‘Women in Blue (Las Azules)’ Recap: ‘Rosa’

9/11/2024

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Bárbara Mori as María in Episode 108 of ‘Women in Blue (Las Azules)’ – ‘Rosa’. (Photo Courtesy of Apple.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Eight of ‘Women in Blue (Las Azules)’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.

If there is one unsettling question about the human condition that we ask now and again, it would have to be… what motivates people to kill? Simply because so many of us outright understand the fact, that such an act is wrong. Because it removes a precious life, who others loved, relied upon and cherished, and their exit from this world through an act of such cruelty really is quite the unsettling thought. Yet, there are people who cross that line no problem, and seemingly do so with a measure of joy in their heart, and it just… does not… make sense. So, we turn to stories to comprehend such madness.

Because in that realm we can have science explore such matters in a safe space, to help us understand this evil, to help us be vigilant and recognize behaviors and patterns of those who hurt others, to keep them afraid of acting on their darkness or to pass warnings off to the right heroes. If anything, this old question and the why behind it are top of mind today, simply because such matters were featured in the next episode of Women in Blue (Las Azules) on Apple TV+. A feat that ‘Rosa’ accomplished, by going back in time to explore Benito’s origin story, so that the team could finally lock down if he was The Undresser or not.

Which they were able to figure out by pouring over every detail of his tragic and sordid life. Such as how he came to Rosa’s home out of tragedy. For his mother was brutally murdered at work, by his father no less, and he saw her body and was forever transformed. To the point where he was always silent and to the point where Rosa did her best to learn about what truly wounded him about that moment. Because she believed that just seeing a dead body would not be enough to traumatize a person into such a strange catatonic state and in this instance, she was right. For she also came to learn that abuse was in Benito’s household and that his mother tried to pull him away from that, and that… made it seem as though, he nothing more than a victim, and not a serial killer.

Ximena Sariñana, Bárbara Mori and Miguel Rodarte as Ángeles, María, and Romandía in Episode 108 of ‘Women in Blue (Las Azules)’ – ‘Rosa’. (Photo Courtesy of Apple.)

A possibility that was further enforced by the fact that the showed signs of promise. Since he participated with the other children in the house, and he eventually… opened up to Rosa more and more. To the point where she felt that finally… he was going to be on the right path and be a productive member of society. But that incident with the dog was too much to bear and revealed that Benito had more secrets that he kept hidden away from his adoptive mother. Such as the fact… that Benito was in consistent communication with his father before his mother died. In fact, he basically helped his mother die. Because his father taught him some stunning life lessons... the kind that no father should ever teach their son.

In that, he believed that women had a specific place in the home. To feed and serve and obey the man of the house and bear his children and care for them with a drive that could never be satiated. And to do otherwise, made them monsters, and made them individuals that needed to be punished. So, Benito followed those lessons and made his adoptive mother, his first kill. Making it clear, he is The Undresser while answering those questions. In that, the right amount of abuse and the right number of horrible lessons, especially imparted on someone who feels marginalized or is said to be, as was the case with Benito here… can push them to kill to enjoy power, to enjoy a sense of worth and that made for a fascinating and horrifying exploration. One that set up a scary truth.

Because now that we know that Benito is indeed The Undresser, Gabina is in real trouble. Since she meets his mold and likely garnered his attention from that magazine article. Which means it may be a race against time to save a member of Las Azules. But before we ponder deeper upon that, we can celebrate… one powerful tale. For we truly learned a lot here and came to understand the savage mind of a killer that clearly… cannot be saved… and that made this as much a tragedy as a learning experience and such revelations also have us waiting on pins and needles for next week’s episode, to see how Las Azules will save Gabina from the machinations of a madman. Until next time.

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