# Someone Has to Die (2020)

> A 1950s Spanish family summons their son home to meet his fiancée, only to be shocked when he arrives with a ballet dancer.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/88539

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 3
- Episode runtime: 50 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama
- Created by: Manolo Caro
- Network: Netflix
- Cast: Ernesto Alterio, Carmen Maura, Carlos Cuevas, Alejandro Speitzer, Cecilia Suárez, Isaac Hernández, Ester Expósito, Mariola Fuentes
- TMDB rating: 6.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10311932/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: melancholic, tense, claustrophobic, wry, sincere

## What critics say

Audiences found the miniseries a stylish, emotionally charged period drama, though its mixed audience reception reflects a divided response to its melodrama and dark turns.

## Synopsis

Someone Has to Die (2020) is a Mexican and Spanish co-produced period drama miniseries created by Manolo Caro for Netflix. Across three episodes of roughly fifty minutes each, a conservative couple, Gregorio (Ernesto Alterio) and Amparo (Carmen Maura), plan a formal introduction for their son Alonso (Carlos Cuevas) to his intended bride. Their carefully staged family gathering in 1950s Spain, under the Franco regime, unravels when he arrives with a ballet dancer instead. The engine of the story is the tension between appearances and private truth, as each household member tries to protect reputation while concealing their own desires and resentments. Episodes unfold as tightly staged chamber scenes in a single house and during a train journey, building a mounting sense of dread and claustrophobia. Its tone blends melancholic sincerity with sharp, wry humor and quiet menace. Atmosphere and emotional register matter as much as plot, with richly detailed period costume and interior design. Fans of The Crown, Almodóvar's intimate character studies, and Gran Hotel will find resonance in its portrait of mid-century family secrecy and social repression.

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