The 'Cable Girls' are grown up in Season 5 as the show puts them in the middle of the Spanish Civil War
The previous season of 'Cable Girls (also known as 'Las Chicas del Cable') may have released only a few months ago, but the first part of Season 5 is set quite some time into the future -- seven years to be precise.
At the end of the last season, Angeles had died, Carlota and Oscar had fled to Spain, Marga opened a business with Pablo and Lidia traveled to New York with Eva and Francisco to keep her daughter safe from Carmen, Carlos's mother. She left Carlos only a letter to explain her decision.
The new season picks up with Lidia in New York, but the show does not stay there. Lidia finds a letter from Angeles's daughter, Sofia, that states that she had traveled to Spain to join the militia to fight in the Spanish Civil War.
We learn that Sofia also moved to New York to stay with Francisco and Lidia after her grandmother died. Lidia then goes to Spain to bring Sofia back and we -- through Lidia's eyes -- see how much Madrid and Spain have changed since the onset of the Civil War.
There are frequent bombings, low sources of food and other resources -- but the people are fighting. Lidia is shocked to see how her friends have been living in the middle of the warzone and how they are used to it.
In her quest to find Sofia, she learns that Carlos -- who had disappeared after Carmen died -- is a colonel in the militia and is the one who can help Lidia bring Sofia back. However, Carlos still evidently bitter that Lidia took his daughter away from him, tells Lidia that she can have one daughter back in exchange for another. Lidia refuses to cooperate and she and the girls try to find another way to get to Sofia. In the meantime, they learn that Carlos is a spy for the nationalists and they possess photographs proving the same.
While we see Lidia's struggle to find Sofia, we also see the effects the Civil War is having on Spain. The show also focuses on Sofia who is in a warzone for the first time and trying to grasp what she sees around her. Then there is Pablo who has been drafted to join the Republican Army. He is frightened and does not want to go and is willing to even cripple himself so that he would not have to fight. In the end, he resigns and becomes a soldier.
In the first two episodes of the new season alone, it is quite clear that fans will be tuning in to watch a very different show -- gone are the glamorous and sexy parties, what remains is a country torn apart by a fight that is very much alive in the 21st century.
Knowing this is the final season and the fact that it is set during the Spanish Civil War does not bode well for the characters -- not all could survive, especially considering how the Spanish Civil War ended. The nationalists won and became a precursor to the rise of fascism in Europe.
For fans wondering what the situation between Lidia, Carlos and Francisco is -- there is not much content in the first two episodes. For now, we know that Lidia is very happy with Francisco and that Carlos is shaping up to be the villain -- as hard as that is to believe. We just hope a twist is pulled in the end that reveals Carlos to be a good guy after all.
Fans may know that the actors portraying Lidia, Carlos and Francisco (Blanca Suarez, Martino Rivas, and Yon Gonzalez respectively) were together in another successful show called 'El Internado' that aired from 2007 to 2010. There is yet another cast member from 'El Internado' who is joining 'Cable Girls' this season -- Denisse Peña who played Evelyn is playing Sofia -- Angeles's daughter.
'Cable Girls' was Netflix's first international show and its success probably did influence the slew of international movies and series that have come since -- especially from Spain. 'Cable Girls' continues to offer viewers exciting drama and the first part is set to raise the stakes for the final part that will be released later.
All episodes of 'Cable Girls' Season 5 Part 1 are now airing on Netflix.
