The Spanish Netflix original miniseries “Burning Body” tells the narrative of Rosa and Albert (played by Ursula Corberó and Quim Gutierrez), whose lives are drastically altered when Rosa’s partner Pedro’s body is found.
The detectives thoroughly examine Rosa and Pedro’s relationship and her past, particularly her long-standing acquaintance with Albert, as part of their investigation into the case. The truth is revealed as a confusing labyrinth of lies and secrets that leave you wondering a few things. Additionally, this is inspired by a true story, which adds gruesomeness to the storytelling.
The show gradually reveals more and more of the mystery behind Pedro’s death with each new episode. Through various viewpoints and testimonials, a jumbled notion of what might have transpired is created, but in the end, it all depends on Albert and Rosa and their decision to be honest about what happened on that day.
Burning Body Plot
The story begins with a burned car in the middle of nowhere. Although we can’t see it, a passerby notices it and calls the cops. The entire scene looks like a drug-related crime in which drug dealers kill their rivals or some poor soul in a drug deal gone wrong in a rather horrible way, case in point, burn them alive inside a car.
It’s a clever ruse that leaves no DNA traces behind. The body that was discovered inside the car was completely destroyed by fire, leaving the police with nothing to identify it save for one thing.
The cops dig through the crime scene and the charred remains and find a portion of an object that resembles one of those surgical pins they use on back surgeries. With some clever forensic tracing, the victim is identified via that surgical pin, and that is when the actual inquiry gets started.
The charred-to-death person is identified as Pedro Rodriguez; before he got killed, he was a police officer in a romantic relationship with another cop named Rosa Peral.
Rosa, who explains that they had a dispute and Pedro had departed as he frequently did, is shocked by his death. She anticipated that he would return after a few days, but not this time. She points to her ex-husband Javier when asked who might have killed her lover.
Ester Varona takes on the murder case, picking up on every single lead she can find. She investigates the ex-husband and the potential cartel connection. But she can’t get rid of the feeling that Rosa’s story isn’t quite right. When Varona starts looking into it, she finds a series of lies Rosa had said over the years, which help her to piece together Pedro’s possible circumstances on the night he was killed.
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Burning Body Ending Explained
Rosa and Albert are detained in connection with Pedro’s murder following a thorough investigation. When questioned about it, they both deny involvement in the killing. The police have enough proof to hold both parties even though they are certain they won’t receive a confession.
Soon after, Rosa and Albert each hire a separate attorney, who offers their clients only one course of action: change the story before it’s too late. Albert initially hires a lawyer and takes some time to decide what to do next. By the time he finally decides to blame Rosa, she has already done so.
Rosa says Albert murdered Pedro. Over the years, she and Albert maintained a sporadic relationship. During this time, Rosa was still married to Javier and afterwards involved with Pedro. She claimed that Albert wanted Pedro out of the way because he was envious of Pedro. She says that evening, Albert arrived at her house brandishing an axe. Rosa and her daughter Sophia hid in the attic out of fear while Albert went downstairs and killed Pedro.
Albert Explains Himself
Albert comes up with his own explanation after Rosa accuses him of the crime. He asserts that despite helping to clean up the crime scene and hide the body, he was not involved in the murder.
He claims that Rosa called him in distress and said that Pedro had been abusive to her. She asserted that after he attacked her, she killed him to protect herself. Because Albert loved her, he visited her home and assisted her in getting rid of the body. Additionally, he asserts that he advised her to tell the police what had happened and go to them, but she refused out of fear for her daughter’s custody.
The Trial
In court, each side makes their case in an effort to get out of jail by pointing the finger at the other. The prosecution, however, cautions the jurors against choosing either-or. Another possibility is that both were equally responsible for the murder, which did not occur accidentally or as a result of self-defense. It was all planned out. This scenario, supported by all the evidence, is presented by Detective Varona, who is called to the witness stand.
Varona mostly learns about the crime from deleted conversations between Rosa and Albert. Even though they didn’t use the word “murder,” they suggested it plainly and were even making plans for how to spend their time after the crime was committed. This provides Varona with a possible scenario together with the evidence gathered from Rosa’s home. It is established that Rosa and Albert planned the entire incident and shared equal responsibility for it.
Varona’s evidence makes it very evident that Rosa and Albert conspired together. But none of them comes clean when it’s time. Each of them accuses the other. Varona’s theory is supported by evidence, and the jury ultimately decides to accept her rather than Rosa and Albert, who are merely attempting to refute each other’s claims and hoping the jury will believe them.
Rosa and Albert are both found guilty by the jury of killing Pedro. Rosa obtains a 25-year prison term, while Albert is given a 20-year term. She beats Albert by five points because of her connection to the victim. Rosa and Albert disagree with the judgment, but they continue to stand by their accounts of events and want to appeal it to a higher court. They are disappointed that they will have to carry out their sentences as a result of the higher courts rejecting their appeals.
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