El embarcadero Drama Review

『A Mystery Romance Entangled with Hidden Truths and Complex Emotions Between Two Women』

🎥 Series Overview

🎬 Title: The Pier (El embarcadero, 2019)
🌍 Country: 🇪🇸 Spain
🎞️ Genre: Drama / Mystery / Thriller
🗓️ Year of Release: 2019
🗓️ Seasons: 2 Seasons (16 Episodes Total)

👩‍💼 Cast: Verónica Sánchez – Alejandra
Irene Arcos – Verónica

🧩 Story Deep Dive (Spoilers)

🌊 Two Lives of One Man, and the Truths of Two Women

The Pier (El Embarcadero) begins when a man named Óscar, who has been living two completely different lives with two women, suddenly dies. His wife Alejandra, a successful architect from the city, and his lover Verónica, who lives freely in nature near Albufera, Valencia, had no knowledge of each other’s existence until his death.

The drama follows Alejandra as she conceals her identity and approaches Verónica, seeking to understand Óscar’s secret life and ultimately redefine her own existence.

🔍 Alejandra’s Approach: Mystery and Revenge

Alejandra’s initial motivation in approaching Verónica is driven by curiosity to solve the mystery and a desire for revenge.

• The Investigator: Shocked and betrayed by Óscar’s double life, Alejandra sets out to understand why he deceived her and chose another path. Through Verónica, she tries to discover what “something” Óscar found that she could not provide.
• Encounter with Another World: Alejandra’s life was confined to skyscrapers and complex urban routines. Verónica’s world in Albufera, full of nature, water, and freedom, stands in stark contrast. While observing Verónica’s life, Alejandra tries to comprehend Óscar’s choice—but in doing so, she begins to reflect on the cage of her own existence.

🤝 Verónica’s Acceptance: Instinctive Empathy

When Alejandra introduces herself as “Óscar’s old friend,” Verónica does not react with suspicion but rather welcomes her with a kind of instinctive openness.

• A Natural Life: Verónica lives honestly with her emotions and values a life in harmony with nature. Although she has some doubts about Alejandra, she feels a deep empathy for her grief and pain.
• Sharing Óscar’s Shadow: The two women share a common loss and shadow through Óscar. As they exchange memories of happiness and suffering linked to him, they form a profound bond—a connection that was ironically impossible while Óscar was alive.

❤️ Beyond Jealousy, Toward Solidarity

As time passes, their relationship transcends a mere exchange of information and enters a realm of complex emotions.

• Overcoming Jealousy: At first, Alejandra feels jealous of Verónica’s freedom and the love Óscar showed her. But as she experiences Verónica’s world, her jealousy transforms into a sense of liberation and admiration.
• The Possibility of New Love: The two women begin to find within each other the emotional voids Óscar could never fill. Alejandra discovers peace in the simplicity of Verónica’s life, while Verónica is drawn to Alejandra’s intellect and inner strength. Their relationship develops into both physical intimacy and a form of mutual support and new affection born from shared loss, becoming a crucial layer in the show’s queer narrative.

🌟 Self-Discovery and Liberation

The bond between Alejandra and Verónica embodies the series’ central themes of self-discovery and liberation.

• Alejandra’s Escape: Through Óscar’s death, Alejandra realizes that her perfectly structured life was in fact a prison. Her relationship with Verónica opens the door to a more emotional, instinct-driven existence—an escape from the rigid urban life that had confined her.
• Female Agency in Narrative: Although the series begins with the death of a man, the true story focuses on two women breaking free from his shadow to build their own independent lives and connection. Óscar merely serves as the link between them; the essence of the story lies in their coexistence and growth.

📌 A Drama that Challenges Conventions

The Pier (El Embarcadero) goes beyond being a simple affair mystery—it is a profound exploration of modern women’s experiences of love, loss, and societal pressure. The relationship between Alejandra and Verónica challenges conventional moral norms and shows that love and family can take many forms. Their journey of understanding and healing invites viewers to reconsider the meaning of a free and authentic life—a story both powerful and deeply moving.

🎯 Personal Rating

💕 Love Scene Intensity: ♥♥♥
⭐ Rating: ★★★★★