No Traces

Binge-watched this and really enjoyed it. Terrific acting, charismatic characters, many surprising plot twists and turns. The story involves a talented ensemble cast, is immensely detailed and will keep you guessing. I fell in love with the cast. Particularly Ubaldo. I don't want to give away any plot points or share spoilers. Let's just say it's not often I end up laughing hard out loud and cheering on characters by yelling at the screen. Ubaldo is something else. Maybe my 3.5 years of studying Spanish helped me take even more pleasure in watching this action-packed dramedy. I'm not at all fluent, but it was good fun trying to pick out the profanity and marvel in the wondrous variety and innovations of use. So far this series has only racked up a measly three reviews. I see where two of those reviews are low ratings in the extreme. Watch Sin Huellas ----- view at least the first couple of episodes ----- and you will be hooked. I highly recommend this series.

No Traces seems to have divided opinion among the critics. Perusal of naysayer comments, however, suggests the primary source of dislike for many to be the mixed genre nature of the show. If you don't appreciate having your belly laughs mixed in with your violent murders then this won't be for you. If like me, however, you thrill to fast-paced storylines, action a plenty, and leads with romantic chemistry to burn, then the creators of No Traces hit the bulls-eye for us. Carolina Yuste is magnetically watchable as the always underestimated gypsy Desi, Camila Sodi is zany and beautiful as Desi's sidekick Cata, and Silvia Alonso complicates the shipping with a pitch perfect turn as the conflicted cop who also happens to be Desi's ex. A word too for Leonardo Ortizgris and the easily overlooked element of nuance he brings to the character of Ubaldo, Cata's ex-husband. All in all, particularly for the mixed genre appreciators, No Traces is a really good watch.

Well, I got through the first episode of this bubbling cauldron of nonsense. Have you ever watched something and thought, I'm not going to like this? That's the feeling I had about fifteen minutes in but I stuck with it till the end of the episode. I then decided to delete completely. It was meant to be (I assume) comedic and a crime caper. That's a genre I'm not into anyway, but this wasn't even funny, it was just irritating and stupid. The actresses were directed to be screechy and buffoons. It just didn't work. And the hard crime mixed with the comedy was incongruous and dichotomous. Just one example, using a vacuum cleaner as a fake bazooka. Yep, good joke but not when one of the characters gets her face smashed in afterwards when the ruse is discovered. And not in the context of someone being stabbed at the same time. Honestly, don't bother. This was just so dreadful.

What a waste of talent. Carolina Yuste, Silvia Alfonso, and Camila Sodi have given some great performances in many shows. But this script did not serve them well. The series is not worthy of a premium channel. I always have high hopes when Silvia Alfonso is in a series or movie. I think of Tierra de Lobos, The Broken Crown and Instinto and how she gave such great performances. She didn't have much to work with script-wise in this embarrassing series. I recommend viewers check out the list of work done by these three actresses and watch them in more worthy shows. Don't waste you time with this one.