Néboa: (My rating: 4+)

From Galicia, something dark and beautiful

Néboa, from the Spanish Broadcasting Corporation (RTVE), a bit dark, somewhat intense and quite beautiful. The eight episode series on PBS Walter Presents follows an investigation into a strange series of murders. These take place during the week of the local version of the traditional Galician entroido (carnival) on an island off the coast of Galicia. The first murder has the hallmarks of two previous series of deaths attributed by locals to a wolf-headed man called the Urco. The previous deaths occurred in units of five so the small village of Néboa is ready for more. Detective Mónica Ortiz, from the investigative arm of the Spanish Civil Guard, arrives to lead the inquiry. The team includes local Detective Carmela Souto and the very able Sargento Viqueira.

Detective Ortiz brings along her 17 years old daughter, who has just gone through a difficult split with her abusive boyfriend. They stay in the island’s lone hotel, where Ortiz gets mildly drunk with the local priest after her first day on the job. The island – which is a fictionalized piece of the striking Galician coast – is controlled by a rich family responsible for the island’s economic mainstay, catching and processing sardines. Nobody likes the patron, who is not a nice man at all. A young girl is the first victim after a party that included alcohol and drugs. Suspects include her male friends and the lecherous patron.

I have been fascinated by Galicia ever since I discovered some years ago that I could talk to my barber at the time in Portuguese. He was Galician and spoke Galego. Both languages derived from Galician–Portuguese, spoken during the Middle Ages in the northwestern corner of Iberia from the Douro Valley north. (At first, I found watching Néboa somewhat confusing as I was distracted by following the spoken language while trying to keep up with the English subtitles.) The scenes of the Galician coast reminded me of the western coast of Ireland. Interestingly, some Galician traditions – including music – go back to the original Celtic inhabitants that the Romans called Gallaeci.

The effort to find the killer before the deaths mount up plays out amid the complex personal and familial dynamics of everyone involved. There is also the hint of drug trafficking. The ending is very powerful.

The violence in the show can be grim but suggested more than shown. Worth watching, I rate it 4 plus.

Note: the photo above is from the opening scenes.