The new Spanish crime drama series released on Netflix, Gangs of Galicia also known as Clanes, is the story of hardened criminals running a drug smuggling business in the Galicia region of Spain. Starring Clara Lago and Tamar Novas in the lead roles, the series is about a woman’s shocking discovery about the secrets of her deceased father’s life and the consequences that follow. Gangs of Galicia relies a bit too much on the plot’s need to convince viewers of its shaky plot points, which does not ultimately work in its favor. Despite having seven episodes, which is one shorter than the usual Netflix norm of eight, the Spanish series feels too stretched and uninteresting at times, making it only a very average watch.
The plot is centered around a lawyer named Ana Soriano, played by Clara Lago, whose skill and determination in her profession have her working for one of the most prestigious law firms in Madrid. Ana is the only daughter of her parents, Jorge and Teresa, and she shares a close bond with them, especially with her father. However, her life is turned upside down one day when Jorge is mysteriously killed by a tourist couple on his boat while he was giving them a ride in the sea, which happened to be his profession. No information about this couple can be found by the police when they start an investigation, and Jorge’s murder remains unsolved even after two months. Ana and her mother cannot stop thinking about the matter, though, as they cannot imagine why anyone would hurt the gentle and well-mannered Jorge. But things take a different turn when the man’s lawyer reads out his last will to the family members, and a rather suspicious matter is mentioned in it.
While Jorge had left his property and boat to his partner and daughter, there was also a secret personal account that he used to maintain for all these years. It is clearly mentioned in his will that the money held in this account is to be transferred to the accounts of two women living in the Pontevedra region of Galicia. The instruction is also to not let the women know who sent them the money, and the transfer is to be carried out in such a manner that it should appear like an anonymous donation. Ana is naturally very confused by this whole situation, but a shocking possibility soon starts to make its way into her mind. As she searches the internet for any news about her father, her worst fears are confirmed, as it is revealed that her father has been living a completely secretive life. Jorge was once involved in a drug gang in the northwestern part of Spain, and he had also been under witness protection after he had supposedly turned against his very own gang members. Unable to accept all this new information, Ana decides to quit her job in Madrid and move to Pontevedra in order to find out more about the man she so lovingly knew as her father.
The first major flaw in Gangs of Galicia lies in this very premise, as it is not convincing at all. The only sense of connection between Ana and her father that we see at the beginning of the series is through a phone call that she makes following a professional success. While this is probably enough to establish that the father and daughter have a healthy bond between them, it is just not adequate to explain Ana’s decisions following his death. She upends her settled life in Madrid, showing complete disregard for her professional situation by leaving the job, and travels to Pontevedra only to search for her father’s secrets. Perhaps the most reasonable reaction to knowing about a loved one’s secret criminal life from more than twenty years ago would be to let it be and just grieve their loss in a normal manner. But, of course, reason would not drive such action-packed shows, and therefore, Ana gets involved in a life of crime herself only for the sake of her father, whose presence for a little more time would have made things more convincing.
Such is Ana’s desperation that she gets neck-deep into the operations of the drug gang run by the Padin family in the small town of Cambados. She even travels to foreign countries and is understandably spooked upon realizing that people are following her around, but she still does not give up on her personal mission. At some point in the narrative, Gangs of Galicia acknowledges that the plot about finding out about the dead father will not be enough to motivate Ana to take such measures, and so it introduces the romantic relationship between the protagonist and the heir of the Padin gang. Daniel Padin, played by Tamar Novas, is the heir and current leader of the criminal gang, and while he is smitten by Ana from the very get-go, the protagonist’s attraction slowly develops with time. However, there is a lack of chemistry between the couple, and their supposed strong bond is restricted to the informative level, with none of it actually felt.
Amidst the serious negatives, something that works overwhelmingly in favor of the series are the beautiful locations and landscapes that form the backdrop to the plot. The calm and serene coastal region of Galicia remains entirely as a backdrop, though, with no aspect of culture or custom getting transferred to the narrative. In this respect, the makers clearly wanted to make their story universal, which can play out in any coastal part of the world, and the Spanish locations are seemingly kept only for the natural visuals. The action scenes are also quite well done in the show, and there are often some thrilling moments, particularly when a wronged man decides to take matters into his own hands. Another positive that I personally found in this Netflix series is the ending, which does not magically absolve the crimes of the characters but instead brings them to justice, at least in some way.
Overall, Gangs of Galicia does feel a bit too drab and stretched at times, and the unconvincing character motivations also become a distraction. Someone looking for a crime-related action series might still find it entertaining, but the series is otherwise quite skippable.
