La caza

What is it with so many Spanish series and dramas? Loads of them seem to have dissolute criminals with perverted inclinations as part of their plots. Moreover, these people are generally powerful and monied and seem to operate with an air of impunity until a dogged cop comes along to stop them.

One such cop is Sara Campos. Fighting her own demons, she tenaciously sifts evidence, makes inferences, some of which are incorrect, but gets there in the end.

I liked La Caza Monteperdido enough to badly want to see the second season called La Caza Tramuntana. I just finished watching the last episode and it was a rollercoaster all the way. The second series, which I'll concentrate on as it's fresher in my mind, interposes two investigations into each other, one into the original crime and the other into a disappearance of a main character. Both of them segue seamlessly into "La Caza" or the hunt.

There are clues for the very attentive. I had guessed the identity of one of the wicker baskets by the end of episode two and of another by episode five, but didn't guess the identity of the third. Some of the plot twists and revelations were a complete surprise to me; one in particular had me kicking myself that I had taken the character at face value, although the make up artist had been working hard to throw us off the scent on this one! Having said this, these contortions of the plot were reasonably logical and there were only a few holes or actions that were ones no reasonably cautious person would have taken having regard to the pervasive evil of the wrongdoers.

I'm hoping for a third season.

I watch a lot of Spanish shows to work on my Spanish and this is a good one. The characters in all 3 seasons (which are different stories but with the same main characters, the detectives) are excellent and interesting. The stories are complicated and keep you occupied until the end. The scenery and filming is excellent. I'll miss this series when I finish the third season. I can't compare this show to ones from the US because I don't watch much USA television. The first season is set near the Pyrenees, the second on the beautiful island of Mallorca and the third in southern Spain along the border with Portugal.