In the second season of The Kingdom (El Reino), Daniel Botardi, Emilio’s driver, wins his trust. Emilio’s association with Daniel allows him to plan a coup that would affect the whole country. Diego Velazquez plays Daniel.
At the beginning of the second season, Emilio is the president of Argentina, but the people are not satisfied with his government. There have been violent protests throughout the country due to rising poverty.
Emilio fails to change anything, as he alone cannot make or amend laws as he wishes. He steps out to see the real state of the country and realizes that the people who once loved him despise him now.
When Emilio is at his lowest point and does not have faith in his ministers, he finds comfort in Daniel, his driver.
The Pretorianos and Daniel
Daniel introduces Emilio to a group of high-ranking security officials, some retired and some active. The group is called the Pretorianos. These men are ready to lend their support to Emilio and act as his pawns. If Emilio ever gets betrayed, he will have these men standing by his side.
Daniel goes as far as to prepare a list of people who pose a threat to Emilio’s rule; these are mostly leftists who criticize Emilio’s government. Daniel advises Emilio that they should act swiftly and suppress these people by creating examples.
As per Daniel’s advice, Emilio orders the Pretorianos to attack and kill leftists all over the country. Soon, Daniel wins Emilio’s trust, and Emilio does what Daniel asks him to do.
It is also revealed that Daniel is working with Elena behind Emilio’s back. Elena handles the church, while Daniel is asked to handle the country. Emilio wants him to find Jonathan, but Daniel does not do it because Elena disapproves of the idea.
Daniel offers to kill both Jonathan and Tadeo, but Elena believes that Emilio will not be able to live if Jonathan dies. They need Emilio to be fine for their future plans.
The coup
Daniel pushes Rubén and his team aside to take his place as Emilio’s chief advisor. Emilio declares a holy war on people who challenge their traditional values. He aims to impose morality on every citizen.
It does not take long for Rubén to realize that Emilio is planning a coup, but Rubén also knows that he is not capable of coming up with such an idea. His team finds the link between Emilio and the Pretorianos, which is Daniel.
Daniel Botardi is a former deputy commissioner of the Buenos Aires Provisional Police. Although the case never went to trial, Daniel left the force when he, along with a few other officers, was investigated for unlawful coercion and arms trafficking.
He then started a security and armored transport company and worked for the FIA also. Eventually, he joined the President’s security team and became Emilio’s driver. Rubén knows that Daniel should be his real target.
Now that Rubén knows their plan, it does not take him long to get the Pretorianos to surrender. When Daniel finds out that their plan has failed, he decides to take Emilio away from Congress, where the coup was supposed to take place.
Is Daniel dead or alive?
On their way out, they hear Tadeo’s speech, and Daniel assures Emilio that he will take care of Tadeo. Daniel sneaks past the guards, who are looking for him, and enters the room where Tadeo is testifying against Emilio.
Daniel shoots Tadeo, who dies immediately. He is then arrested and taken away. However, he himself does not live long after that, as the news reports claim that he was killed while being transferred to a high-security prison; it is not known who killed him.
With Daniel dead, Emilio finds himself without a single supporter. He looks for Daniel like a madman before reality sinks in and he loses all hope.
Also Read: Julio: The Kingdom character explained
