Burning Body: Season 1 – Review and Summary

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“Burning Body” General Information

Created By	Laura Sarmiento Pallarés
Release Date (Netflix)	September 8, 2023
Genre(s)	CrimeDrama Thriller Non-English (Spanish)
Noted Characters
Rosa	Úrsula Corberó
Albert	Quim Gutiérrez
Javi	Isak Férriz
Ester	Eva Llorach
Pedro	José Manuel Poga

Plot Summary

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“Burning Body” is Netflix’s telenovela adaptation of Rosa Peral’s murder case and trial, yet very little is creatively explored about who Rosa Peral is. The eight-episode miniseries burns through its scandalous moments in a fun and fiery fashion, but when the fun stops, “Burning Child” makes the odd and frustrating choice of repeating what was previously shown for the last three episodes. “Burning Child” may be a spicy melodrama, but it makes for boring law and order.

Based on a true story, “Burning Body” stars Úrsula Corberó as Rosa, a woman enduring the loss of her boyfriend, Pedro, after his burned body was found in a car. Rosa is in the middle of a custody battle with her ex-husband Javi (Isak Férriz), trying to ignore the flirtations of her co-worker Albert (Quim Gutiérrez), and searching for her fiancé Pedro (José Manuel Poga), when a detective informs her that Pedro’s body has been found. Rosa is a mess. Or so it seems.

But as the investigation into who killed Pedro develops, the detective, Ester (Eva Llorach), unravels a web of lies, toxic relationships, violence, and sex scandals involving many police officers. Rosa is in the middle of it all as her scheme to frame her ex-husband falls apart. Soon, the lies Rosa told to protect herself hurt everyone who cared about her.

“Burning Body” jumps back and forth through time, showing every man that Rosa falls in love with and every time she breaks their heart. While this is covered in the first four episodes, one may wonder why the series continues for another four. Viewers are, unfortunately, given more insight into the men in Rosa’s life than Rosa herself. Since “Burning Child” refuses to dive deeper under the surface about why Rosa committed murder and what she felt through the process, “Burning Child” is left to fizzle out and feel like shallow content meant to just burn time.

Review

Our Rating:  Mixed (Stick Around)

Who Is This For?

Fans of soap operas, telenovelas, and adaptations of real scandals might enjoy “Burning Body.”

Notable Performances, Moments, or Episodes

Anticipated Episodes: 1.1, “The Reservoir,” sets up the premise and mystery of the show. 1.2, “Two Rosas” gives insight into the crime. 1.7, “May 1st, 2017” shows how the crime unfolded.

Highlights

A Commitment to Outrageousness Displayed by Those Meant to Serve and Protect

For those who don’t know the story, every bad choice made in “Burning Body” is made by a cop. While any human is fallible, you can’t help but question if you’re watching a comedy as multiple police officers get charged with excessive force, fall in love with Rosa, and are then cheated on by Rosa. The whole situation is the best of what high school has to offer and resembles the type of scandal you can laugh and shake your head at while watching. “Burning Body” knows it’s a melodrama, and part of that drama is so ridiculous that it reinforces that truth is stranger than fiction.

Low Points

Loses Steam Halfway Through

By the end of the first episode, the audience knows Rosa and Albert committed the murders; part of the fun is wondering how they might get caught and why. All of this is revealed by Episode 5. The final three episodes are a chore to get through as the trial doesn’t offer any new insight into the characters, there’s no twist to the case, and no one ever screams at anyone else. It’s too unsatisfying to feel like justice and too long-winded to be shocking when all the shocks are given away at the halfway mark.

On The Fence

No Grasp of Who Rosa is

At the end of “Burning Body,” Rosa claims to her teen daughter that she loves her more than anything else in the world. We rarely see Rosa with her daughter. In fact, it’s difficult to determine when Rosa is really telling the truth when she repeats the same empty phrases and is tight-lipped for the last two episodes. For someone with loving parents and a seemingly pleasant life, we never get to know why Rosa joined the police force, why she lied to her friends, why she decided to murder Pedro and frame Javi. None of the emotions explored before or after Pedro’s murder are strong enough to warrant such a dramatic choice.

What I Hope To See

If “Burning Body” continues, I’m sure Rosa will make another cop fall in love with her in prison.

Recommendations

If you like this show, we recommend:

1. Money Heist
2. A Perfect Story
3. The Vigilante

Check out our TV-Series page for our latest recaps and reviews, as well as recommendations.

FAQs

Has “Burning Body” Been Renewed For Another Season?

As of this writing, “Burning Body” has not been renewed.