El Príncipe

I visit Ceuta often and it was a pleasure to see some of the places I'd been to as part of the plot and as settings for the backdrop for this series that virtually turned out to be a telenovela. However, I'd never been to the Moroccan area of El Principe but popped up there a couple of weeks ago during a short visit. I have to say that the series had coloured my perception of the place and I felt ill at ease.

The series is not true to life in many ways. We have non-Arabs playing Muslim Moroccans or Muslim Spaniards. Why? Aren't there Arab actors in Spain? Even the French arab terrorist wasn't a real life Muslim or Arab. This led to all sorts of absurdities, such as parts having to be dubbed for them and their maladroit attempts to pray or make Islamic gestures. It really was ham-fisted.

Veteran character actor José Coronado played a good part. Alex Gonzaléz was his usual android self. Honestly, he was so robotic at times.

That the French secret service was operating on Spanish soil and directing terrorists wasn't at all likely nor that the Spaniards let them continue. Nor was the love affair between Morey and Fatima. They'd have been found out in a trice. That the affair had so many ups and downs meant we were in fantasy land. Although I stuck with the two seasons till the end, I was getting more and more exasperated with the ridiculous plotlines.

So, not a successful endeavour. I watched this during lockdown. I think I might have given up if it weren't for that.