‘Burning Body’ (Original title: El cuerpo en Ilamas) follows the murder investigation of Pedro Rodriguez, a police officer. Inspired by true events, it presents a dramatized version of the chaotic history that led to his death. The investigation began after Pedro’s charred remains were found inside a burnt-out car. Later research shed light on a series of unsettling revelations involving Pedro and two other police officers – Rosa Peral and Albert López. For those who haven’t heard about the case otherwise, you will find your answers to whodunit and why-dunit by the end of this article (and of the miniseries).
Nevertheless, the series presents a needlessly stretched version while unfolding the aftermath of Pedro’s death. It stars Money Heist fame Úrsula Corberó as Rose, Quim Gutiérrez as Albert, and José Manuel Poga as Pedro. Besides them, the series also stars Isak Férriz, Guiomar Caiado, Eva Llorach, and Pep Tosar in central roles.
*Spoilers ahead*
Burning Body ‘Netflix’ Miniseries:
What is ‘Burning Body’ on Netflix about?
‘Burning Body’ on Netflix is about the investigation into the mysterious death of Pedro Rodriguez, a police officer. The series is a dramatized version of true events that focuses mainly on the life of Pedro’s girlfriend at the time – Rosa Peral, and her past relationships. It presents Rosa’s past relationships, like scandals, and presents a sensationalized version of the real-life investigation that went into finding the culprit.
Episode 1: The Reservoir (El pantano)
Rose Perez (Úrsula Corberó) is a police officer and a mother to Sofia (Guimor Caiado). She gets caught in a legal battle against her ex-husband Javi (Isak Férriz) over Sofia’s custody. It is fair to say that they are not on good terms with each other. We see Rosa at a party with her ex Albert (Quim Gutiérrez) and his colleagues. She enjoys spending time with him. The next morning, she receives disturbing news about her boyfriend, Pedro (José Manuel Poga), to whom she was engaged.
Rosa believed he went somewhere because of their recent arguments. But she learns that Pedro’s charred remains are found in a burnt-out car in a reservoir. Detective Ester (Eva Llorach) asks Rosa for details about her shared history with Pedro. Rosa still cannot believe that he is dead since they are trying to have a baby together.
Back home, Rosa struggles to connect with her daughter. At the gathering after Pedro’s funeral, she meets his ex-wife, and they both get emotional. Later, Ester tells her about Pedro’s records at the police station. He was suspended from the job without pay for hitting a biker. So, Ester asks if any financial reasons may have been behind his death. Rosa denies. Meanwhile, she continues to maintain her distance from Javi and gets upset when he visits her house.
She also directs Ester’s attention toward Javi as a possible suspect. She insists she needs protection from him. Rosa’s parents help her cope with the stress by taking care of Sofia. Later that night, she returns and enters a basement room with Albert. The walls are filled with blood spots, and the couch sheets have some stains. Rosa removes her engagement ring and starts cleaning the stains with Albert’s help. Sofia wakes up by its sound and sees it partially from the stairs.
Episode 2: Two Rosas (Dos Rosas)
The day after cleaning her basement room, Albert calls Rosa and asks her if they can meet. After taking care of Sofia for the day, she drives to Albert’s place. Meanwhile, Ester speaks with Javi to understand his association with Pedro. During that conversation, he sheds light on how he met Rosa for the first time at a bar where he saw her dancing as a stripper. They kept getting closer and closer to the point where she bagged a chance to be a local cop. But he hides a specific part of Rosa’s past that soon becomes public in another way.
Back when Rosa was in the initial stages of her police career, she was being supervised by Manu (Raul Prieto). Despite her relationship with Javi, she became incredibly close with Manu. But ultimately, she chooses to end the relationship with Manu. Soon after, Rosa’s photos of a sexual nature were publicized. What may have been a private communication became public. The photos were sent to the whole precinct, which turned into a scandal and tarnished her reputation. Although they were shared from her E-mail, she claimed Manu did it since he knew her password. Because of this humiliation, she asked to be moved to another precinct.
On the other hand, this incident also ruined her relationship with Javi, who, she believes, still holds a grudge against her. In the present, Ester grows suspicious of Javi since he chose to hide this situation where Rosa was the victim. Javi directs Ester to Albert as someone who has been jealous of Rosa’s relationships. In fact, Rosa had met Albert in the precinct where she got transferred. That’s where they started getting closer.
Episode 3: The Fall (La caída)
After her dialogue with Javi, Ester questions Rosa about her relationship with Albert. Rosa downplays their bond to not attract any further suspicion. Later, she meets Albert at his place and talks about the plans she has for them once Javi gets arrested. Despite their mutual attraction in the past, Rosa chose to be with Javi. When her friend planned to get a divorce, she asked how it would impact their children.
The friend mentioned that she was bored with her relationship. ‘Don’t you ever get bored with your relationship,’ she said to Rosa. It made her ponder upon the balance between parental responsibilities and personal leisures. Later that night, Javi proposed to Rosa. She agreed to get married, which made Albert jealous.
Still, Rosa and Albert stayed as partners in the police force. One day, when an unhoused man shot Rosa in her knee, Albert fought against him. It eventually led to this man’s death. This case brought Albert and Rosa’s relationship into discussion in the precinct. After the investigation, the man’s death was ruled out as an accident. At that time, she kept growing emotionally distant from Javi.
Around this time, she also met Pedro, who worked in traffic police. It added another chapter to her love life. In the present, Ester’s associate Eduard (Pep Ambros) finds it strange that Rosa did not even mention Albert. Later, Ester gets a hint of Albert’s criminal past and the violent incident (the unhoused man’s death). So, she decides to dig deeper into it. Meanwhile, the police rule out Javi from suspicion because of new alibis.
Episode 4: Christmas (Navidad)
Toward the end of her relationship with Javi, Rosa could not hide her dissatisfaction. She also started dating Pedro by then. There were days when she sneaked out of her house to go meet Pedro. One day, during his duty, he could not control his anger and ended up beating a biker to a pulp. It created a rift in his relationship with Silvia. At the same time, it ended up bringing him closer to Rosa. Later, on Christmas Eve, Pedro ended his relationship with Silvia. The same night, Rosa learned about Javi’s affair with a female police officer. Javi mentioned Rosa’s relationship with Albert as a reason he took this step. Anyhow, it permanently damaged their relationship. Soon after, Pedro managed to gain the trust of Rosa’s family.
In the present, Ester starts questioning Albert’s colleagues about him. She learns that the couple tried to keep their relationship private even though everyone pretty much knew about it. Silvia meets Rosa to check up on how she is doing. She knew Pedro’s impulsive behavior through their years of marriage. That’s why she suspected that he and Rosa may also have some issues. But Rosa refuses that and says that their marriage was as good as anyone else’s.
Later, Ester interrogates Rosa about her relationship with Albert. Rosa does not delve into any details and denies ever being with Albert. Later, she tells her parents to lie to the police and say that they saw Albert on the 2nd of May. That’s how Rosa tried to rule out any suspicion directed toward her. Ester soon finds out that Rosa, Pedro, and Albert were in the same vicinity on the 1st of May. But it contradicts Rosa’s parents, saying that they saw Pedro on the 2nd. Meanwhile, Rosa senses the police are looking at her and Albert as the culprits. So, she tells him they should maintain distance for now.
Episode 5: Love (El amor)
Rosa and Pedro’s relationship began on a happy note. They were satisfied to be with each other. But Albert was deeply upset about being ignored again. He also started traveling to get away from her. Despite her relationship with Pedro, she texted Albert that he was the love of her life. Those texts confused Albert even further. Pedro found these texts and got deeply upset. Rosa tried to calm him down, but he got extremely violent. Some other time, Pedro decided to help Rosa clear her name in the lawsuit Manu caught her in. Still, it seemed like him doing it to be with a woman with a clear record. Perhaps he did not want to be with a woman with a reputation as she had because of the misogynists who worked with her.
Anyhow, Pedro started becoming almost a part of Rosa’s family. But she was not content with him, which led her back to Albert. Still, when Pedro and Albert both proposed to her with rings, she chose to be with Pedro. On one hand, she stayed in a sexual relationship with Albert; on the other, she let Pedro enter her family. Ester speaks with an associate of Pedro to learn that a text sent by Pedro’s phone on the 2nd did not sound like him.
The more evidence she finds, the more she grows distrustful of Rosa’s parents’ alibi. Finally, when put under a spot, Rosa’s mother starts crying. She accepts that Rosa made them lie about having seen Pedro on the 2nd of May. Because of all the compounded evidence apart from this fake alibi, Rosa and Albert finally get arrested.
Episode 6: The Impossible (Lo impossible)
During Rosa’s relationship with Pedro, Albert kept persuading her to leave him. But she found it hard considering his wonderful relationship with Sofia. In the past, Javi had noticed someone spying on them. So, he accused Rosa of creating a nuisance in his life. She got him arrested to not lose out on being with Sofia. Pedro continued with attempts to let Rosa get full custody of Sofia. It almost feels like Pedro was doing it to satisfy his ego than to help her.
After Rosa and Albert’s arrests, the news publications started using their past to present colorful versions of their ‘sex scandal.’ Ester goes to the basement that Rosa and Albert had colored the walls of after Pedro’s death. She decides to check it for DNA evidence. Pedro’s family attorney leaves his duties for Rosa because of contradicting allegiances. Meanwhile, Manu gets acquitted of his crime of leaking Rosa’s photos, which were meant to be just private communication. On the other hand, Ester accuses Rosa of sending texts from his phone on the 2nd of May. She also finds the paint stains on Rosa’s hands suspicious, considering the recent repainting of her basement room. Ester expects Rosa to come clean for the sake of Pedro’s family. But Rosa maintains that she is innocent.
Rosa’s parents hire a lawyer to make a case for her and get her out of jail. Albert also gets a reputed attorney due to some of his contacts. By the time he could make any move, Rosa stated that Albert had jumped over the fence with an axe in his hands to portray him as the killer. Albert feels betrayed and maintains the truth that they both were responsible for the murder.
Episode 7: Face to Face (Frente a frente)
The trial against Rosa and Albert begins, and pressure builds up. Rosa does not let Sofia meet because she does not want to see her in prison. One day, she speaks with Sofia without Javi’s supervision. Later, Sofia confesses that she believes Rosa is lying. She tells Carmen that ‘she saw blood,’ indicating Rosa’s relation to Pedro’s murder. So, Javi refuses Rosa’s parents to allow Sofia to meet their daughter. Rosa learns about Sofia’s verdict against her. She asks her parents to make Sofia take her words back and claims she may have dreamt what she saw and heard.
Meanwhile, conflicting versions of the incident become apparent as Rosa claims Albert is responsible, and he accuses her of using him. They both enter Rosa’s house to take the detectives through what happened that night. Rosa mentions she got so scared that she came to hide while Albert kept beating Pedro with an axe. On the other hand, Albert says he came out to Rosa’s house that night out of concern for her, who murdered Pedro. He wanted to go to the precinct but did not because she did not want to. Later, he kept this truth hidden out of love for her. But because she betrayed him, he decided to come clean.
Finally, in the courtroom, Rosa and Albert’s respective lawyers make a case to make their clients look innocent. Albert’s attorney speaks about Pedro gifting an erotic novel to Rosa to tarnish the idea of their perfect marriage. Rosa’s attorney portrays her client as a respectable citizen who would not kill someone. When Rosa is asked to speak, the D.A. shows a photo of the 4th of May – 3 days after Pedro’s death. In that gathering, Rosa looks like she is enjoying her time with Albert.
It makes the D.A. question how she can be happy after the traumatic incident of her boyfriend’s death. Rosa says Albert threatened to kill her and her daughter if she spoke about what he did. On the other hand, Albert says that she used him to kill Pedro and get back custody of Sofia. Meanwhile, Javi agrees to speak on TV, which maligns her image even more in the public eye.
Evidence from their phone records is brought to notice during the testimonies to question their intentions. After that, Albert’s co-worker Juanjo (Alfons Nieto) is brought into the stand. He mentions a past incident of murder, which sounds eerily similar to how Pedro burned to death without any traces of who killed him. Albert says Juanjo invented the whole story. Finally, Ester takes the stand to speak about what happened.
Episode 8: May 1st, 2017 (1 de mayo de 2017)
The series finale of Burning Body shows the police reconstructing the last hours of Pedro’s life. Ester also recovered some voice messages, texts, and call records that were deleted by the accused from their phones. In those messages, Rosa referred to Albert as ‘silly pants.’ In one of the messages, she hinted that they (she and Albert) would do something together after murdering Pedro. The district attorney explains these details in a manner that makes Rosa and Albert the culprits. He wanted the jury to not be swayed by the dramatized versions their attorneys presented before.
Through her research, Ester found a pattern of recurring arguments between Rosa and Pedro. He kept persuading her to have another child with him. On the night, while driving back from their family dinner, they had an argument. He wanted her to stay home during her pregnancy, and she wanted to keep working. She touched a nerve when she mentioned his joblessness post his incident with the biker.
That same night, she called Albert and said they should do the thing the same night. Rosa ensured that Sofia was asleep and then added some pills to Pedro’s meals. It made him feel dizzy, and he lay on the sofa in their basement. However, Ester can say nothing about the murder with authority since Pedro’s body was completely burned. The D.A. brings Sofia’s verdict against her mother. Sofia mentioned that she heard loud noises, bangs, and whatnot. It weakens Rosa’s side of the case.
Burning Body ‘Netflix’ Miniseries Ending, Explained:
Who was responsible for Pedro’s death?
At the end of Burning Body, Rosa, and Albert are brought to trial for Pedro’s gruesome murder. Ester forms a narrative based on an extensive record she found of their communications and activities during the days post the 1st of May. According to that, Rosa made sure to maintain an allusion that Pedro was alive. That night, the couple drove to Javi’s house and sent him a text from Pedro’s phone. This was to make it seem like a confrontation that ended in murder. It also links to Rosa accusing Javi of the crime since the beginning of the investigation. But Javi was not home that day, and he had an alibi. That is why Rosa and Albert drove two cars up to the reservoir and left Pedro’s car with his body burning there.
The burnt car was found much later because of its secluded location. After putting together all the pieces of the puzzle, the D.I. narrates the scenario and their motives to the jury all over again. For him, they both are already guilty. The jury eventually presents its verdict on the case. In the end, both Rosa and Albert are found guilty in the case of Pedro’s murder. They get sentenced to 25 and 20 years in jail, respectively, in addition to providing a huge compensation for the family of the deceased.
This case ruins Rosa’s relationship with her daughter. As someone who has not followed the case or had no clue about it, I have narrated what the showrunners have put together in this miniseries. So, this is only a dramatized version of the truth and may not be the actual truth. One thing is certain – the series focused heavily on Rosa’s promiscuity or showing her of this nature.
![Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota Netflix [2019] Review – A Stylish yet inertly dull action spectacle](https://www.highonfilms.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Mard-Ko-Dard-Nahi-Hota-Netflix-768x485.jpg)
