Someone Has to Die Season 1 Episode 1 Recap – “Release the Prey”

By Daniel Hart
Published: October 17, 2020 (Last updated: November 23, 2023)
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Someone Has to Die Season 1 Recap - Netflix Limited Series
Someone Has to Die Season 1 Promo Image Courtesy of Netflix
3.5

Summary

The opening chapter of this 3-episode series builds up the characters quickly and brings in strong themes that are easily readable for the audience.

This recap of Netflix series Someone Has to Die Season 1 Episode 1, “Release the Prey” contains significant spoilers.

We recapped the entire limited series — checked out the archives.


The opening

Someone Has to Die is based in Spain in the 1950s. There’s a real sense of wealth in this story that presents a family very much engrained in traditions and business building.

It begins with Cayetana at a shooting range and she’s talking about Gabino returning; she tells Alonso, “Imagine if I marry him”. Alonso seems irritated at this prospect as he carries on shooting. Gabino returns and his mother Mina is relieved as they embrace. He introduces his friend Lázaro. The scene flits to Gabino’s father who wants a reassignment to expand a shoe company. There’s this feeling of wealthy versus poor in these scenes.

We plan to travel

Gabino’s grandma offers Gabino a cigarette from abroad as the tobacco in Spain is awful, apparently. She shows him a German-made rifle. His father walks through the door and they are happy to see each other. The scene then moves at a pace to the family dinner. Cayetana asks Gabino what Mexico is like — he tells his family he and Lázaro plan to travel to Paris before going back to Mexico. It’s then revealed that Lázaro is a ballet dancer.

The father is not happy

As the night falls, Gabino tells Lázaro that his grandfather died in an accident when younger. Meanwhile, the father is annoyed at his son bringing his friend. He then rapes his wife Mina. In the middle of the night, the wife gets up and sees Lázaro practising ballet.

Get a job and yet married

Family traditions are clearly strong but it’s evident that Gabino wants a different life, way different from what his father wants. The tensions increase with each scene in episode 1.

The next day, Gabino’s father and grandma tell him of a job opportunity; they explain that he cannot go traveling and it’s time to grow up. They recommend that he takes a job and marries Cayetana but he’s not happy with this, claiming he doesn’t know her very well. Afterward, Gabino lays on the bed and his mother hugs him.

An old friend

The family then go shooting. Gabino bumps into Alonso and there’s a tension between them. There’s clearly a history here but Alonso is in no mood for small talk. Alonso asks about the Mexican Lázaro before walking off — we are embarking on a story of suppressed male characters who cannot act romantically with each other due to the crippling and discriminatory times. Afterward, Lázaro explains that he isn’t going to Paris without Gabino. The pair talk options and Gabino even brings up the prospect of Lázaro opening his own dance academy.

Too much drink

Lázaro plays some Mexican music and they dance. The women join them. They head outside to drink. Cayetana offers Lázaro alcohol who claims he doesn’t drink. She tells him to try it and the others encourage him. Alonso tells Cayetana that the party is over and he’s taking his sister home. There’s a brief argument but then the party splits up.

Lázaro is very drunk and Gabino helps him back to his room. Alonso watches from a distance. When Gabino gets Lázaro to his room, his mother helps him get undressed and into bed.

The ending

Gabino tries to get a job the next day at a shoe company and he has to convince Alonso. There’s still a gulf between them in the interview. Gabino brings up how Alonso isn’t over them. Alonso tells him that Spain is a pure country and there’s no place for people like him — he then tells Gabino that this job isn’t for him.

Mina visits her husband at work she tells him that Gabino is not ready for work and she suggests going to Mexico with him for a few weeks. Her husband rules it out completely.

There’s something that the mother knows and hopefully, this story is fleshed out in the next two chapters.

While out drinking, Cayetana and Lázaro end up kissing and Gabino is fuming as he drives them. He tells Cayetana to get out and then tries kissing Lázaro who is annoyed and walks out. When Gabino returns home, he tells his father that he’ll never be the man he wants him to be.

The opening chapter of this 3-episode series builds up the characters quickly and brings in strong themes that are easily readable for the audience.

Additional points
  • The head maid Rosario asks Mina for help after a family member is going to be transferred to prison.

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