Vis a vis (2015–2019) User Reviews

Not a copy of Orange is the new black, not even close.

[stephaniepuglieseh · 9/10 · 12 May 2016]

Every time i logged into Netflix, Vis a Vis appeared on the main page, but as soon as a read the story line I thought: "this must be the Spanish version of Orange is the New black". However, after watching Vis a Vis I can say that I was so wrong. I decided to give it a try and was the best decision I could made. Such an interesting story, great cast, with no doubt one of the best Spanish productions.

I have to say that the leading characters of both TV shows are alike and as you know both happens inside a prison but besides that there is nothing similar between them... which is a good thing a must say since I'm not exactly a fan of Orange is the new black. OITNB is more kind of a comedy with some drama while Vis a Vis is full of intrigue, lies, fights, deaths.

You should watch it.

.

Great series, really worth watching!

[martindeaugusto · 9/10 · 3 July 2016]

very good and thrilling, really gets you to watch all episodes. It should be seen in the original Spanish format to get the best out of it. I do not want to disclose any spoilers, but it is surprisingly good written and captivates the attention of the viewer until the last minute. It is not only about the life in a prison but also about how the things that happen in life are interlinked and have unexpected consequences leading a normal family into a turmoil of events that puts everything upside down in their life, with the most unexpected consequences for all and each of the involved characters. At some point you may even lose the usual perspective about who are the good guys and who are the real friends inside a prison. Like in life, you must be ready to establish deals for survival with whoever may give you a helping hand in a given moment; friend or enemy.

If you liked Money Heist, you will love this

[misterjseven · 9/10 · 22 August 2018]

Both are by Alex Pina, and both feature his insanely enjoyable over-the-top narratives AND awesome dynamo Alba Flores. The first two seasons of this show are self-contained story, following the imprisonment of Macarena (Maggie Civantos), and her transformation into a capable prison survivor. One part of the story follows a crazy caper outside the jail involving Macarena's family and stolen money, while the other focuses on the prison conflicts and is filled with some great characters and performances among the incarcerated, particularly Flores and Najwa Nimri as Zulema. The show also includes impromptu interview segments in a documentary format that provides some lighter moments with the characters as the story itself gets dark. The third season moves beyond the original premise and is just as enjoyable. The show is both lurid and touching at the same time, a whole lot of fun, and other than Prisoner of Cell Block H, easily the best women in prison show ever. UPDATE: I have now seen all four seasons, including the series finale. It is a lovely show about survival in the face of brutality, about keeping hold of yourself when a system is designed to strip you away from yourself. The finale ties everything together so wonderfully. A perfect TV show with great women in it.

The best female prison show!

[amstelveen · 10/10 · 10 July 2019]

This is by far the best female prison serie from this time. Wonderfull actors, great story. Must watch!

Fantastic!

[marcebell · 10/10 · 22 February 2017]

This is an amazing show! Wonder if they are still filming a 3rd season? The characters are very well played and the story line is very dramatic and action packed. The actors are make you wither fall in love with them or hate them, to me that is a guarantee of great acting. Highly Recommended! More Vis A Vis, Please!

One of the best international series and best thriller

[Br4ve-trave1or · 10/10 · 13 September 2019]

Along with the best foreign series like Borgen, Dark, The Fall, etc. Vis a Vis (Locked Up) belong with the best of them. It's creator also created the Netflix original Money Hiest, which is also an explosive series.

Vis a Vis offers viewers a series that consists of incredible compelling and always captivating series. With the lead, a beautiful talented actress sent to prison as a result of a relationship with a man, she finds herself surrounded by the BEST villains in any series. The ensemble is out of this world. The most hated characters are so convincingly evil and induce so much malice, your stomach will churn.

But the most hated characters is what makes this show thrive and I admit, I may hate them for their savagery, but I love them at the same time because they're so 3D. There's so much character growth.

This series made me stop watch Wentworth because that series after consuming this whole shows three seasons, made Wentworth seem so lukewarm in comparison and wasn't able to scratch that itch Vis a Vis does. OITNB shouldnt even be in the same sentence as both are two very different shows.

If you want a prison series more like OZ, that is very very dark. You'll fall in love with a lot of chatacters and the subtitles aren't even noticable after the first episode. I can't urge you enough to go to Netflix and binge the three seasons offered as the fourth arrives September 24th and I can't wait!

Unlike other prison series, this isnt one filled with all the tropes. It's a cause and effect as events and actions occur inside the prison to our lead that effects life outside of the prison walls resulting in making her family's life never the same as they resort to a different life themselves and do things they never imagined.

Love, loss, tragedy, trust, loyalty, betrayal, madness, sexual predators in authoritative positions; but a prison filled with all females that display how strong a women is when she is forced to rely on herself to survive a life from day to day.

This show will grab you and suck you into this world as it's so intoxicating and tremendously captivating. A show that causes one to say. Did that just happen?" Twists and turns at a whiplash speed.

Without a doubt 10/10

I am mad about this show!

[discoandrollerskates · 10/10 · 30 September 2019]

This show was a little bit of a hidden gem for me. Tired of Netflix I just happened to scroll all the shows with a big "YAWN" on my lips.... and I was like, "OK I'll give this Spanish 'Orange is the new black wannabe' a shot, maybe it's not so good..." Little did I know! From the go get I was totally hooked. This is not a cosy little heart warmer. It's realistic (I think, haven't actually spent so much time in a women's prison ;) ). You actually believe in the characters. It is not sugar coated. Now it's not cynical or plain violent either. There is a lot of love too. But it never gets saccarine. The characters have multiple layers inm their personaes and the acting is superb. Macarena is NOT "Piper", she's not ridiculous or hippie-dippy-cute. She's kind of an average middle class girl. . She is a bit naïve in the beginning but she toughens up, but not in the exaggerated way that Piper does... Zulema is a little bit too much maybe... but she adds an extra flavour to the show for sure. You get to build up a "hate-love" relationship to all the women. No one is "only good" and "only evil". I admire the actresses that are so involved, so passionate abour their characters. Sometimes it's endearing and really moving, all the women's destinies. So think "prisoner cell block H" with a lot better acting, and you'll get the idea. This is actually one of the best shows I have seen on TV. I love that I get to learn some Spansish too. Just watch it and be amazed,"vale"!

Love this Show

[mister-ed-1 · 10/10 · 12 November 2017]

I love this Show and haven't been able to get round to starting watching anything since as nothing will beat it ! I am waiting Series 3 !! Hurry up !! Its a great show - and if you are learning Spanish its good too. Great characters, good storyline - twists and turns to the story all the time.

The best female inmates prison series

[eduaranguren17 · 10/10 · 5 February 2019]

Is Spanish, yes, and is awesome. Don't miss this show. You won't regret. The characters, specially in seasons 3 and 4, are outstanding.

Don't watch after 2nd season!

[jmarkovic-72150 · 7/10 · 7 May 2020]

First two seasons have been pure 10 for me, others... not even close. I was so thrilled and obsessed with everything happening through first two seasons and was so excited to watch further. But then happened a big disappointment - season 3. For me it was like watching completely different show - there is different vibe, a lot of new characters and the worst thing is that most of charachters from previous seasons just vanished. This frustrated me, a lot. I mean, Macarena and Fabio didn't even have time to develop their relationship. Personally, I miss this aspect of the show the most. But not only that. What about Palacios and Carolina? Sandoval and Miranda? Valbuena and his sins? Roman? Too much is left untold. I connected with carachters from first two seasons, that so many of them just vanishing from the show made me sick. If you have the same feelings as I do for first two seasons, save yourself from disappointment and don't watch further. All in all, this show had a huge potential, but new writers totally ruined it. I would give 4 stars for third and fourth season, so it makes me giving this could-be-10-show just 7 stars.

A Masterpiece!

[OldManWrigley · 10/10 · 13 July 2019]

I stumbled on this scrolling through the endless abyss that is Netflix, and decided to give it a shot. I did the same thing with La Casa de Papel, and that turned out to be a gem, and this one did not disappoint either. I was absolutely hooked. The series didn't lose any steam going through, and each episode left you wanting more and more. The first episode for me was a little tough to get through, but it captured my attention enough to keep going. And after the first episode, there's no stopping it! 10/10 would recommend.

Starts quites well

[henriquetz · 7/10 · 10 October 2019]

Used to be a good show, until The middle of season three. Now, seems the writers lost the path.

So many plot holes and inaccurate representations

[amr-kadi · 5/10 · 22 April 2020]

This series has good potential, however, so many scenarios don't add up as the actors make clearly stupid decisions which is very frustrating. Also the arabic language is very badly spoken by the actors, and islam is represented in the worst way possible and many stuff do not even relate to islam yet they show the actors doing them. It would have been much better if the directors thought a bit harder on scenarios that actually made sense rather than lazy writing. And have done some research about the arabic language and islamic culture.

gripping and compulsive

[richetal · 10/10 · 13 August 2017]

riveting from the minute I started watching, and I am not a TV fan, do not do Netflix or telly, I came across a review in a newspaper stating series 2 was starting here on Ch 4 and how good it was; I only really started watching in order to practise my Spanish (using the subtitles to cheat) however from series 1 episode 1 I was hooked. It is compulsive viewing I became addicted and quite antisocial, it is gripping, shocking, at times sensual, brilliantly acted and challenging to watch. Great sound track and some wonderful dark humour. The ending of the final episode of the second series was dreadful and I am not sure how I will last till series 3 starts! I have nothing to compare it with but it is utterly brilliant - if not for the faint hearted.

Excellent Spanish TV Show!

[anibeli · 10/10 · 29 March 2016]

When I first saw this title on Netflix I also thought "Oh, man. This is an Orange is the New Black copy-cat" But, as a fan of prison related shows I decided to give it a try, and man! It was awesome. This show has the intensity in every chapter as Prison Break (2005- 2009) has. If you haven't seen Vis-a-Vis you're missing out a great story, this show is NOT a comedy, it's drama, action, secrets, violence, every single episode will keep you wanting for the next. Vis-a-Vis shows a more real point of view of what is to be inside of prison.

The show is about Macarena Ferreriro a normal woman who fell in love with her married boss, she was thrown into jail for a fraud they both committed. Macarena is a nice, sweet person, very naive but when she gets in jail she will realize that prison is a horrible place.

The TV show has great characters, great story, you will not be disappointed. I definitely cannot wait for season 2!

OITNB could never compare to this masterpiece.

[adamei · 10/10 · 1 September 2019]

Opinions are subjective, but I see most negative reviews resulting from defending the Middle Eastern culture/religion and homophobes complaining about lesbian sex.

Every episode puts me on the edge of my seat. The characters' evolution are outstanding as well as the acting. On season 3, just when I thought what else could happen, they put a whole new spin and the absence of the main character put the spotlight on the amazing supporting actresses. Must watch! Highly recommended!

Orange is the new black paled in comparison to this series.

What a surprise!

[julioalvesguita · 10/10 · 22 August 2019]

I was scrolling down my Netflix feed and found this show. I wasn't expecting something great, maybe something good, but I was rewarded with something Awesome.

A1

[o-53364 · 10/10 · 29 September 2019]

This is just fantastic. These woman are so beautiful in a refreshing non standard way.

Love the show

[emanuel-emanuel230 · 10/10 · 12 October 2019]

After loving La casa de papel, Vis a vis its a dream that continue from that. Enjoy and watch it. Words can't descriebe it!

Great beginning and that's it 😐

[shahrazad_1981-461-809400 · 6/10 · 16 October 2019]

Great first and second seasons then very bad third and fourth seasons.

Ups and Downs

[gabrieledara · 8/10 · 24 January 2020]

The show is very good in seasons 1 and 2. Quality drops in the last two seasons except for the very last 2-3 episodes. Many events are not realistic and justification is missing for others. Monumental interpretation of Zulema by Najwa Nimri, you can tell she is simply an higher category of an actress.

Solid season 1 and 2, noticeable drop in quality afterwards.

[Brc123 · 7/10 · 6 October 2020]

Its no surprise that most of these 9-10/10 reviews of this show were posted several years ago. The show starts off pretty strong with an intriguing plot, interesting and well-developed characters, and great acting (especially from Najwa Nimri). One thing this show does particularly well is writing its villains. Despite the fact the these villains are terrible humans, they are captivating and provide for some very dark conflict. There is a lot more good things I could say about this show, but since most reviewers on here focus on the positive aspects of Vis a Vis, I thought I would add some criticism.

First off, the show isn't really realistic and you definitely have to suspend your disbelief to accept many of the events that happen as plausible. For instance, inmates get away with wayyyyy too much shenanigans without any guard intervention/repercussions. Inmates are shown easily getting away with assault, gang beating, sexual violence, sexual slavery out in the OPEN (Anabel literally holds an auction to SELL another inmate in the bathroom like its Wolf of Wall Street or something). This particular criticism of inmates getting to strut around like they own the place is unfortunately not exclusive to Season 3/4 either, despite those seasons being worse than the first two.

The main issue with the latter half of the show is the writing. Many characters quite literally disappear once season 2 ends and the prisoners are transferred, and while I understand that the actors have other commitments, the creators did not even try writing the characters off well at all. Miranda disappears along with her developing plot with Sandoval, Valbuena is gone and his previous actions are not addressed. Bambi and Roman don't return either, despite their tight knit with the main character of the show, Macarena. Oh yeah...the "main" character of the show also has about 30 minutes screen time in seasons 3/4 after she falls into a coma and is referenced MAYBE once until she returns, where all her close peers (who seemingly forgot she existed for the past 2 seasons) welcome her back and pretend they missed her. Fabio and his relationship with Macarena is also absent after season 2 as well. All of these abandoned plotlines and characters seriously hindered on my engagement with the show.

Another problem with the writing is that the characters lose their 'character' and become inconsistent as the show progresses. One episode Macarena will be some bad*ss who doesn't follow the rules anymore and will do what it takes to escape, the next episode she doesn't want to escape anymore/sabotages her own escape/etc and goes back to being goodie two-shoes. Curly is constantly changing love interests season 3 onward and it becomes tiring.

The finale of the show felt extremely rushed with how sloppily they conclude the characters' fates. Firstly, did any of the inmates receive punishment for the riot + murder of Sandoval + murder of Sole?? Yes, Sandoval deserved to die and Sole wanted to die and that MORALLY justifies their deaths in the context of the show, but the inmates would still be LEGALLY held responsible for these crimes and receive MASSIVE punishments. Well, don't think about all that logic, lets focus on where the characters are 12 years later! Macarena and Zulema are out of prison (somehow....) and are committing robberies - sounds about right. Curly is still in prison because "she just can't handle freedom XD", uh okay that's a satisfying conclusion for an otherwise bright/hopeful character. None of the characters look 12 years older whatsoever in the 'future' scenes, like they didn't even try in the makeup department. The show makes a mad dash to the finish line and explains nothing in its path.

Despite this overly critical review, I still enjoyed this show, but I wanted to add some criticism on a forum where it receives overwhelming praise. I also decided to check out the spinoff(?) series, The Oasis, and from what I saw in a couple episodes, the show appears to be slamming a nail into its own coffin at this point. Lets just say I gave up at the part where a character started literally barking during what was supposed to be an emotional scene. So yeah, this review is not counting The Oasis season, because then my rating would certainly be lower.

Vis a vis: 7/10 (Season 1-4)

A show based on poor decisions in every scene to create plots.

[giacomob89 · 1/10 · 2 December 2019]

The story starts good, but after an episode you start to feel frustrated by every single decision the characters make. Every plot is completely created by bad and utterly stupid decisions that keep the show going, and it's just frustrating.

It shows the lack of creativity the producers have to actually build a smart plot or try to create a situation in which it may be difficult to decide what to do. They just seem to not care that there is an obvios solution and that the characters decide to do the opposite in every single turn. Absolutely frustrating. Me and my gf managed to watch the whole 1st season but there is no way we are coming close to this show ever again.

Addicted!

[muazturkay · 10/10 · 26 June 2019]

I loved it and I swear you'll love it too.The cast is excellent!The events are awesome!

Locked Up

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 11 August 2016]

This series, retitled 'Locked Up' in the UK, follows Macarena Ferreiro, a young woman who finds herself in prison after she is arrested for embezzling a large sum of money. She claims she was merely doing what her boss told her but he denies any involvement. Life in prison is not easy and Macarena gets off to a particularly unpleasant start when one of her cellmates is murdered. Then she discovers a phone SIM card that belonged to the dead girl… it gives the location to where she hid nine million Euros; naturally everybody wants it. She passes the information to her father hoping he can use it to pay her bail but things soon go from bad to worse when Zulema, the woman who dominates her cell block, finds the location and passes it to her boyfriend 'The Egyptian'. This puts her family in danger from him and on the wrong side of the law and Macarena at risk from Zulema inside the prison. If that weren't enough she has to deal with the prison doctor's unwanted advances and the consequences of rebuffing him.

If anybody thought this series would be easy viewing the first episode will dispel those beliefs; it can be quite gruelling at times. Thankfully it isn't all depressing though; we see that not everybody there is unpleasant. Maggie Civantos does a great job as Macarena; she makes the viewer feel for this vulnerable character while also believing in her as she gradually toughens up as the result of what happens to her in prison. Najwa Nimri also impresses as Zulema; a believably unpleasant character who we believe will carry out her threats… and sometimes does in fairly shocking ways. The rest of the cast, both prisoners, prison staff and Macarena's family are also pretty good. The design of the show is great; most notably the yellow and green prison design which extends to the inmates' bright yellow uniforms. So far I've only seen the first season but based on that I'd recommend this series and hope that season two becomes available in the UK soon.

These comments are based on watching the first season in Spanish with English subtitles.