****½
Samuel finds himself in 1977 after being involved in a traffic accident and is made to work alongside a man with much different values in order to make his way back to 2009 Madrid.
It needs to be said that I don't speak a word of Spanish, and though I tried desperately to find a subtitled version of this episode, I simply could not do it. Instead I chose to watch the episode in Spanish, with little hope of understanding what was being said, and found that the action largely spoke for itself. Certainly there are moments that I missed out on completely, but I feel that the direction of this episode allowed it to stand largely on it's own, and the emotions these actors convey are so great that the events of the story translate themselves fairly well.
Samuel Santos (Ernesto Alterio), convinced that he's died and trapped in the afterlife, begins questioning the very nature of everything around him, asking Pilar (Mamen Duch) if she's dead, if they're in Hell, and jabbing at her to make sure she's real. In the process of trying to understand his situation, he begins bouncing ideas off of Cris (Javier Rey), eventually becoming so convinced that the only way back to his own life is to die once more. Confronted by a suspect during an investigation, Samuel comes to think that, in encouraging him to shoot Samuel, he might be sent home, after which Quin (Antonio Garrido) beats him repeatedly in order to make sure that he knows that this is real, that he's alive. Samuel later returns to the tunnel where his journey began and sees a bright light at the other end; he runs toward it, thinking it's his gateway home, but instead he finds that it's just the headlights of a car, and whatever hope he had quickly fades away. Samuel is a very introspective person, and the conclusions he draws are perfectly understandable, making him a very real person in a very strange situation.
Ana's (Manuela Velasco) main role in this outing is the treatment of Samuel's wounds, coming to his aide numerous times during the story and allowing him a chance to really bond with her on a personal level. Samuel reveals to Ana that he's from the future, and though she tries to humor him, it's clear in her expression, despite her attempts to laugh and nod, that she's afraid of him; she assures him that she doesn't think he's crazy, but she is worried for his safety. While presenting the case to the rest of the department, Samuel asks Ana for her opinion on the criminal mind, and the two of them keep bouncing ideas off of one another, making strides toward an answer, until Raimundo (Mariano Llorente) mocks her, at which point she retreats. Samuel is the only man in the department that treats Ana as a real person, and it's because of this that she warms to him so quickly even in moments when she thinks he's dangerous to be around. As Samuel climbs to the roof, contemplating a leap to his death, it's Ana that talks him down, and the final shot of their hands grasping for one another perfectly sums up their relationship. Even though Ana doesn't believe him, she does care for him, and in this situation that's exactly what he needs in order to gather the strength to do what he must.
The age difference between Samuel and Quin is much closer than that of their British counterparts Sam (John Simm) and Gene (Philip Glenister). It creates a much different dynamic between the two characters, and while that's not necessarily a bad thing, it does rob Quin of much of his authority and makes the two of them seem more like rivals than anything else. At one point Quin throws Sam out of an interview for undermining his authority, and later the two are seen arguing over a potential lead with the rest of the department watching intently to see which of them will win, at which point Quin is made to sheepishly admit defeat and allow Samuel to follow his lead under the pretense that any resulting failure is on him and him alone. Samuel eventually brings in the mother of a suspect, upsetting her almost immediately, and it's Quin who recognizes his improper approach, taking over and being the one to calm her down and get answers. The two seem like their in constant competition with one another, and despite Quin's higher rank, he doesn't appear to get any more respect than Samuel, which seems to shift the loyalty of Quin's people a little sooner than it probably should.
At one point Samuel wanders down to the prisoner cells and points a gun at his suspect, threatening to kill him thinking that in doing so he will correct the future where his girlfriend was kidnapped and be able to go back home. Quin arrives, taking the suspect out of the cell, and challenging Samuel to kill him, assuming that Samuel will see the light and try to bring him proper justice, but in doing so Cris ends up under attack, and Samuel nearly gets killed. I understand that Quin's trying to make a point, trying to snap Samuel back to reality, but he does so in such an irresponsible way that it's almost incomprehensible, making it all the more understandable that the loyalties of his people might be so easily swayed.
The cast do a great job of conveying emotion here, and they make it incredibly easy to follow the action without speaking the language. Alterio, in particular, seems very capable of carrying the series, and his chemistry with both Garrido and Velasco seem very good.
Directors Ignacio Mercero and Alvaro Ron do a great job of exploring a man out of time, the gravity of which is displayed in the opening moments as Samuel breaks the forth wall and explains his situation directly to the audience, the camera slowly closing in on him to create a sense of despair, of being trapped, and the expression on his face really says it all. In 2009 the police drive toward a crime scene, a sequence that plays out silently to an instrumental music, and the action only really starts as Samuel chases down a suspect on foot, done very realistically without any extraordinary maneuvers, but remaining nail-biting never-the-less. As Samuel drives through the tunnel his car malfunctions completely, from the engine to the dashboard, and he's forced to get out of the car, his confusion building already from this situation, but more so when he wakes up in the world of 1977 Madrid. The reality of what's happened only really hits Samuel when he notices his reflection and finally sees that even his clothes have changed, finding his badge and seeing that he suddenly belongs to the world of 1977. Sitting at his desk Samuel watches his co-workers, paranoid, the music playing in time with the typing of the typewriter, and he has a moment where he thinks he has gone genuinely insane. This show takes it's time, never feelings rushed to get anywhere, but everything it takes the time to show has some kind of impact on either the story or the characters that makes it worthwhile. One of the most interesting choices, in my opinion, is that every time Samuel hears a voice from 2009 over the radio, or through the phone, it is revealed moments later to be a dream, making it questionable whether or not this is playing out in his head or his reality.
The script, as written by Darío Madrona, largely follows the action of "Blowin' in the Wind", the first episode of the original series. Quin and Raimundo discuss their case and Samuel very quickly recognizes the elements similar to his case from 2009, taking charge of the investigation and believing that solving it will allow him to return home. Samuel is quick to berate Cris, first as he contaminates the crime scene with his food, and later when he misunderstands Samuel's instruction and checks the wounds directly on the corpse rather than in the autopsy report. Samuel's mentoring of Cris is set up very well here, as Cris seems genuinely interested in becoming a better cop, and Samuel is keen to work with someone that will actually listen to him.
Samuel's journey home has only just begun, and try as they might to convince him that this is his reality, it's likely that he's going to keep returning to that tunnel until he manages to get back to 2009. Though I couldn't understand the words being said, I still found myself wanting to see more from this series, so clearly it struck a chord with me.
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