La fuerza del destino (TV series)

La fuerza del destino
Genre	Telenovela
Created by	María Zarattini
Written by	María Zarattini Claudia Velazco
Directed by	Benjamín Cann José Ángel García
Creative director	Florencio Zavala
Starring	David Zepeda Sandra Echeverría Gabriel Soto Laisha Wilkins Juan Ferrara Alejandro Tommasi
Opening theme	"La fuerza del destino" performed by Sandra Echeverría and Marc Anthony
Country of origin	Mexico
Original language	Spanish
No. of episodes	101
Production
Executive producer	Rosy Ocampo
Producer	Eduardo Meza
Cinematography	Alejandro Álvarez Daniel Ferrer
Editor	Alfredo Juárez
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Original release
Network	Canal de las Estrellas
Release	14 March (2011-03-14) – 31 July 2011 (2011-07-31)

La fuerza del destino (English title: The Power of Destiny)^[1] is an original Mexican telenovela produced by Rosy Ocampo for Televisa^[2] that aired on Canal de las Estrellas from March 14 to July 31, 2011.^[3] In the United States, it aired on Univision from August 2 to December 26, 2011.^[4]

Starring David Zepeda, Sandra Echeverría, Gabriel Soto, Laisha Wilkins, Juan Ferrara and Alejandro Tommasi.

This was the last acting credit for Pedro Armendáriz, who passed away shortly after completing filming for the series.^[2][5]

This story begins when 14-year-old Iván (David Zepeda) returns with his mother, Alicia (Leticia Calderón), to the land of his birth: Álamos, Sonora. There, lives his father, Juan Jaime Mondragón (Juan Ferrara), a wealthy and powerful businessman and farmer who doesn't recognize him as his son and who rejects and threatens them.

Alicia, who keeps a secret about her origins, is forced to accept a job as a cook in the home of the Lomelí Curiel family, where, in addition to Doña Carlota (Delia Casanova), her daughter, Lucrecia (Rosa María Bianchi), and her son-in-law, Gerardo (Alejandro Tommasi), two girls live: the teenager Maripaz (Laisha Wilkins) and little Lucía (Sandra Echeverría).

In the home of this wealthy family, Iván helps out in any way he can and, thanks to his intelligence, continues his studies, with Doña Carlota's generous help, until he turns 19. At the same time, 18-year-old Maripaz returns from studying abroad. Iván is attracted to the flirtatious young woman, and she, frivolous and capricious, decides to seduce him for fun and, without considering the consequences, becomes pregnant by him.

The scandal in the family is enormous; to the point that Lucrecia, Maripaz's stern mother, a woman obsessed with appearances, orders the young man to be beaten. During the brawl, one of the gang members dies, and Iván is led to believe he is responsible. With everything against him and nothing left to lose, he decides, filled with rage and helplessness, to cross illegally into the United States.

It is in Los Angeles, California, where he will live for eleven years and where he meets Anthony McGuire (Pedro Armendáriz), who will become his protector, adopt him, and motivate him to return to Mexico, not only to do business now that he is a professional, but also to face his past.

There are many intrigues and surprises that Iván will discover when he returns to Sonora; among them, the fact that the son he conceived with Maripaz mysteriously disappeared the same day he was born, and his whereabouts are unknown.

One of the most intense moments will be the moving confession of Lucía, Maripaz's younger sister, a young psychologist full of virtues who has secretly loved him since she was a child; something he never imagined.

Together, Iván and Lucía will discover the value of loyalty, honesty, and truth, and will find love thanks to The Power of Destiny.

The final episode reached 22.6 rating points during its first broadcast in Mexico.^[6] In the United States, the final episode aired on December 26, 2011 and was watched by 6.2 million viewers, becoming the most watched program regardless of language.^[7][8][9]

• La fuerza del destino at IMDb