Hache

But mostly boring in long stretches. Could have taken 4 one hour episodes to tell the story completely. Lots of filler.

After the second episode - you will be hooked. The first episode wasn't quite a grabber but I felt that it had promise - I wasn't disappointed. The acting is excellent and the drama is above average. The story is just complicated enough to keep you from browsing your computer and expecting to come back and know what is going on. I would have rated the first episode a 6 and rarely give an 8 or better rating but when I start binge watching a show - I don't have to wonder if I am hooked or not. I have to disagree with one of the earlier reviews in that I am finding many of the Netflix international shows better than the American ones - I suspect because Netflix has to be careful about nudity for syndication in the US and that isn't a worry for countries that have moved into the 21st century socially.

A tasty cocktail poured over ice cool cubes of 1960s Barcelona night life. An intoxicating blend of gangster grit, sweet suspense, and a rich aftertaste of raw humanity. I'm not sure about the shaken, but it will leave you stirred. "Another season senor?" Don't mind if I do.

Barcelona, 1960. Helena's husband is in jail and she needs money to get him a decent lawyer. She finds work with the gangster Malpica, a heroin importer and distributor. A drug turf war is underway and Malpica is quite ruthless, leaving a trail of dead bodies in his wake. The string of murders has the police interested and they have a team trying to identify the culprit. The police investigations and drug war also put Helena in the firing line. In her new world, Helena is known simply by her initial - Hache.

This TV series had the potential to be quite interesting, and at first glance seemed to be a combination of The Sopranos and Breaking Bad. However, it is soon apparent that this is nowhere near either of those two superb shows.

The plot is not that intriguing and largely seems to go sideways rather than forward. Very drawn out and padded, making for dull viewing.

Character engagement is limited. We should be empathetic towards Helena / Hache but while she's not a dislikeable character she is actually quite bland. There's no other characters worth supporting, except maybe the cop Vinuesa but he's also rather dull.

To top it off, production values are not that great. Colours seem drab, making the dull script even more lifeless. For a 2019 series there's none of the crispness and depth you'd expect from HD. It seemed so bad I thought I was watching it in 480 p resolution! Turned out it was 1,080...

Disappointing.

I really didn't know what to expect from this Spanish series but I found it quite compelling. The theme, music, strong woman story and chemistry between actors, everything about the show was done rightly!

Not sure if we get a second season but I wish we'd have!