‘The Playing Card Killer’ Netflix Series Review - The Most Terrifying Incident of Spain

Imagine living in a place where you couldn’t walk alone without being scared for your life. This was the atmosphere created by The Playing Card Killer aka Alfredo Galán Sotillo. With a total of three episodes having an average duration of 50 minutes, this documentary series brings the cold murders committed “just for fun” by Alfredo Galán Sotillo into the public eye.

The first episode of the documentary starts by telling the audience that this was the most important case in Spain. Many victims, psychologists, police officers, and others have come here to reveal the horrifying incidents that took place in Madrid. A killer who leaves playing cards at the crime scenes made the people of Madrid worry for their safety. February 5, 2003, was the day that the first case of a 28-year-old man was registered. He was found dead and was a mere cleaner. No motives could be found despite the repetitive efforts of various crime journalists and police officers. An ace of cups was found near his leg, and various theories were now being made. However, this wasn’t The Playing Card Killer’s first kill. Alfredo Galán’s first victim was Juan, a 50-year-old man who was killed in front of his son. The first episode is about all the crimes done by Alfredo.

The second continues by telling the tales of his crimes and how the officials were trying their best to catch him. In the mid of the second episode, it is revealed that Alfredo Galán Sotillo came to the police station himself and confessed his crimes. The third episode is majorly about his trial in which he repeatedly denied or accepted his acts and was finally sentenced to jail.

The way The Playing Card Killer documentary balanced its screen time was good. They paid equal emphasis on how the crimes started, the investigation, the confession, and the trial. All the aspects of this real-life story have been given their due time. Much real footage like that of the trial and crime scenes have been included which made it easier for the audience to understand the incident in great detail. Also, many people who were directly and indirectly affected by the crimes committed by Alfredo Galán Sotillo have been brought in front of the camera to give their real-life testimonies. It was heart-wrenching to watch the victims have suicidal thoughts or the children of the victim suffering from PTSD.

There’s a very important line said in this documentary and that is that the victims will be forgotten over time, but The Playing Card Killer will always be remembered. The trial of Alfredo Galán Sotillo took a very long time to give a final verdict and this was an injustice to the victims. Most of the people who are watching or have already watched this Netflix documentary will agree that he deserved a more severe and long punishment. There’s also a Psychologist on the discussion panel of this series, and she says that the effect of the absence of one parent or coming from a household with a strict parent also has a severe effect on the mentality of the child however, this doesn’t justify the crimes committed by Alfredo Galán.

Final Score – [7/10]
Reviewed by - Riya Singh
Follow @_riyasinghhh_ on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times