With the previous episode giving us an insight into what those ominous bits of loose change actually are and what risk they pose, I guess director Alex de la Iglesia figured it was a good idea remain seated on the exposition train and deliver us a ton of back story of 30 Coins’ more enigmatic character, Padre Manuel Vergara.
Yep, it’s a flashback episode which generally means the installment is either going to spin its wheels as the main plot pauses as we take a narrative leap backward, or it means the story is going to roar off in another direction entirely as it fills in some intriguing gaps.
Well, true to form, the constantly innovative 30 Coins proves to be the latter as it starts to circle back and add flesh to the bones of the Order of the Cainites and their conspiracy to do unspeakable evil in the name of good.
Strap in folks, were going to 1990.
After their dealings with haunted, dimension traversing mirrors, reluctant veterans of the paranormal, Elena and Paco have now been filled in on the reasons behind the resent and otherworldly troubles that have been plaguing the nowhere town of Pedraza. Due to the inherent power granted to object that have come into direct contact with Jesus Christ, the 30 coins given to Judas, when assembled, will become an object of great, destructive power that will be wielded by the Cainites, a religious faction that believes that Satan is God, evil is necessary to do good and they will stop nothing to achieve their goals. Both of them handle the news differently with Elena (who has already disposed of her coin) deciding to leave town with Roque after her veterinary practice was trashed by hypnotized town members and Paco desperately trying to stop his willful wife Merche from gathering everyone together and ousting Vergara completely.
Vergara, however, isn’t around to be ousted, having up and left for Italy in order to try and get an audience with the Pope and as he travels, he remembers a time back in Rome in 1990 when things were a little more simple.
Part of a close trio that includes the jovial, hopeful Sandro and the inquisitive Fabio, the three priests have many questions concerning life, God, the universe and everything with Vergara sitting somewhere between the opinions of his friends.
However, one night, Fabio reveals that his research into God has taken a rather sinister path as he reveals he has an man locked away in chains who claims he’s possessed by the devil and so the three men choose to question him with chilling results.
But while the man gives worrying revelations about the nature of heaven and hell, both Fabio and Sandro pay heavy tolls that still have repercussions to this day…
A far more sedate and thoughtful episode than we’re used to, Memories doubles down on backstory at the expense of the more traditional structure its displayed thus far in the form of a ghost of the week kind of show. Instead we find Pedraza a place that can no longer ignore the strange happenings and the finger of blame is very squarely pointed at Vergara – which makes sense as it was a mirror clone who compelled to trash Elena’s place of work. As a result, Paco is striving to get everyone to help pay to the damages but the overall effect is ultimately even more alienating to the beleaguered vet – plus it only highlights the growing feelings both have for one another, much to the ruffled feathers of Merche. The fact that this is a show about supernatural forces gathering in a small town doesn’t stop characters from just leaving and in order to straighten things out, both Vergara and Elena have decided to simply fuck off innan attempt to make things better. However, in the kind of outlandish twist that 30 Coins excels at, a man seemingly born from the straw body of a scarecrow staggers back into town caked in dried, caked mud. His identity? Well, its Elena’s missing husband of course – but unfortunately we’ll have to wait until next episode to see what all that’s about.
No, the main focus here is witnessing the events that eventually set Vergara on a path that eventually sees him obtain one of the infamous coins from the arm of the unfortunate, possessed Giacomo. Sporting hair and lacking a crazy beard that’ll sand wood, Vergara is an inquisitive priest who is constantly getting thrown out of exorcism school for his unorthodox questions and suggestions. His opinions that the victims of possession should be heavily questioned in order to get a more rounded understanding of the devil are sneered at, but fellow rebel, Fabio realises that the two may be on the same page and let’s him into his deranged secret.
This brings us to the well-suited gentleman chained in a cell that Fabio, Vergara and Sandro choose to interrogate and after proving his demonic credentials by accurately discussing Vergara’s masterbation habits, the questions begin in earnest. Watching three men of God with very different outlooks try to browbeat a chained demon into spilling the tea about the true nature of evil is fascinating. Iglesia stages it like one of those tense Q&A sessions where you’re not entirely sure who is actually in control that became in vogue after The Silence Of The Lambs rocked the genre and the tension mounts as you wait for the hammer to drop.
And drop it does; after all the eagle-eyed among you will no doubt have spotted that Fabio was holding court in that cluster of priest amassing in the mirror dimension and after the demonic gentlemen entices him to walk through a violently glowing door, he technically hadn’t been seen since. Plus poor, good-hearted Sandro gets a face full of demon fire and we find that he’s still scarred today when Vergaza visits him where hes been hiding out from evil all this time – prison. After indulging in a spot of boxing for old times sake, you feel that maybe Vergaza wasn’t exiled at all, but instead has chosen the remote, forgotten Pedraza to disguise his presence from the Cainites who so desire his coin. Fat fucking chance of that when you find out that Fabio is now one of the Pope’s most trusted advisors!
A more sedate, introspective episode than usual means that Iglesia can really get under the skin of the characters while introducing the shadowy masterminds who will no doubt become major players in the episodes to come and there’s a real sense that the director is laying out the board for some craziness to come.
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