Someone Has to Die is a Spanish-Mexican thriller limited series created by Manolo Caro. It stars Carmen Maura, Cecilia Suárez, Ernesto Alterio, Alejandro Speitzer, Isaac Hernández and Ester Expósito.
Someone Has to Die opens in 1950 Spain which is conservative, orthodox and extremely traditional. So much so that homosexuality is a crime. Gabino is called back to his affluent home from Mexico, where he has spent the last 10 years. However, much to everyone’s surprise, he arrives with his friend, Lazaro, a dancer. Relationships take a turn and several characters and their stories intermingle, until several truths destroy the façade that the Falcon family has created.
This is a heart-wrenching story. In a society that deems homosexuality to be criminal, it does not bode well for the principal character who is very much gay. Someone Has to Die is essentially a thriller mixed with drama and it holds on to the shock factor throughout its 3-episode length.
Gabino and Lazaro’s relationship is great, they’ve been friends for two years and although Gabino has a crush on Lazaro (that he gets to know later), their friendship is warm and lovely. Trouble brews when Gregorio makes a business decision to get Gabino married to Cayetana. They don’t want to, however, Cayetana’s one-sided crush on Lazaro makes her spread rumours about the two friends. As is expected from a conservative society, they are sought by the law – with disastrous consequences.
Among this mess there’s Gabino’s mother, Mina, maybe the purest character here. She loves her son with everything, but is at a terrible place in her married life. We get glimpses of the disrespect and abuse that she faces at the hands of Gregorio and Amparo. It is no wonder, thus, that she too falls for an unexpected someone. It’s a mess of relationships and emotions which go haywire with Amparo’s subtle manipulations.
Someone Has to Die is very bingable, very relevant and very heartbreaking. The way the marginalised section (including women) is treated by the ones with power is disgusting and cruel. It gets very sad and hearbreaking very fast, although you can sense that the story will go towards uncomfortable territories from the get-go.
The series is shot exceptionally well, and is visually rich. Production quality is excellent, with scenes flowing from one to the other. Also, the background score is good too, with the theme music adding sadness, thrill and melancholy to a story that really is just sad. The screenplay is rife with plots and you won’t feel bored at any point. However, it is a slow-burn, so if you’re not into that, then this might not excite you.
There’s also some great acting throughout. Carmen Maura, Cecilia Suárez, Ernesto Alterio, Alejandro Speitzer, Isaac Hernández and Ester Expósito are exceptional and make their characters believable. Every character has their own backstory and these talented actors fulfil their roles with finesse. Although, I think Mina’s character was highly underdeveloped. Additionally, not everyone gets as much screen time, which might be a bummer for some.
Summing up: Someone Has to Die
Someone Has to Die portrays a society where love is, essentially, criminalised. There are a lot of scenes that will make you uncomfortable, because the cruelty doesn’t mesh with the “crime”. I like how everyone has two sides to them, even the cruel Gregorio, and Ampano and Cayetana are deliciously horrible and twisted. For a 3-episode limited series, the show gives a good-looking and thrilling story with developed characters that you can finish in one go.
Someone Has to Die is streaming on Netflix.
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