Burning Body Ending Explained: El cuerpo en Llamas is a Spanish drama mystery thriller series that released on Netflix on September 8, 2023. Starring Ursula Corbero as Rosa, Quim Gutierrez as Albert, Jose Manuel Poga as Pedro, Isak Ferriz as Javi, Eva Llorach as Ester and others, the show has been inspired by true events, which you can find more realistically portrayed in the true-crime docu-film Rosa Peral’s Tapes that released on the streamer on the same date.
Directed by Jorge Torregrossa and Laura Mana, the limited series has been written by Laura Sarmiento, and has been rated ‘A’, with its content being restricted to adults. Having 8 episodes with their runtime ranging between 45-52 minutes each, the series is now streaming on the platform with English subtitles and dubbed audio for international viewers as well.
Beginning with the horrifically bleak image of police officer Pedro’s charred remains in a burnt-out car at Barcelona’s Foix reservoir, the series sets up its murder mystery early on. As soon as the investigation is picked up by detective Ester Varano, it instantly becomes a matter of public interest owing to the underlying scandalous web of toxicity, betrayals, lies, violence and relationships outside of marriage misleading everyone. Soon, the finger of suspicion turns to two fellow police officers involved in the case one way or another – Rosa aka Pedro’s partner and Albert aka Rosa’a ex-boyfriend.
And though the series claims to have incorporated fictional and dramatised liberties, it hasn’t changed the real names of the people involved in the actual case surrounding the murder of Pedro Rodriguez.
Burning Body Ending Explained
Varano’s (Eva Llorach) investigation in the drama series first lays its finger of suspicion on Rosa’s ex-husband, Javi (Isak Ferriz) as Rosa persistently drags his name into the conversation with the detective, portraying him as a toxic ex she’s almost scared of to be around her daughter. However, when Ester runs up a dead-end, she realises that Rosa had even persuaded her parents to lie for her, claiming that they’d seen Pedro on May 2, i.e. the day he supposedly went out of everyone’s sight.
In the end, a public trial pulls in both Rosa and Albert to the court, but before that, on being arrested, both the prime suspects start pointing fingers at the other for being the perpetrator of the crime. Rosa starts pushing for the story that Albert came to their house in the dead of the night and leapt over with an axe in his hand.
She claims that she’d kept these bits of the story out of her narrative so far because she feared for her and her daughter’s safety. She started painting him in a bad light, and when these details are conveyed to Albert, he too decides to save his skin by throwing Rosa’s name under the bus.
He starts with his side, stating that Rosa had been in a toxic relationship with Pedro and was desperate to get out of it, which is why she ended up killing him and then called him in to help her get rid of the body. Years later, when the trial finally kicks in (all this while Rosa not seeing her daughter at all as she didn’t want her to see her in a prison), both of them testify against each other.
Their friends and family are also brought in for statements to weigh into their matter and provide the jury with an objectively true picture of what really happened that night since neither of the suspects’ stories actually aided them in reaching a resolution.
After Rosa’s friend and Juanjo, Albert’s former police partner on the squad step up with their truths, the story starts pointing to a new inference altogether. One of the most important bits revealed here is that since Juanjo had been studying to get into the forensics department, Albert, as a joke, had previously asked him how one could murder someone and get away with it.
Juanjo had told him about burning the body in a car at an openly secluded spot, and that was the same scene from where Pedro’s burnt up remains were recovered ultimately.
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This brings us to the most pressing question of all, who then really killed the man? To get a more accurate picture of it all, Ester is also brought to the stand. She brings in her years worth of investigation on the case, and her argument points towards them being in cahoots for the crime.
More details also reveal how Rosa tried to patch things up with Pedro close to the days of his murder, so as not to draw attention towards herself (considering she did kill him). They even went up to Rosa’s parents’ house where they had a nice family evening, but yet again, the couple got into an argument while reaching back home. Rosa’s daughter, Sofia, witnessed the fight as well, since she was present in the car.
Then the series has us believe that Rosa later called Albert using her usual go-to pink burner phone. She told him about how she couldn’t take it anymore and they had to do the deed that night itself. Albert decides to come over at 2 am, and mentions that he’ll be bringing his new number so that his number remains untraceable. However, he ended up making the mistake of taking his own phone instead which helped the police catch on to this crucial detail when they traced all three of their numbers – Rosa, Pedro and Albert – under the same roof.
After briefly speaking to her daughter and tucking her in, she went on to drug Pedro, while Albert made his way into her house. At the same time, she tricked Pedro to going into the basement to get rid of the mice, but as he was placing the traps down, the drug started doing its work and Pedro passed out. When Albert finally came in, whatever the true scene was like, Pedro’s blood was later found splattered on the bulb above, which the police picked up, thus leading Ester to deduce that he was killed using a blunt object.
On the 2nd, to push for the idea that Pedro was still alive, Rosa sent several people texts via his phone, under his name, and then sending her daughter (who also claimed to have heard the screams and sensed some disorder happening in the basement) to her parents’ house. Eventually, Rosa took off with Albert and first travelled to Javi’s house location so that Pedro’s phone could be traced to him on that date. However, the detectives were able to gather plenty number of alibis supporting Javi’s innocence early into the case.
Then turning to Foix Reservoir, they abandoned Pedro’s body in his car’s trunk and set the whole thing on fire. We don’t necessarily know if this is exactly how it all went down in reality, but Burning Body takes this as a creative liberty to dramatise this portion of the show, making it look like the two ex-lovers were in on it together.
Ultimately, the jury finds Ester’s findings the most plausible third possibility instead of just one of the suspects being guilty of Pedro’s murder. They charge both Rosa and Albert guilty of the crime, with the former being sentenced to 25 years in prison and the latter being sentenced to 20 years. Obviously, this declaration breaks Rosa and she finally decides to meet her daughter after a few years. Although presently living with her father Javi at the time, her mother promises to reunite with her soon.
However, despite filing appeals, the Supreme Court denies both Rosa and Albert an out, and Rosa is rather granted an additional sentence of 5 years due to her being in a relationship with Pedro. As per the true records of the case, Rosa Peral’s sentence will be completed in 2042, when she’ll be in her 60s.
El cuerpo en llamas is now streaming on Netflix.
Also read: Rosa Peral’s Tapes Review: Unreliable Narratives, Character Assassination and Failed Justice Exposed