Death Is Never Natural
Episode 4 of Gloria Season 1 starts Mia’s body being found. Miguel does his autopsy and deduces that there’s a perforation in the skull from a violent blow from behind. To find out more, they’re going to need to do an autopsy and X-ray. James Wilson though, upon learning this, demands Miguel not move the corpse and bypass procedure. He wants the death chalked up as a simple fall and to sweep it under the rug. His way of thinking is that if the Portuguese authorities find out what happened at RARET on their watch, the already-tenuous relationship with the government could be severed and they’ll be shut down. The negotiation with Cesar doesn’t go to plan either, which makes Wilson’s life a whole lot harder. Anne, upon finding out, nonchalantly shrugs it off and decides to leave him to PIDE. Another agent working behind the lines is Irina, who just so happens to be the hired help for James and Anne during their dinner parties. There’s a moment with her and Bill in the kitchen that seems to hint at future romantic relations, but that’s speculation at this point. The main crux here is that she’s on the inside. Goncalo and Joao chase up Miguel over Mia’s death, asking him if it’s really accidental. His shifty attitude only reinforces to the pair that he’s hiding something. Another that isn’t saying everything it seems is Ramiro’s wife, Sofia. She ends up talking to Joao out on the balcony that evening, questioning him about his ties to Mia. Only, Ramiro winds up jealous and grabs his wife, taking her back home. Ramiro is an alcoholic along with being a controlling, manipulative a-hole and back home he keeps his wife trapped in the closet while he drowns out her cries with the TV. The next day, Joao heads up the road and runs into Carolina, who’s on her way to Vala De Magos. Joao agrees to give her a lift as the pair head down to the beach together. This conflicting cocktail of emotions sees Carolina suddenly kiss Joao. Realizing what she’s done, given she’s due to wed Fernando soon, Carolina rushes back to the car. “You don’t always have to behave as others tell you to,” Joao says, as the pair end up touching hands. Back home though, Carolina is beaten by Luis, who’s not happy about her riding around with Joao on the eve of her wedding. He brutally whips her with his belt while she sobs on the bed. Goncalo meanwhile, continues to chase up Miguel’s autopsy report. The circumstances surrounding this murder are suspicious, to say the least, and eventually Miguel cracks. He reveals to Goncalo that James wants everything tied up with a neat little bow. Joao and Irina head to the abandoned cabin Mia frequented when she was alive. Together, they find a bottle of whiskey. It seems like this is reserved for Directors only, which narrows down the list of possible suspects considerably. Given James Wilson wanted Mia’s death covered up as quick as possible, he seems like he’s the most likely suspect. Joao knows this and heads over that night, sabotaging his office lock. With plans to change the locks in the morning, Joao manages to bag himself a spare key, thanks partly to an early-morning tennis match with the boss. It’s the perfect cover to allow Joao to break in that night without arousing suspicions. He plants a tape recorder under his desk and prepares to learn more. Now, Joao’s mission extends across to busting into the police station, using the pretense of being blind drunk to get in. Quim, the man behind bars, takes out the solitary officer there and hurries outside. Only, Joao happens to be watching from his car as he’s shot dead by another officer.
The Episode Review
The reveal of Mia actually being dead and James Wilson acting shadily is certainly news and it helps to spice up this drama as we’re left with numerous questions over what’s really going on here. Who killed Mia? Meanwhile, Carolina and Joao get closer, which is no surprise to anyone who saw this coming back in the early parts of the season. Given she’s due to be wed to Fernando, it certainly throws a spanner in the works. Joao is clever too, and he manages to keep up his façade at RARET while also working against everyone and providing intel for the KGB. It’ll be interesting to see where this one goes next, especially given how everything has been left here.
