El marginal

I've watched both seasons of this show, and they are excellent. The setting, a decaying prison in Buenos Aires, is raw and violent. But the characters are what really makes this show. The acting is excellent, and the twisting plot full of betrayal, greed, compassion, corruption. The music is great too. Highly recommended.

I watched this due to a recommendation, as I'm not usually interested in prison drama. This is anything but. The characters, plot and script are amazing. As is the acting and direction. I binged the whole 5 seasons in a fortnight, as it's that good. It also has the most unique ending of any series. I'll say nothing more, other that watch this series!

Sensational! Only the second series in subtitles I've ever committed too, the other one is Gomorrah, which is just as good, but completely different and this series is certainly 'different' to anything else I've seen. First class, so many quirky characters that are full of character. One of which is 'Borges' played by 'Claudio Rissi' who seems strangely familiar, he reminds me of Jene Reno (Lèon) at times. He is one of few actors that has made me howl, with just a facial expression, like how Jack Nicholson is able to do so often, in movies like 'As Good As It Gets'. How this guy has got to the age of 67, without being a big, Hollywood, global-type star, can only be down to a language barrier or luck! He'd steal the show, if it wasn't for other great characters that are also in the series, too many to call out, but a particularly quirky one is 'Diosito' played by Nicolas Furtado (looks nothing like Diosito in real life, Google him!) Then there is, cool as you like, 'Antin' played by Gerardo Romano.

I'm an English viewer, I speak no Spanish and I wouldn't change this to English if I could! It's fine as it is. The subtitles were perfect, the script isn't so fast you miss anything in the scenes whilst reading and yet, being on Netflix, if you do miss anything, you can hit the 'skip back 15secs' button and catch it again.

First, I love series like Prison Break (first two seasons are brutal) or movies like the Spanish Celda 211, so that's why I started to watch El Marginal. First impression was not really good because it looked cheap and amateurish. But men, I was pretty wrong. The show is amazing. Raw, violent, brutal and scary. An Argentinian Prision Break. Second, the acting from characters like Borges brothers, Antin, Sapo or Pantera is excellent. Also series pace and timeline are pretty well executed. To sum up, all 3 seasons are pretty consistent and solid. Even the series sometimes is predictable, the adding of new characters like El Cui in season 2 (my favorite one) make this show a masterpiece for it's budget. So, overall if you're in a lockdown like me, give it a try. You will not regret. Enjoy.

This twisting and turning drama inside an Argentinian prison is a feast of everything about human drama, from pathos to open brutality, and it does not miss a trick within the episodic plot developments and every new character introduced. And if subtitles turn you off then you do not realise what you are missing. The acting is superb throughout, with no one allowed to have so much as a bit part, the whole is visually and aurally superb.

The main themes are compelling, soaked in their own tensions, and attack you from many different directions before meeting, often by way of a new twist. It is genuinely adult viewing but rewards you with a memorable experience leaves you in no doubt you want a second season.

Is it better than Breaking Bad? You'd be silly to try and separate them.

Highly recommended.