 * Clingy Jealous Girl – Elisa and Narda.
 * Deus Ex Machina – Antonia, Livia’s mother, was the one who knew all the time that Livia killed Elena, but Livia put her in an asylum and convinced her that they were all hallucinations. She eventually reveals the truth after Sofia dresses up as Elena and, pretending to be her, forces Livia to tell the truth.
 * Also Claudio. He knew everything that happened in the house and Augusto’s plans, but he was too naïve to understand. At least in the end he got the bravery and maturity to reveal the truth…in a childish way: by playing with puppets who reveal who is the culprit of Octavio’s death.
 * Disney Death - When Cesar and his family are in a yacht, Augusto poisons and throws Cesar to the sea. He is left for death until he reappears at the moment when Claudio and Julio reveal to the family that Augusto killed Octavio. Apparently he was rescued by his sister's ex-boyfriend.
 * The Ditz- Claudio is this to the extreme. Not even Marco Antonio and Katia, the children of the house, take him seriously.
 * Driven to Suicide – Livia. But she is ultimately saved by Claudio, who is ironically the son she neglected the most.
 * Evil Matriarch – Livia
 * Family Relationship Switcheroo – In the end it is revealed that Cesar is not Augusto’s father, but Philippe, a prestigious actor and Livia’s true love. He doesn’t take it very well.
 * The Food Poisoning Incident – Octavio’s death. He dies after eating figs poisoned by Augusto.
 * Freudian Excuse – Claudio has an excuse for his excessive naïve and childish behavior (for someone who is on his early 20s). See Break the Cutie for more.
 * Narda also believes she is justified for being a Rich Bitch, since her parents neglect her.
 * Gadgeteer Genius – Bruno. It later proves to be useful when he puts hidden records in the theater so everyone hears the confession when Livia reveals to Sofia that she killed Elena.
 * Genius Ditz – Claudio is surprisingly good at making castles with various materials and at making glass designs.
 * Hates Being Touched – Claudio, with good justification. See Break the Cutie for more.
 * Henpecked Husband – Cesar.
 * Hooker With a Heart of Gold – Narda.
 * Ill Boy – Octavio.
 * Karmic Death – Augusto dies after being pushed to a glass door by Julio. It awfully mirrors the scene when a young Augusto pushed Claudio to a glass table, which caused his breakdown.
 * Karmic Punishment – Livia ends up insane and living in her own asylum.
 * Last Girl Wins – Julio and Sofia.
 * Leitmotif - Crystal Empire by Bebu Silvetti
 * Like Mother, Like Daughter - Sofia greatly resembles her mother Elena, which causes Cesar (whom Elena was his impossible love) to become very attached to her, causing Livia’s jealousy.
 * Love Makes You Evil - Rogelio, the Lombardo family butler. He is so obsessed with Narda, that he even is willing to help Augusto with his schemes.
 * Mama Bear - Sofia
 * Mommas Boy – Augusto is this to Livia.
 * Non Identical Twins – Narda and Claudio are supposed to be twins, but Narda is slender and a bratty flirty girl, while Claudio is plain, shy, meek and Too Dumb to Live.
 * Subverted, because Claudio claims that when they were younger, they looked so alike that they were completely identical and they even acted in sync with each other.
 * Obfuscating Stupidity - After Octavio’s death, Claudio acts like he is really retarded so Augusto will never suspect of him.
 * After all, Imperio de Cristal is based on I Claudius, so this a reference to the moment in which Claudius receives a peculiar advice from an aged scholar:

"Claudio: Mom!
 * The Orphan - Sofia. Her mother was killed in a car accident caused by Evil Matriarch Livia and her father died later after an accident in a mine.
 * Parental Abandonment – After Elena’s death, Cesar was unable to show affection for his children, until the end of the series.
 * Recurring Dreams - In her childhood, Sofia had nightmares with her mother's death. As an adult, she dreams of herself dying in front of an oblivious Katia.
 * Redemption Equals Death – Uriel.
 * In the case of Livia, it will be Redemption Equals Insanity.
 * Smug Snake - Augusto.
 * Tangled Family Tree - Octavio is the son of Cesar and his first divorced wife. Augusto is the son of Livia and Phillipe, an actor whom she had an affair with. While Julio, Narda and Claudio are the kids of Livia and Cesar.
 * Tear Jerker – Octavio's death. He agonizes in front of a mocking Augusto, who tells him that he poisoned the figs. Later Claudio arrives, blaming himself for the incident and they have a Tear Jerker conversation which concludes with Octavio begging his younger brother to act like a fool so Augusto wouldn’t hurt him.
 * When Julio and Octavio’s widow wife force Claudio to declare who killed Octavio. His declaration is so naïve and heartbreaking at the same time.
 * Livia’s suicide attempt. And then Claudio arrives just in time. Their conversation is simply hearbreaking.

Livia: I’m dying, Claudio…I’m dying.

Claudio: No mother. Please, don’t!

Livia: I have no more reasons to live

Claudio: I love you, mom! Please don’t leave me! Don’t die!

Livia: Augusto hates me now. He told me…to go to Hell. And that I wasn’t a goddess.

Claudio: That’s not true! I always looked up on you. Don’t listen to Augusto. He’ll go to Hell for sure!

Livia: Claudio, my son…Do you love me?

Claudio: Yes, mom.

Livia: I’ve always been a terrible mother with you.

Claudio: That doesn’t matter. I love you and I will always take care of you. So please don’t hurt yourself. I need you. Please, don’t die, mom!

Livia: I always neglected you. But you know what? You are the best of all my kids."


 * You know? For some reason, Claudio is always present in those moments. Must be because he is a Woobie Adult Child.
 * Theme Naming - All of the characters have the names of the characters in I Claudius.
 * The Unfavourite – Poor Narda and Claudio. But this is only to their mother, because their father seems to love them equally, but he is unable to show them love because of the trauma induced by Elena’s death.
 * Trauma Induced Amnesia - Livia. After Augusto dies, realizing that she is unable to be the famous actress she once was and the fact that her family has shunned her, with the exception of Nice Guy Claudio, she ends up forever wheelchair-bound and mentally damaged, not understanding the absence of Augusto. It's pointed out by Antonia that this might have been for the best as she gets to live the reminder of her life in (false) happiness.
 * Unwitting Pawn – Claudio, at the moment of Octavio’s death. Augusto convinced him to feed Octavio the poisoned figs, and when Octavio dies, well, he blamed himself, not knowing that he was manipulated by Augusto the whole time.
 * Violently Protective Boyfriend – Julio.
 * The Woobie – Claudio, again. He goes through all kind of traumas, he is neglected and treated like a retarded by most of his family and he still endures it with a mixture of naivety and strength. You just want to hug him from the very beginning.