With a total of seven episodes, the series Gangs of Galicia stands weak. Until five episodes passed there was not much drama and the plot was entangled in itself. It is only in the 6th and 7th episodes that we witness things getting intense.
Ana came to the hub of gangs to know the real story behind the life lived by her father there and why he escaped it. She never thought that she would fall in love with the son of the enemy itself. After her father died, the will was announced and he left some assets to a family that Ana and Teresa (daughter and mother) didn't know about. Letting her curiosity take control of her, Ana moves to a city where that family lives only to find out that they are her stepmother and step-sister.
Working as a lawyer in the new city that her father Silva inhabited in the past, Ana kept her identity hidden regarding who her father was and why she came to this new place from Madrid. Initially, she was working behind the covers, and in reality, the woman had no idea how to get to the bottom of the story and take her revenge. I don't even think that he was there to get her revenge and the girl was confused about things rather than about being damn sure about what she wants to achieve. There are many detours that don't do justice to the potential Gangs of Galicia.
Slowly she was noticed by Daniel, the son of the drug lord Silva (her father), and sent to jail. It's not revealed till the end why he ratted Padin (the head of the drug-selling gang) out. Many questions are left unanswered which itch the audience and it's fair too. Not only did we get a poor plot but the expectations of unravelling something greater too turned into disappointment. Until the very last scene I wanted to see the rage in Ana or even the fights that happen in a drug cartel however what we're shown is too bland compared to the expectations.
The Police were behind this gang for a very long time and Naranjo was heading the team. They didn't find any evidence of success despite following the family for many years. The officers were corrupted and that's how the Padin’s everytime escaped being caught.
Gangs of Galicia with its opening episode set the bar of expectations high and what followed was a spoiled mood. Each episode has a duration of more than forty minutes and doing the maths, it doesn't justify the time one will spend watching it. The ending episode does give you an adrenaline rush about what'll happen next yet as usual no big twist comes out.
It was already revealed in the fifth or sixth episode about who is going to take this gang down so, the fun element of surprise too is snatched from us. There are many things going around in the show and it majorly focuses on the Padin family and its relatives fight for money. Poor Marco and his love story will leave your heart aching.
Even Daniel and Ana needed more time and frame to showcase their electrifying chemistry. If there was a thing I was desperately waiting for, it was their union as they always seemed fit for each other. The writers fail here too and give us a doomed relationship. Talking about acting, I think everyone has done a fair job of keeping our eyes on the screen except the writers.
Gangs of Galicia could've been a great watch and what ruins it is the improper way of telling the story to the audience. Had the elements been placed right and some hidden, a lot could've been achieved. The writers rather focused on trivial matters which took up enough screen time and wasted the episodes.
Final Score – [5/10]
Reviewed by - Riya Singh
Follow @_riyasinghhh_ on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times
Note: All 7 episodes are screened for this review.
Premiere Date: June 21, 2024, on Netflix