El Ministerio del Tiempo/The Ministry of Time — Episode 4: Una negociación a tiempo/A Deal in Time: A Review

1st December, 2018.

Yes: I’m starting to wonder about something.

How much fun can a body have with a phone, a tablet, an iMac and a copy of iMovie?

Well, I don’t know if I could tell you.

But this video making lark is … 

Sort of addictive, isn’t it … ?

Slightly moreish … 

Ahem … 

A body could start to have issues, there … !

~≈§≈~

At any rate … ?

I’ve had free time on my hands, tonight.

You possibly hadn’t noticed.

Outside of the financial issues?

Unemployment can be quite fun.

The time off means I’m free to do what I want, when I want to.

Assuming the cost are at a minimum.

I’ve been watching a lot of easy-to-access TV.

Including one particular series that’s caught my eye over the past few months … the Spanish language El Ministerio del Tiempo: The Ministry of Time if you want it in English.

Series 1, to be precise.

And yes: the fourth episode … ?

Is JUST as good!

~≈§≈~

Episode 4 — Una negociación a tiempo/A Deal In Time — shows us Undersecretary Martí fielding an especially difficult phone call and meeting.

With an American lawyer called Stein.

Stein represents the descendants of Rabbi Abraham Levi (Paco Obregon): burnt at the stake in 1491.

The only problem with this … ?

Is that the Rabbi was under the protection of Queen Isabella 1st, herself.   After the Rabbi presented the Queen with the Book of Doors: the document that led to her setting up the Ministry of Time.

Stein knows the Ministry exists, knows they failed the Rabbi … 

Is demanding compensation for the Rabbi’s descendants.

And will reveal the Ministry’s existence if he doesn’t get it.

~≈§≈~

Now … 

Good … ?

Ooh, yes!

This episode shows us something of how the Ministry formed — a result of Isabella and Ferdinand being told of the doors of time — and how it’s job can be threatened.

It shows us a little more of the rules of the Doors.

Mostly?   They’re straight-forward two way gates.   You step through to go back to (say) 1940.

And, can step back through from the 1940 end, to get back to 2018.

If a week passes in 1940?   You’ll find a week’s gone by, here, when you come back.

The Toledo door, however?   Is fixed.

It takes you back to the start of day of Rabbi Levi’s execution, regardless of when you’ve stepped through from.

So Una negociación a tiempo tells us there’s the odd exception.

There’s more world building, too.

In one throw away line, Salvador implies there’s doors in other countries.   Ones the Ministry has to be careful about using, as they have no authority to operate on another country’s territory: regardless of the time zone.

There’d be repercussions.

Especially as they don’t know which countries do or don’t have their own ministries …

There’s more!

The episode’s growing the character arcs for our heroes.

Not only is Alonso (Nacho Fresneda) turning into something of a petrol head — he’s got a thing about motorbikes — but Julián and Amelia (Rodolfo Sancho and Aura Garrido) have to have an embarrassing ‘Meet the Parents’ dinner …

As Amelia’s family think Julián wants to marry their daughter.

Ahem!

On top of that … ?

The team have already worked out that Don Ernesto, the Ministry’s Chief Operating Officer?

Is the spit of Tomas de Torquemada*: the most feared head of the Spanish Inquisition … 

Did I say watchable?

You bet I did … !

*        I grew up reading 2000AD, many moons ago.   One strip, Nemesis the Warlock,  sees the heroic alien, Nemesis, fighting the evil Terran Empire.   An empire led by A Chief Inquisitor who’d taken his name from Spain’s most feared bigot.   I don’t think the real de Torquemada had quite the same amount of bad habits … but don’t quote me …