Mar de plástico

I'm only half way through, but I'm ambivalent about continuing. The cinematography is excellent, I'm so in love with it. The story is good and has captured my attention. But, I'm watching on Netflix with subtitles (I don't know much Spanish). Half of them are missing! I'm only getting half of a conversation and I'm having to figure out the rest. Very frustrating! That's my only complaint so far.

Season 1... The series (on Netflix) takes place in a totally unique setting: a sea of plastic--an area on the coast of Spain where various entrepeneurs have created acres of greenhouses for growing crops. Some big owners have plenty of cash invested, and running the day-to-day requires a foreman and day labourers. There's quite a competition amongst the Spanish nationals, the colored folk, and the local Gypsies for the daily work.

When the story begins, a young lady is standing in an eery part of the 'sea' late at night waiting for a date (this can't miss), when she is grabbed & brutally murdered. The next 12 episodes are driven by the need to solve this homicide, under the direction of super-cop Hector, oh he of muscular build, dimpled chin, and roughly-trimmed short beard. Hector is a former commando type who served in Afghanistan, where he lost his best friend, Pablo. Pablo's wife, Marta still lives in town, and Hector was always nuts about her. So begins an on-again off-again relationship that you will find annoying. My wife & I didn't find Marta all that attractive- she is the aging mom of a bratty 12-year old boy.

The story-telling and camera work are excellent. There's plenty of conflict between good guys and bad guys (and the Russian trophy wives--of the bad guys). Keep your hand on the FF button for the occasional 'makeout scene'. The ending is well-disguised. 9/10

Seaon 2.... Starts off more slowly than previous. A character presumed dead re-appears. A major player is killed off. There's more (needless) profanity in the English sub-titles over the next 12 episodes, and I think plot elements are repeated more so in this season. Nonetheless, if you can hang in there, we do get a solutuon to the murder that prompted the 13-parter originally. Several tawdry characters get it in the throat this season-- you won't cry over any of them. Hector survives to go on one of his brooding walks by the sea, alone again. Too bad--the best-looking single cop in mini-series history to NOT win a girlfriend. 7/10

Good God! How much time can be wasted in each episode? I kept wanting them to get on with the investigation, but there were several subplots that added nothing.

This team of detectives is one of the worst I have seen in that kind of crime series. There are so many twists and subplots that you get tired and want to finish it quickly. Most characters are violent and stupid, and eventually you don't care about the solution. Especially irritating is the permanent drama between Hector and his friend's wife. Also the way they all recover in five minutes from terrible injuries, or severe concussions is ludicrous. The only not too bad actor/actress is Nya de la Rubia who plays Lola. The other ones are close to awful. If you don't speak Spanish you will have to guess the dialogues, with white subtitles on white background. So, watchable, but not the top of Netflix.

From IMDB: - "A TV series recorded in the south of Spain which tells us about the murder of a girl called Ainhoa. Inspector Hector must find out who did it."

Two Series, 23 x two hour episodes. Set in a fictional town called 'CompoAmargo,' (roughly 'Bitter Town') where an uneasy group exists, mainly by working for a wealthy land and business owner, who grows crops under 'acres' of plastic tarpaulin.

Our hero 'Sergeant Hector' is in charge of his section of the towns Civil Guard and spends all his time investigating the murder of a local girl, and from there the plot deepens. Facts uncover a hidden secret going back two decades. It's a clever 'whodunnit' worthy of either Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie. The ending may either shock or surprise. Series Two introduces 'The Serb' and his human trafficking biz which Hector investigates also.

IF you are tired of watching 'Los Narchos' or TV series about drugs, then this well made detective Story is very much worth your time. In Spanish, with English subs. I give it 9/10.