By now, Netflix has started becoming a content platform like social media rather than a streaming platform. Its insistence on trying to find a wide range of audience for its mishmashy content pieces is ruining its catalog. In a similar vein, “Gangs of Galicia” (Original title: Clanes) begins as a crime thriller series about a female lawyer’s revenge against the murderers of her secretive father. Over the course, it turns into a tedious saga of inane plot points that offer nothing substantial. So, it simultaneously feels like underwritten & overcooked. There’s no real pathos in the series to elevate it to the level of television classics.
Spoilers Ahead
Gangs of Galicia (Season 1) ) ‘Netflix’ Recap:
“Gangs of Galicia” (Clanes) roughly follows a lawyer’s journey as she settles in a new town to settle some old scores. Along the way, she gets caught in a series of new conflicts that trap her in a world of criminals.
Gangs of Galicia (Season 1) Episode 1
Ana Gonzalez Soriano (Clara Lago) is a young lawyer working in Madrid. Her father, Jorge, works on a sailboat, transporting tourists around Fuerteventura, Canary Islands. After one of Ana’s phone calls with him, he dies on his boat. Three months later, she learns that he has a secret bank account and he has left its funds to two women, Laura (Melania Cruz) and Berta (Maria Pujalte), in Cambados, Spain. Ana or her mother had never heard of these women. Ana assumes her father might have been involved in drug trafficking or have dealt with some wrong people. So, to investigate this matter, she decides to settle in Cambados and start her practice there. But she hides these plans from her mother, Teresa.
The small town of Cambados is a pit of criminal activities. Daniel (Tamar Novas) is one of the drug traffickers. He is embroiled in these muddy waters after his father, Jose Padín (Miguel de Lira), who ran the drug cartel, gets imprisoned. We are introduced to their clan from the cops’ attempt to imprison them. Later, in the court, Daniel meets Ana and asks her to represent him. She is not enthused about it. However, after his constant pursuit, she agrees to represent him. She also sees it as an opportunity to find the truth about her father and believes Daniel is behind Jorge’s death. Meanwhile, she learns that Padin is about to be released and is on probation, working at a garage.
Laura & Berta
In Cambados, Ana meets Laura & Berta working in their modest café. She learns that Padins’ clan is trying to snatch their café because they spoke against Padin during his past court trial. Meanwhile, Padin’s nephews, Nilo (Xosé Antonio Touriñán) & Toño (Chechu Salgado) know that their father left some of their precious belongings tucked somewhere before the cops swarmed his house, years ago. Nilo & Tono don’t know its location, and their father doesn’t help them either. Marco wants to get in on the crime scene even though his family members insist he stays out of it. Later, Daniel finishes their next mission with his clan members.
Gangs of Galicia (Season 1) Episode 2
Daniel wants Ana to represent him and his associates. In exchange, she wants him to let Laura & Berta have their café. So, he agrees to extend their license and not snatch their means of livelihood. But Ana doesn’t reveal the actual reason she moved to their small town from a reputed organization in Madrid. Meanwhile, Marco keeps seeing the glamorous side of the drug business, which provides quick money. So, he tells his girlfriend, Maria (Laura’s daughter) about his hope to join it. She points out the fallacy. But he is blinded by the financial aspect.
While that happens, the Padins’ attorney offers all their files to Ana after Daniel hires her. The attorney threatens her for snatching his business. The Padins enter the café with masks on to terrorize Ana. Inside, they find their associate, Samuel (Diego Anido), and drag him outside. Laura learns about Ana’s romantic relationship with Marco. So, she warns her of its dangerous repercussions. Ana starts going through the Padins’ questionable businesses. Daniel falls for her and takes her out on a helicopter ride with him. Marco keeps wanting to be a part of the drug trade even though Nilo is against it.
Gangs of Galicia (Season 1) Episode 3
Daniel takes Ana on a business trip and treats her. It seems like he wants to show off his wealth while trying to win her over. On this island, Ana meets Jose Padin, who tries to understand her motives. He thinks she is using Daniel’s lust for attractive women. Meanwhile, Padins suspects Samuel is exposing their secrets to the police. So, they kidnap him to make him spill the beans. By night, he manages to cut his cuffs and get out of the place. But the Padins soon find him. To send a message of their terrorizing presence, they throw him in a hole and add cement inside to trap him.
Maria goes to the police station to talk about the attack on their family café. Muniz (a cop who provides Padins with the intel from his department) tells Padins about her. So, Nilo arrives at the café and threatens to burn it with her inside. Worried by their threat, Berta calls Maria to leave the station immediately. Later, Laura tells Maria to stop seeing Marco. Maria refuses to live in fear like her mother & her grandmother. Subsequently, Daniel takes Ana on another fancy trip to impress her.
Gangs of Galicia (Season 1) Episode 4
After Samuel is found stuck in a cement hole, his wife blames police officer Naranjo (Francesc Garrido) because he made Samuel snitch on the Padins. Marco learns about his family terrorizing Maria & her family. So, he plans to leave the place for good with her. In the past, he hid Nilo’s father’s undocumented, expensive assets in the forest. So, he decides to find and use it for his & Maria’s future finances. Later that night, Muniz follows Maria as she meets Marco and takes their photos. He informs Nilo about it, who questions Tono why he didn’t keep an eye on the kid.
Naranjo’s wife is hoping to leave their hellhole of a town and move to Madrid. Naranjo says he will do that once he imprisons the Padins. But she doesn’t believe him. Nilo & Tono keep terrorizing the locals for not doing things to feed their greed. While Ana deals with these matters, her mother shows up in the town to warn her against staying there. Teresa worries Ana will die working there. Meanwhile, a cop bugs the Padins’ boat to get more intel. Naranjo threatens Ana’s secretary, Rosa, to reveal details of her work for the Padins. On the other hand, while Marco & Maria find the hidden treasure, Nilo finds them.
Gangs of Galicia (Season 1) Episode 5
A local reporter follows Jose Padin in his garage and secretly shoots a video of him blabbering against the cops. It worries his clan members as they start gearing up for their next mission. Meanwhile, Rosa follows Naranjo’s orders and bugs Ana’s office to offer him intel on her discussions with the Padins. Soon after, she meets Ana outside Laura’s café and ends up telling the truth about Naranjo’s threat. While they speak, Samuel arrives there with a shotgun to take revenge against the Padins. He shoots Samuel and starts looking for Daniel & Nilo. So, Ana calls Daniel to warn him.
By then, Nilo brings Marco & Maria to their house so that Daniel can confront them. After Daniel arrives, Samuel shows up there to shoot him & Nilo. Instead, he ends up killing Maria & shooting Daniel in the leg. Marco blames himself for Maria’s death. Ana tries to absolve him from his guilt. After Maria’s funeral, Laura receives a letter from her where she talks about her plans to leave the town for good. Ana meets wounded Daniel in the hospital and agrees to do his job for him. She joins Jose Padin in a secluded house to learn about their mission.
Padins’ Plans
Jose Padin sends Ana to Africa to take care of his new plan. He also hires some people to keep an eye on her to ensure that she doesn’t run away. After getting discharged, Daniel meets Berta to apologize. Berta thinks Daniel should have done something better with his life. Meanwhile, Laura meets guilt-struck Marco and tells him to lead his life in a better manner even if Maria is not with him. Later, she joins Naranjo in his mission to take down the Padins’ empire as an act of revenge against them for killing Maria.
Gangs of Galicia (Season 1) Episode 6
Struck by guilt of his actions, Daniel plans to suddenly change his life and lead it with Ana. He professes his love for her and she doesn’t know how to respond. She calls her mother and cryptically asks for advice about an unlikely person she has fallen in love with. So, her mother can only cryptically advise her. Despite Laura’s good-meaning suggestion, ambitionless Marco decides to choose the criminal path with Nilo.
While Laura helps Naranjo with his investigation, Muniz follows her. She evades him and meets Naranjo to speak with him. Later, Muniz shows up at Laura’s café to intimidate her. Once she returns to the kitchen, he follows her and tries to choke her to death. Berta arrives there in time to stab him with a knife to save Laura’s life. Meanwhile, Padins’ ex-attorney, Nazario, learns about Ana’s past about her father’s death. So, he shows up at her mother’s house.
Gangs of Galicia (Season 1) ) Episode 7 ‘Netflix’ Ending Explained:
Who was behind the death of Ana’s father?
In the seventh episode of “Gangs of Galicia” on Netflix, the Padins plan for their big operation. As they try to find the snitch between them, Nazario threatens Ana with her mother’s life. Around the same time, Laura calls him for help as a lawyer in their self-defense case. After helping them, Ana arrives at a house to meet and help Daniel’s associates. That’s where she learns crucial details about her father’s death. It turns out Daniel wanted to kill Ana’s father after he learned Ana’s father had spoken against his father. But before he could seek revenge, Jose Padin’s men killed Ana’s father.
Ana notices one of Daniel’s associates in the house and recognizes him as her father’s murderer (having seen the security footage from the time of his death). So, she secretly escapes the house and drives to her mother. While she is on the way, Daniel & Marco get arrested by the cops after Daniel learns about Ana’s betrayal. Soon after, other Padins get arrested as well. Months later, Naranjo moves to Madrid with his wife. Meanwhile, Ana returns to Cambados to meet Daniel in prison. She reveals that she is pregnant with his child. They try to grapple with their reality and their unclear future.
Gangs of Galicia (Season 1) ) ‘Netflix’ Review:
“Gangs of Galicia” is an overlong, tedious show filled with genre tropes and infused with a needless romance arc that does not help its central plot of a revenge thriller in any significant way. The script deviates from its core quite often and turns into a mess with no clear direction. This is particularly depressing considering the acting talent it has on board. Some of its cast has worked on some wonderful projects in the past. So, it feels sad to see their talent being wasted in this convoluted mess.
Like many other Netflix projects, the worst part about “Gangs of Galicia” seems like its association with Netflix! The Netflix-alization of all such shows has ruined so many promising premises that could have worked with better scripts. As a Netflix series, it seems mandatory to have a steamy sex scene with a catchy pop track, even if it hinders the pace of the narration. It feels even more bothersome since the pair has no romantic chemistry to begin with.
Even the script doesn’t care enough about giving enough reasons to buy into their mutual attraction beyond its ‘fancy’ trips. After all the time, you hardly care for any character since they keep acting like chameleons with no moral ground whatsoever. Only the character arcs of Laura & Berta or that of Officer Naranjo seem promising. But the series reduces it to mere cliches and turns it into another forgettable crime thriller in its gigantic catalog.
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