Thomas Storai 
Courtesy of Prime Video
“Despite an unoriginal premise, Red Queen (Reina Roja) is a captivating thriller thanks to a clever script. The first three episodes deliver tension and a haunting cat-and-mouse investigation. Vicky Luengo delivers a memorable performance as the lead.”
Red Queen (Reina Roja) is a TV series based on the most successful Spanish-kanguage best-sellers in recent years. The Red Queen book is part of a trilogy by author Juan Gómez-Jurado. This trilogy is composed of Reina Roja, Loba Negro and Rey Blanco. The 7-episode series starts Vicky Luengo and Hovik Keuchkerian. It releases on February 29 on Prime Video.
THE PREMISE
Red Queen follows Antonia Scott (Vicky Luengo), the smartest person on Earth with an IQ of 242. She is the “Red Queen” of a secret police project. Her intelligence is at the same time a gift and a curse. After the son of a powerful person is gruesomely murdered, Mentor (Àlex Brendemühl), Antonia’s former boss, asks Jon Gutiérrez (Hovik Keuchkerian), a Basque cop on the verge of being expelled, to reactive Antonia. The two have to work together to find the killer.
STORY
A genius working with the police to catch criminals? The premise itself isn’t anything we haven’t seen before. However, if you go pass its unoriginal premise, you will find that this is actually a captivating series. I love crime thriller stories, and judging from the first three episodes, I think this is a great one. This comes from someone who hasn’t read the novel so I come with knowing nothing of the story beforehand. These first episodes set the tone with high tension and the urgency to catch that killer. This is a haunting cat-and-mouse investigation that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It comes with the right level of adrenaline and mystery about why this person was killed. You may learn a lot about the investigation with just three episodes, but you can tell this is only the tip of the iceberg.
Moreover, the series takes its time to introduce the characters. The dynamic between Antonia and Jon is essential to the story. As you can expect from the premise, this is a dynamic with the characters not exactly being happy to work with each other. Antonia really irritates Jon. However, they end up being an effective team as they learn more on each other. Antonia is not exactly a people person, she is in her own world. Her character is actually an autistic coded character. While Jon Gutiérrez is an impulsive, hot-tempered cop who has a big heart. These are two opposite characters. And by working together, they are challenged, which is exactly what they need. In fact, their collaboration comes at a time of struggle for both characters.
CAST
Furthermore, Antonia Scott isn’t an easy character to play but Vicky Luengo delivers a memorable performance. She makes you feel the inner struggles and the pain of her character in a touching way. Hovik Keuchkerian delivers a more grounded performance as Jon Gutiérrez. He actually brings a bit of humour to the series.
VISUALS & SOUNDTRACK
Red Queen is set in Madrid and makes full use of this beautiful city. The director Koldo Serra especially excels in the anxious scenes. He knows how to get the right atmosphere to give his audience the chills. Finally, Victor Reyes delivers a thrilling musical score that fits with the atmosphere of the series.
VERDICT
Despite an unoriginal premise, Red Queen (Reina Roja) is a captivating thriller thanks to a clever script. The first three episodes deliver tension and a haunting cat-and-mouse investigation. Vicky Luengo delivers a memorable performance as the lead.
Red Queen (Reina Roja) releases on Prime Video on February 29.
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