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This new crime thriller series has stormed Netflix’s top 10 — and it’s about a grandma’s wild revenge quest
Netflix’s top 10 list is no stranger to a reshuffle each week, especially when fresh titles hit the streaming service. In this case, the Spanish crime thriller series “Two Graves,” added on August 29, has already made quite the impression by jumping to the No. 3 spot.
It now sits just behind the No. 1 documentary “Katrina: Come Hell and High Water” and a romantic teen drama that recently dropped its second season.
What’s particularly impressive is that non-English originals often get overshadowed by bigger hits or take time to find their audience given the lack of marketing. “Two Graves” clearly didn’t waste any time joining the spotlight though, likely thanks to its very intriguing premise: a determined grandmother on a brutal quest for revenge.
I wrote about the trailer a few weeks back, noting how it looked like a mystery-laced revenge story (but a savage one). While it doesn’t feature the fight sequences of something like “John Wick,” it shares some compelling similarities with the revenge arc of “Taken.” Honestly, that alone might be enough to sell pretty much anyone on it.
So, if you’ve noticed “Two Graves” climbing Netflix’s U.S. charts and wondered whether it’s worth a watch, here’s everything you need to know about the series before adding it to your watchlist.
What is ‘Two Graves’ about?
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“Two Graves” takes place in a quiet coastal town in Málaga, two years after the disappearance of two 16-year-old girls, Verónica (Nadia Vilaplana) and Marta (Zoe Arnao).
When the official inquiry collapses for lack of evidence, grieving grandmother Isabel (Kiti Mánver) refuses to let the case die and begins her own dangerous search for answers. Her pursuit forces her into the paths of people tied to the girls’ final days, from elusive acquaintances to those present at shadowy gatherings.
Joining her is Rafael (Álvaro Morte), the father of the other missing girl, whose growing involvement pulls him into the same dangerous spiral.
Should you stream ‘Two Graves’ on Netflix?
Whether you stream “Two Graves” depends on how much you enjoy revenge-fueled thrillers. This new series uses its protagonist as the most compelling hook: a grandmother who is desperate for justice for her missing granddaughter, even if that means going to some pretty extreme lengths. That includes smashing someone’s knee with a hammer to a scene where a person ends up trapped beneath a car…
Anyone who is into brutal revenge stories will most likely enjoy this new series, but be warned that it doesn’t hold back. This is a grieving grandmother with nothing left to lose.
Even better, “Two Graves” is just three episodes long. That brevity keeps the story focused, skipping over unnecessary detours and trimming side plots, all while building toward an emotionally charged finale centered on family rather than lingering solely on revenge.
Plus, its short runtime and a somewhat familiar mystery at its core make it an easy watch to forget. That might sound like a downside, but with so much mediocre content flooding streaming services these days, sometimes all you really want is a show that’s entertaining and doesn’t pretend to be more than it is.
“Two Graves” is essentially a revenge story, blended with gritty crime drama and mystery elements to keep you guessing. But it’s also a family drama, and thankfully it doesn’t use the grandmother’s brutal acts of revenge as the story’s only anchor.
There aren’t many reviews out just yet, and the show doesn’t have a Rotten Tomatoes score, but three out of the four posted opinions are positive.
Karina Adelgaard from Heaven of Horror said: “If there’s one thing stories of revenge are usually good for, it’s delivering heartfelt storylines, which in turn means performances that can be both heartbreaking and heartwarming.”
Meanwhile, LeisureByte’s Archi Sengupta summed it up by saying: “If you need a quick, easy and somewhat bloody fix this weekend, Two Graves makes for a good watch. It depends more on emotions than on the thrills and is ultimately forgettable, but it is enjoyable in the moment and won’t leave you too disappointed if you don’t look too deep!”
Pramit Chatterjee from Digital Mafia Talkies found the mini series format jarring: “Coming back to the topic of the choice to tell this story in three episodes, thereby ruining every single character arc because the final product neither has the efficiency of a film nor the elaborateness of a show, why did the artists in question do this?”
“Two Graves” is a solid pick for anyone looking for a revenge-fueled crime mystery, packaged into three hour-long episodes. There’s plenty of brutal revenge to keep you hooked, and while it might be somewhat forgettable, it could still make for an entertaining watch on Netflix. Otherwise, see what new movies and shows to stream this week.
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