Shortly before its twentieth anniversary since a historic terrorist attack in Spain, Disney releases See You in Another Life. The show marks one of the rare ventures of Spanish literature into serialized storytelling. It unfolds against a backdrop of eleven million attacks and comes from the same minds behind a project that left a lasting imprint on national television: Crematorium. This six episode miniseries centers on the figure Gabriel Montoya Vidal, known as Baby, the first person convicted of a terrorist massacre for aiding a terrorist organization in his youth. He helped transport dynamite that was used to blow up trains from Asturias to Madrid. Directors Jorge and Alberto Sánchez-Cabezudo worked from a sentence that captivated both national audiences, as recounted in interviews with journalist Manuel Jabois. The journalist’s profile, The Green Man, reflects on Montoya after he served his juvenile sentence. Emilio Gutiérrez portrays Baby in his youth, while Quim Ávila plays him as an adult, navigating life after release. The enduring reluctance of Spanish society to confront the 11M tragedy is evident, and the series suggests that even after twenty years the wounds remain open. The production invites reflection on whether this is a doorway to new storytelling avenues. Some viewers should note that certain plot details may count as spoilers for those newer to the event.
As a recent point of reference, audiences seeking parallels with Homeland or The Unit may be disappointed. The miniseries avoids sensational set pieces and instead conveys the weight of the victims’ experience across the entire narrative: 192 fatalities and more than two thousand injured. The cast relies on relatively unknown actors rather than star power. The tone and style echo Quinqui cinema from the 1980s, portraying street crime figures of that era such as Heifer and Toret. Viewers are drawn into the underworld of the Asturian plot, where reluctant criminals assist terrorists in obtaining explosives.
The narrative moves nonlinearly, returning to pivotal moments in the characters’ lives to form a complete picture. It explores how they became involved in the massacre, their reactions upon learning the truth, the moment of arrest, and the trial. The protagonists chase thrills through parties, whiskey, and reckless behavior, often aligned with the tempo of Grand Theft Auto and contemporary cod music. Almost everyone acts with a disregard for others, driven by base desires rather than any higher aim. Few anticipate the magnitude of their actions. The dynamite in question was not intended for good, yet that did not become their immediate concern. Early doubts about authorship shift to those implicated in the plot. If ETA were involved, the problem would be different. If jihadists were involved, a different set of concerns would arise. But the narrative suggests that the longer the police hunt lingers, the more certain outcomes seem inevitable, and the relevance lingers rather than fading.
One character voice reveals the central tension when Baby reflects, I regret not what I did, but what happened. People who did not need to die perished, yet the question remains, what can be done when money drives people to act? This pivotal inquiry anchors the series. Baby, at sixteen, grows up amid addiction, a troubled father, and a world that seems to move too fast. His life takes a turn when he encounters José Emilio Sánchez Trashorras, a former miner, drug dealer, and police informant diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Pol Lopez delivers one of the strongest performances in the miniseries. If this were a feature film from a different era, Sánchez Trashorras might be cast as a Joe Pesci figure from classic crime cinema.
The Baby’s allure mirrors a gangland idolization, even toward a crime world that sacrifices others for power and control. In truth, the criminal becomes a father figure to the young protagonist, who learns to model his behavior after this complex, flawed mentor. Had Baby encountered different values or guiding figures, his path might have diverged dramatically.
The bond between Baby and Trashorras is essential for understanding Baby’s actions during the trial. Trashorras’s testimony underpinned the convictions, and the absence of a steady father figure appears transformed into a symbolic symbol of Baby’s search for belonging. The series asks how much of Baby’s statement stems from regret versus anger at feeling betrayed by someone he admired. There are no neat morals, no flashy endings, and no redemptive coda. Instead, the drama dwells in the intimate realities of those involved in one of Spain’s largest terrorist massacres.