'Cable Girls' Final Season: Netflix's first Spanish original gets fitting send-off as the women take brave leaps
Spoilers for 'Cable Girls' Season 5B
After more than three years, Netflix's first Spanish original series, 'Cable Girls' aka 'Las Chicas del Cable' has come to an end. While it may not have been as explosive as 'Money Heist' or 'Elite', 'Cable Girls' was impactful when it came to international television. Featuring five women as the lead characters, where the men play second fiddles, the period drama put the focus on the women through two decades of Spanish history between the two World Wars.
The final five episodes of the series, which were just released, are a testament to that. It was shown when Carlos (Martino Rivas) was killed in the first part of the final season released previously. It was shown when both Francisco (Yon Gonzalez) and Pablo (Nico Romero), though vital characters, never took the spotlight away from those whose stories the show really wanted to tell -- the titular cable girls.
Lidia (Blanca Suarez), Marga (Nadia De Santiago), Carlota (Ana Fernandez), and Oscar (Ana Polvorosa) have come a long way since we first met them. Lidia was a con artist, Marga was too afraid to stand up for what she believed in, Carlota was a spoilt heiress, and Oscar was Sara, who was afraid to be who they really wanted to be. They grew over the past five seasons, especially when tragedy struck when their colleague and friend, Angeles (Maggie Civantos) died when the girls broke Carlota out of prison.
They say history is told by the victor, and often, history is told by men -- the roles women play often get forgotten and even pushed aside in favor of the men. Which is why many found it hard to accept that the Vikings had women as warriors as well. As such, the women in 'Cable Girls' may be fictional, but there are grains of truth in each of them. We know this because women continue to fight for equal rights and justice in many parts of the world. Of course, this is not just relegated to women, but also non-binary and transgender people.
In giving Sofia (Denisse Peña) a larger role, 'Cable Girls' also passes it on to the next generation. We have no doubt that Angeles's daughter, and Eva, Lidia's daughter will continue to play the roles their mothers played in whatever follows in the fictional world. That said, perhaps Netflix could focus on a spinoff tailored around these girls. While the creators tried to give a befitting and epic end the series, longtime fans may feel a little incomplete.
Of course, before it ended, 'Cable Girls' tried to give as much as it could -- some amazing moments between Pablo and Marga who now have a beautiful boy, the same for Francisco and Lidia, Oscar being able to live as who he wants to be, Sofia getting a semblance of happy ending with Felipe (Raúl Merida), and of course, Carmen's (Concha Velasco) tragic end.
We also appreciate the show's decision to end the visuals on the women facing their enemies bravely, rather than them being taken down. It gives a powerful image to fans, and an inspiring one to remember as they face their own trials and tribulations.
All episodes of 'Cable Girls' are now streaming on Netflix.