In Neon, Santi chases his dreams of becoming a reggaeton star with his best friends, Ness and Felix, by his side. The series is now streaming on Netflix.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary
Santi is an up-and-coming reggaeton artist whose song, Exagerao, is making waves on the internet after amassing six million views. Santi is moving to Miami, hoping to secure a record deal.
Santi’s best friends, Felix, his creative director, and Ness, his manager, are joining him too. All three of them are looking forward to a successful career in Miami.
However, until they officially sign an actual deal, they have to figure out how they are going to make a living in Miami. If that’s not enough, the first representative of a record label they meet, Mia Morris, reminds them how difficult it is to survive in the music industry; not everyone becomes successful.
Santi and his friends are determined to survive. Mia Morris, on the other hand, keeps them hanging constantly. In fact, she gets nervous whenever they take big steps by themselves. The best she can do is get Santi some small gigs.
While Mia does that, the trio chases different opportunities that will help Santi make a name for himself. Ness even gets a side job to make them some money.
It is revealed that Mia has been lying to Santi and his friends. Felix eventually learns that she is, in fact, the assistant of Oscar Morales, the record executive at BPM. They should be talking to Oscar, not her.
Mia says that she is a dreamer and, unlike Oscar, she really does care about talent and, hence, wants to help artists like Santi. Oscar will never help Santi the way she will by going above and beyond. For now, Felix stays quiet.
With the help of Mia, Santi gets a show, but he fails to impress a journalist named Celeste Rivera. Ness had literally stalked Celeste to convince her to attend Santi’s show and cover him.
Setbacks such as these depress Santi. At the same time, small wins, such as making music for a store’s commercial, keep him motivated.
Santi and his friends look for investors, and they soon come across Gina, who is sort of a drug dealer. Gina invests a lot in Santi, but he and his friends constantly feel threatened by her. Anyhow, Santi gets to make his music, and Gina even offers to get him on a label.
Mia begins realizing that she is losing her client. She dares to replace Isa, a global music star, with Santi for a song being recorded on their label. Oscar is ready to sign Santi but he doesn’t know that Mia has already made such a big move.
Thanks to Mia, Santi gets to work with a producer named Jota Rosa, who teaches Santi to find who he is. Santi is doing music because of his friends, and Jota Rosa suggests he should make a song about them.
A song named Corillo is created during this session. Unfortunately, Oscar comes and finds out what Mia is up to. While he approves Santi’s song and hires him, he fires Mia.
Santi and his friends are one step closer to their dreams, as they are now working with a record label, but instead of having Santi make music, Oscar instructs him to meet Isa for dinner.
Isa wants Santi to date her as a publicity stunt. Isa’s team is asking her to go back to her roots with her next music. Santi has the right look for that music. While Isa’s new music will blow up, Santi will receive the popularity he desires.
Amidst all of this, Gina keeps contacting Ness about the deal they have. Gina finds out that Santi has become Isa’s boy toy, so she decides to back out. Furthermore, Santi and his friends now owe Gina all the money she has invested in them.
Before leaving, Gina warns Ness that she should start looking for new clients, knowing the direction Santi is headed in. However, Ness defends her friend, who she believes will value their friendship above everything else.
Ness likes to think that this affair with Isa is a minor blip. People will forget about it once Santi releases his song, Corillo. She is proven wrong when Santi agrees to give Corillo to Isa and change the lyrics of the song.
Neon ending explained in detail:
Why do Santi and his friends part ways?
Santi’s friends notice how he is changing for fame, but they don’t give up on him. Isa takes them to Daddy Yankee’s party, where Ness even approaches Daddy Yankee to make him listen to Santi’s version of Corillo. She hopes at least Santi will listen to his hero.
While Ness is doing that, Isa fires Felix, who was shooting her documentary. Felix confronts Santi for not standing up for him. Santi doesn’t take any responsibility.
Ness comforts Felix and promises that she will manage him and make sure that his dreams come true. She brings Felix to Santi so that the two can make up.
After hearing that Ness will now be managing Felix too, Santi acts selfishly and claims that they moved here for his career. Santi, who is blinded by the opportunities he got because of an affair with a pop star, argues with his friends, who then decide to abandon him.
What happens to Mia?
Mia doesn’t give up after being fired by Oscar. She approaches another music star named Javier Luna. She says that she will not only support his music but also his aspirations as a magician.
This convinces Javier to hire her as his manager. Oscar is now forced to work with Mia, as Javier is on his label. Mia also joins hands with Felix and Ness. Later, at the New Year’s Eve party, Mia and Felix share a moment and kiss.
Why can’t Santi leave Isa?
Isa had seen Santi hugging Celeste after an interview. She feared that Santi would fall for her and that her plans would go in vain. Hence, she had warned Santi that if he embarrassed her, she would end him.
Isa is going to perform Corillo at New Year’s Eve party. At this point, Isa is in the spotlight, and Santi has become one of her background dancers. Meanwhile, Ness, Felix, and Mia are helping Javier with his performance.
Santi eventually realizes his mistake. When he meets Isa to end things, she shows him the picture of him kissing Celeste at Daddy Yankee’s party. She threatens him to not ruin this, or else she will accuse him of cheating and end his as well as Celeste’s career.
Does Santi give up?
At the New Year’s Eve party, Santi gathers the courage to tell the world the truth, even if it means losing his career. With the help of his friends, he reaches the stage first by taking Javier’s place right after Javier is done performing his magic.
Santi confesses that his relationship with Isa was fake in front of the whole world and sings the original version of Corillo, dedicated to his friends. Isa is not able to intervene, thanks to the arrangements made by Santi’s friends.
Even though the world is loving Santi’s move, Isa and BPM Records are suing him and his friends. They also owe Gina. At a time like this, when nobody wants to work with Santi, Daddy Yankee rings Santi, asking him and his friends to come and work with him.
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