Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Spanish limited series The Final Problem (Original title: El problema final) is a bit like an Agatha Christie mystery, following aging star Benjamin Basil (José Coronado), famous for portraying Sherlock Holmes on screen, as he accepts a producer’s invitation to a remote island hotel near Mallorca and decides to play detective when one of the guests is found dead. Another hotel guest, Foxá (Martiño Rivas), a crime writer, decides to assist him in the investigation, playing Watson to his Holmes in this four-episode show.
Set in 1959, The Final Problem is a stylish, retro locked-room mystery, with about 13 people stranded at an island hotel after a storm. English guest Elisa Mander (Paloma Bloyd) looks like she might have died by suicide, but a closer examination by Doctor Seruya (Pepón Nieto) indicates otherwise. The primary suspect is Toni (José Condessa), a handsome hotel staff member she was last seen flirting with. The only other person with an obvious personal connection to her is her wealthy friend Adela (María Valverde), as the two women checked in together. But maybe there are more hidden connections to the case, especially since two more murders take place soon after! (What is a good murder mystery without multiple bodies?)
he other primary characters in The Final Problem include hotel manager Raquel Auslander (Maribel Verdú), who is the most eager to shrug off the death as anything but murder and discourage Basil from playing detective. Then there’s Basil’s suspicious producer friend Fonseca (Gonzalo de Castro), his young actor girlfriend Vicky (Cristina Kovani), and German couple Señor Klemmer (Michael Stobbe) and Señora Klemmer (Yaiza Guimaré), who are allegedly former SS members. The couple’s mere presence sends some tension among the guests.
Each episode opens with footage from Basil’s stint as Holmes playing on screen, giving every chapter a clever, meta, cinematic introduction that feels plucked straight out of ’70s television. The idea of an aging actor famed for playing the iconic detective teaming up with a crime-fiction writer is obviously fun, but José Coronado and Martiño Rivas just don’t have that co-detective charm. Their performances are engaging enough, but I wouldn’t be interested in watching a spin-off where the pair solve another crime. The retirees of The Thursday Murder Club, for instance, were so much more delightful to watch while playing amateur sleuths.
Despite having very limited screen time, Maribel Verdú stands out the most in this ensemble cast as the hard-nosed hotel manager who treats even the older guests like unruly children. Cristina Kovani is also fun to watch as the young, vivacious actor dating a much older man, and might remind some viewers of Scarlett Johansson.
The costumes and gorgeous seaside setting do a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to the show’s retro glamour. Between the elegant period outfits, the secluded hotel and its well-dressed assortment of actors, socialites and other wealthy guests, there’s an old-school cinematic quality to the whole affair that makes the mystery feel more lavish than it actually is.
Given the small group of people stranded at a fancy island hotel, as a viewer, you know there can logically only be two strong suspects, especially in Elisa’s murder. But when a third, seemingly random killing occurs, the script does a fantastic job of making you wonder whether there might actually be two different killers. At least, I started wondering that, even though nobody in the story raises the question. Because the biggest mystery isn’t necessarily who committed the murders, but the motive and the connection between all three deaths.
The final episode of The Final Problem finally reveals the killer, and the twist is pretty good. However, the writers also throw in a sentimental romantic subplot that felt like being served hot tea on a sweaty afternoon when you ordered an iced lemonade. But overall, this is a well-made murder mystery that’s good enough for a one-time watch.
Rating: 6 on 10. Watch ‘The Final Problem’ on Netflix.
Watch ‘The Final Problem’ on Netflix.
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