Release The Prey
Episode 1 of Someone Has To Die begins with Falcon family preparing for their son Gabino returning home. He’s been in Mexico but hasn’t come alone. However, this poses a problem given he’s due to wed a girl called Cayetana. In true soapy Spanish fashion, things aren’t as simple as they seem. Gabino’s friend Lazaro appears to be his lover which throws this entire situation head-first into tense waters. Elsewhere, a group of women are lined up outside in the freezing cold. With a few sporting cuts and bruises across their face, a priest talks to them about God’s sins. Overseeing this operation happens to be Gabino’s father, Gregorio. It turns out this camp is a detention centre to try and force these men and women not to be homosexuals anymore. Gabino settles into the house and greets his Grandmother, Amparo. She bemoans him for not writing but that’s soon brushed away by Gregorio returning and greeting his son warmly. At dinner that night, things are tense as Gabino refuses to drink with his Father. That’s not all though, Mina and Amparo also share a tense moment when she finds out Amparo gave Gabino a gun. Still, they retire into the lounge where we learn Gabino is a ballet dancer. That evening, Mina and Gregorio’s relationship is put front and center for all to see. He’s not happy with her introducing Lazaro into the house and smacks his wife across the face. Even worse, he then forces himself on her and the two make love. Despite Gabino’s love for dancing and dreams of going to Paris, Gregorio throws a curve-ball his way. Santos wants him to be the new assistant financial manager at the shoe factory. Not just that, he’s going to be wed to his daughter Catetana too. As we cut forward in time, Alonso and Gabino reconvene at the Clay Pigeon Tournament. There seems to be some history between them, especially his interest in Lazaro, but their conversation is brief and ever-so-slightly frosty. As a slight glimmer of hope, Lazaro agrees to wait for Gabino for a few months before traveling to Paris. Afterward, Gabino teaches Lazaro how to shoot. Only, the way he touches the boy grabs the attention of Afonso and his buddies as they watch distastefully. The girls meanwhile want to drink and party which sees both sides collide. While things are fine for a while, Alonso demands a drunken Cayetana head home. This inevitably sees Gabino and Alonso butt heads but for now, this rivalry is kept at boiling point without simmering over. Gabino takes the drunken Lazaro home, where Mina helps get him undressed. She clearly has affection for him though and encourages him to sit with her in the morning. There, she discusses her relationship with Gregorio. Meanwhile, Gabino arrives at the factory where Alonso happens to be sitting on the other side of the desk. He’s changed though; a far cry from the best friend Gabino knew years back and clearly not over what they had together. It’s not spelled out but the dialogue is enough to understand these two used to be in love. While this is going on, Rosario is desperate to try and save her beloved from facing a nasty jail sentence. Despite Mina agreeing to hep, she keeps asking for more time – time that Rosario doesn’t have. That evening, Gabino heads out to the movies with Lazaro and Cayetana. Only, afterwards Cayetana kisses Lazaro. Gabino is obviously jealous though and he kicks her out the car, forcing the girl to walk home. With her gone, he proceeds to kiss Lazaro. Only, it turns out he’s not gay. Ashamed and disappointed, Gabino returns home and tells his Father defiantly that he’s refusing to marry Cayetana.
The Episode Review
With elements of Knives Out and soapy Spanish dramas, Someone Has To Die gets off to a good start. There’s obviously a lot of intrigue and mystery surrounding just who the “someone” is that’s going to die here. There’s lots of simmering tensions all over the place and it’s backed up by some nice cinematography and scene composition too. The musical score plays into this as well, pulling you into the time period, while the melodramatic moments actually work quite well here. If this is a sign of things to come, this mini-series may prove to be one of the better series released this month.
