History Series / ImperioDeCristal

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Flora the nurse never gets any comeuppance for abusing Antonia, her involvement in Octavio's death or the child trafficking. In fact, she keeps her license and it's implied she'll abuse the brain-damaged Livia at the asylum.]]

* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Claudio is deeply afraid of broken glass [[spoiler: due to an incident in his childhood where his cruel older brother slammed him against against a glass table.]]

* TheFoodPoisoningIncident: Octavio's death. He dies after eating figs poisoned by Augusto.

* UnwittingPawn:
** Augusto sabotages Sofia and Uriel's marriage, by making his own aunt seduce Uriel, all so he'll have a chance to woo Sofia.
** [[spoiler: Claudio is convinced by Augusto to feed Octavio figs, not knowing that they were poisoned. When he dies, Claudio blamed himself, not knowing that he was manipulated by Augusto the whole time.]]

* WhatTheHellHero: [[spoiler:Ten years ago, Augusto pushed Claudio onto a glass table, but the family chose to institutionalize the latter and brushed the former's actions off. Julio left abroad out of disgust for what they did to Claudio.]]

** Augusto despite being intelligent, cunning, and a strategical genius, regularly displays downright petty behaviour, for example [[spoiler:pushing a young Claudio onto a glass table just because he accidentally broke his things or poisoning Octavio to death because he got the promotion he wanted.]]

* WouldHurtAChild: Augusto had no problem with beating Claudio either as a child or as a teenager.

* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Averted with Cesar, who doesn't have much trouble with Narda dating a poor mechanic. But played straight with Bernal, who doesn't like when Elisa starts showing interest in German, who's middle class at best.

* GoldDigger: Poor Sofia is accused to be one at first, due to Cesar's protectiveness of her and her love triangle with Julio and Augusto.

''Imperio de Cristal'' ("Crystal Empire") is a Mexican {{telenovela}} produced by Televisa in 1994.

* PreciousPuppy: Or rather Precious Bunny. Octavio gives Marco Aurelio a bunny for his birthday. It ends up eating Livia's flowers and she sets out [[AngryGuardDog Caligula]] on the poor thing out of spite.

** [[spoiler: Augusto drove Claudio to insanity after throwing him into a glass table as a child. He ends up dying impalted by a broken glass window.]]

--->''Don't touch me or I'll break!''

* FreudianExcuse:
** Claudio has an excuse for his excessively naïve and childish behavior (for someone who is in his early 20s). See BreakTheCutie for more.
** Narda also believes she is justified for being a RichBitch, since her parents neglect her.

** Augusto despite being intelligent, cunning, and a strategical genius, regularly displays downright petty behaviour, for example [[spoiler:pushing a young Claudio onto a glass table just because he accidentally broke his things or poisoning his eldest brother to death because he got the promotion he wanted.]]

* WomanScorned: Elisa isn't happy that Julio broke up with her to be with Sofia, and constantly tries to break them up by guilt-tripping them. [[spoiler: She eventually gives up and ends with Julio's best friend.]]

* ParentalAbandonment: After Elena's death, César was unable to show affection for his children, until the end of the series.

* TheChessmaster: The entire plot of ''Imperio de cristal'' is shown to be a set of multiple gambits by Augusto, from Octavio's death to abusing and traumatizing Claudio, making Narda pregnant, and his plan to marry Sofia and kill César and Julio.

* DeusExMachina:
** Claudio 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.

* RedemptionEqualsDeath: Uriel and Elisa's dad. In the case of Livia, it's Redemption Equals Insanity.

* UnwittingPawn: [[spoiler: Augusto convinced Claudio to feed Octavio figs, not knowing that they were poisoned. When he dies, Claudio blamed himself, not knowing that he was manipulated by Augusto the whole time.]]

* HatesBeingTouched: After Augusto sets his AngryGuardDog on Claudio, he develops psychotic episodes in which he freaks out upon being touched and believes he's of glass.

** [[spoiler: As if Claudio wasn't feeling traumatized enough for witnessing Octavio's death and bringing the poisoned figs, Augusto sets his doberman on him to prevent him from talking. Claudio wasn't planning to talk, but Augusto [[ItAmusedMe did it anyway for little more than sick headgames.]]]]

** [[spoiler: As if Claudio wasn't feeling traumatized enough for witnessing Octavio's death and bringing the poisoned figs, Augusto sets his doberman on him to prevent him from talking.]]

* ChekhovsSkill: Bruno, Nadia's boyfriend, is a mechanic and a tech wiz. [[spoiler: Which comes in handy when he uses the theater's loudspeakers to broadcast Livia's EngineeredPublicConfession.]]

* BreakTheCutie: Claudio was abused physically and mentally by Augusto all his life. He later broke down after Augusto pushed him causing the boy to fall on a glass table; 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 dealing with Augusto's sociopathy. 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 all those traumas.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Even though at the end things start looking up for the Lombardos, [[spoiler: Sofia still has nightmares and it's strongly implied that she will spend the rest of her life battling her demons. While Claudio is never "cured" of his trauma and he will never be the same person he was before Augusto's abuse. However, there is also hope because both are moving on with their lives, slowly picking up the pieces and coming to terms with the way things are.]] This is unfortunately the reality that real-life victims of trauma and abuse have to deal with.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: 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 would never be suspicious of him. He does. And succeeds.

* BlackSheep: Julio is considered to be this by his parents.

* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: How Augusto meets his end, pushed onto a window by Julio and being impaled through his chest by the broken glass. His death is beyond horrifying, but if anyone deserves it, it's him.
* KarmicTwistEnding: Livia ends up insane and living in her own assylum.

* ObfuscatingStupidity: After Octavio's death, Claudio acts like he is really retarded so Augusto will never be suspicious of him. After all, ''Imperio de cristal'' is based on ''Series/IClaudius'', so this is a reference to the moment in which Claudius receives a piece of advice from an aged scholar:
-->''Play the fool and let people think you're an unimportant idiot. Then, they won't try to kill you.''

* PolarOppositeTwins: Narda and Claudio are twins, but Narda is slender, rebellious and troubled, while Claudio is plain, shy, meek, and extremely naïve.

* BerserkButton:
** 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.
--->''Don't touch me or I'll break!''

* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: At te end, Livia decides to commit suicide after her acting career is destroyed due to her EngineeredPublicConfession, her maid going on the run, and Augusto shunning her for hiding his true parentage from him. The final nail in the coffin is Augusto's ultimately death and [[DoNotDarePityMe her mentally challenged son pitying her]]. While she doesn't die, she is permanently brain damaged and wheelchair-bound.]]

* GadgeteerGenius: Bruno. It later proves to be useful when he puts hidden microphones in the theater so everyone hears the confession when Livia reveals to Sofia that she killed Elena.
* GeniusDitz: Claudio is surprisingly good at making castles with various materials and at making glass designs.
* HatesBeingTouched: Claudio, with good justification. See BreakTheCutie for more.