El internado

Something evil is happening in the hidden passageways under the remote, exclusive Black Lagoon Boarding School. (You'd think the name would tip people off, wouldn't you?) A group of intrepid Spanish high schoolers risk their lives to investigate three decades' worth of mayhem.

The tone veers from suspense to sentimentality, from dramedy to melodrama. The plot twists are certainly complicated, to the point where they're a bit much after a while -- how much evildoing can possibly go on in one school? But as teen adventure serials go, it's pretty addictive.

A friend from Spain showed me a few episodes because he knows I like some of the actors in the cast: the wonderful Amparo Baró, formerly of "Siete vidas"; the versatile Luis Merlo, formerly of "Aquí no hay quien viva"; and singer/dancer/actress Natalia Millán, formerly of "Un paso adelante," who also starred on stage in the 2005-2006 Spanish revival of "Cabaret." The actors who play the kids, none of whom I'd heard of before, are also fantastic.

A few years ago while I was living in Spain, I went to see the movie "Perdiendo El Norte" that starred Yon Gonzalez and Blanca Suarez. The girl I went with mentioned how the two actors were on a TV show she absolutely loved about a school where weird things happened. Ever since then, I had a desire to watch this show. I finally got Netflix over the summer and I started to watch El Internado to help maintain my Spanish.

This was not the show I had expected to watch, but wow, it blew me away. I thought it would be ghosts and monsters and things like that, but it was so much more. There are things that happen in the first episode of the first season that link to the final episode of the final season. It is an incredibly planned out show with such attention to detail. I mean, yes, sometimes I do find a few inconsistencies, but overall, just wow.

On top of that, Yon Gonzales and Matiño Rivas are such great eye candy. I also really increased my knowledge of Spanish slang.

It took me a while to get through because the episodes are over an hour long each, but when I had a long break from working, I just charged through the episodes, staying up until 4 AM watching because WOW. Just go watch. Even if you don't understand Spanish, go put on some English subtitles! It's a fun ride with some really unpredictable story lines.

Nothing is as it seems at the school called "Laguna Negra". Mysteries, secret organizations, murders, love, passion, conflicts, need for justice, lies but most importantly the power of friendship and solidarity are the things that you will encounter if you watch "El Internado". With every new season we start to see a much bigger picture and conspiracy that reveals the true selves of each of the characters.

I have watched all of the episodes of El Internado and I must say it is a show worth watching. It is quite thrilling and dramatic, even funny at the right moments. The characters and story lines are very well developed and the plot twists are sometimes so unexpected that the viewer is never left with "oh, this episode was a waste of time".

The main story involves the lives of the sixteen-year-old Carolina, Ivan, Vicky, Julia, Roque and Marcos who accidentally start uncovering information about horrible crimes that have happened in the school years ago. Soon they find that their investigations endanger their lives but despite of their fear, they are too involved in the events to just return to their normal lives.

The school staff also has an important role in the story, one that reveals itself in time. The waves of secrets do not miss the children in the show as well – Marcos's curious five-year-old sister Paula and her best friend Evelyn who are always in the middle of a mischief. It is always a joy to watch those two girls find themselves into trouble!

My favorite actors from the series are Yon González who plays the arrogant and rebellious Ivan Noiret and Blanca Suárez (currently playing in the series "El Barco"), portraying the provocative and beautiful Julia Medina. The whole cast is incredible, though, and I hope to see more of them on screen.

Excellent, I just wish I could find it with English subtitles. My Spanish is limited and I'm sure I missed some of the subtleties.

That said it is still excellently written, acted and directed. With a plot that twists and turns.

Although based in a boarding school, the plot is suitable for adults.

A good drama, thriller, mystery and romance. Whoever you think is a goodie at the beginning is probably a baddie and vice versa. One of the episodes is entitled "everyone has secrets" something so true and the writers are not frightened to kill off characters. The final episode had me in tears.

I tend to like shows that are centered around unraveling a mystery with just a touch of creepiness woven in. This show seemed to hit the spot, though it ended up being much more of a convoluted drama than I had anticipated. Turns out it is addictive too. It is a bit ridiculous at times.. and a bit cheesy.. but highly entertaining. As a bonus I have picked up some bits of Spanish (I've never even taken a Spanish class).Nothing terribly useful though, but now I do know how to tell someone they are lying to me, call them a liar or say I don't believe them. (There is so much lying going on in this show that I actually learned multiple ways to express or deal with lying in Spanish).I keep thinking that if people just told the truth, it would shave off about 5 seasons worth of content. Of course, what is the fun in that? Despite the flaws, I am thoroughly enjoying this show at the moment.