I’ve been unlucky when it comes to Spanish-language shows over the years that I’ve been doing this job. I would like to clarify, I’m not anti-Latin-American crime thrillers; it’s just that there’s a very typical format that the ones on Netflix follow, and none of them have been anything but forgettable. However, Time Flies is a breath of fresh air, flawed as it may be. The show follows two friends fresh out of prison, parolees, as Netflix describes them, who decide to start a fumigation business together to get back into the world. However, they suddenly get caught up in a mess because one of their clients blackmails one of them to buy poison for her. This then turns an almost light-hearted comedy-appearing show into a series of unfortunate events that lead up to something entertaining, from where I’m standing.
In Time Flies, the pacing is very here and there, and for one second, you feel like you’re in the present, while the very next, you’re in the past. The 6-part series has short episodes, so maybe that’s what makes it all feel a little bit disconnected. But this doesn’t mean it’s all pointless. There’s definitely something interesting going on here, and I can say with confidence that there’s nothing stereotypically Netflix-y about this show, which I think might be my favorite part about it after the whole “women” thing. What I mean by this is, the structure of the show, the aesthetic, and the way it’s arranged make it very distinct from anything I’ve seen before, and not just from Latin America. I do think this makes the show a little hard to understand and a little bit needlessly convoluted in parts, but ultimately, the answers are all there, so you just need to be patient and get to the end.
Time Flies is mainly about women taking charge of their lives. It’s about Manca and Ines, two women who went to prison. But the main incident that triggers the events of the show is Ines killing her husband’s mistress. Don’t worry, this is not a spoiler, because it’s revealed in the first 3-5 minutes of the show. But the whys of it all come our way slowly and deliberately much later. The show isn’t easy to swallow either, because it’s got some really complicated themes it’s trying to deal with, mainly motherhood and, in a sense, queerness. The show apparently adapts two novels by the same author that are meant to be a duology into one series. So it uses the first book for flashbacks and the second as the present-day plot of the show, which I found quite interesting. That’s a lot to pack into 3 hours; some movies are longer. But I think this contributed to making the pacing so darn confusing. Still, I thought it was quite an interesting adaptation nonetheless.
Carla Peterson is very believable as Ines, and despite whatever she’s done, you immediately know you’re on her side because we love a well-rounded, flawed character. Especially if they’re women (or maybe only if they’re women). To be fair, I think Time Flies is about the consequences of doing a bad thing, so it’s not like she walks away scott-free, but there’s something pitiful about her, so you can’t help but feel like you need to support her actions over those of other people. She is, after all, the main character here. On the other hand, Nancy Dupláa plays Manca, and despite not knowing anything about Argentinian TV or cinema, I can immediately tell she’s a seasoned actress. The two women have great chemistry, and they really feel like best friends as time passes.
Visually, the show is quite unique and almost looks vintage because it has this hazy effect for a lot of it. It’s definitely warmer than a lot of shows we’ve seen recently, especially when it comes to the crime thriller genre, but that’s what I genuinely liked about it. As a whole, the aesthetic of the show is unique and appealing.
When it comes to international shows and cinema, I’m immediately more intrigued because, for one, I feel like I’ve been watching Hollywood long enough that it usually doesn’t feel new. But when it comes to media from other countries, in other languages, the cultural relevance immediately piques my interest. Sure, it might well be a copy of a popular Hollywood film, but it will definitely feel different because there’s something culturally unique about it, which immediately draws me in. This is one of those shows that can feel overwhelmingly Argentinian. I think something definitely gets lost in translation, but without sounding too repetitive, it’s undeniably unusual.
The main conflict of Time Flies certainly feels a little bit lost by the time we get there, but I don’t think it matters that much, because the journey there is interesting, to say the least. I can’t say it’s the best show you’ll ever see, but I can definitely see that it’ll keep you guessing from start to finish. If that’s something that you’re looking for, then this is a good show for you. But if you have trouble with slower pacing and non-linear storytelling—well, in this case, dedicating an entire episode to flashbacks—then you might not like it very much at all.
At the end of the day, Time Flies is a mixed bag that can be a hit or miss depending on what you like. Still, it’ll definitely make you wonder what’s going on, which, for a crime show, is pretty great. There are aspects of comedy and an interesting pacing to the whole thing, which might keep you interested for sure. While I can’t say I thoroughly enjoyed it, I can’t deny the technical prowess of it all. So, I’d give Time Flies 3 out of 5 stars for being different and trying something new.
