Are you one of those who believe that sport is only training and discipline?, well, I tell you that there is definitely much more than that and this series will show you an example of the circumstances that certain high performance athletes can live to excel and to achieve success. Before I continue, I want to say that I came to this series by chance, this is not the kind of genre I usually watch in series and movies, but as I like sports in general, I was curious to see what proposals this series had, so a little against my will, I watched all the chapters in a couple of days.
“Olympo” is a Netflix series of Spanish production that has 8 chapters, the genre is drama, although with more unfounded ideas towards the teenage audience as most characters are young people who have not yet matured and may show promiscuous attitudes. I honestly don't know any of the guys in the cast of characters, but I must say that they are very talented actors that we will surely see in the future in other productions. This series was filmed in Spain.
The story takes us to the Pyrenees High Performance Center, a place where the vast majority of Spanish athletes who train every day with the intention of appearing in the international arena, winning European and world tournaments are the main purpose of those who make life in the CAR. As you can imagine, this is a site fully equipped with tools for athletes to train in the best possible way, they have everything at their disposal to develop their bodies and take them to the limit.
But what happens when you gather a large number of teenagers in a place like this?, well, we know that they can easily get distracted from what really matters and that is where the complex interpersonal relationships begin to play a fundamental role in the series. Part of the plot focuses on the athletes' eagerness to get the sports sponsorship of the brand “Olympo”, which would guarantee them exposure, visibility and along with that, economic success, but it is not so easy, those who aspire to the sponsorship must show qualities that distinguish them from the rest, or well, that's what in the real world would be required, soon we will realize that there is something deeper and darker in obtaining sponsorships.
Another interesting aspect that this series touches on is the use of substances that some athletes can use to optimize physical aptitudes in addition to endurance, we know that this is a topic that has always been talked about in sport and that despite the advances in anti-doping tests and rigorous controls, there are always those who seek to circumvent these rules at any cost to gain sporting advantage. Thus, in CAR Pirineos we will see how a group of boys struggle physically and psychologically to achieve success, but not before being betrayed, living injustices and, of course, living the typical teenage dramas in which sexual relations play an important role.
Olympo — Official Trailer | Netflix
This series develops with a relatively fast pace, I don't feel that it gives time or place to unimportant sub plots since each event of the story has a purpose within the final result of the idea, however, it is inevitable that at times the series falls into the clichés of teen dramas with the complex interpersonal relationships that entails, but beyond that, it maintains a coherent line in the development of events. I must admit that both the main characters and the secondary characters play a very good role, I already said that I don't know any of the actors, but despite that they left me a good impression.
Something I liked a lot about the series were some scenes of sports activities, especially those recorded in the pool, I think it achieved an aesthetic rarely seen in movies or sports series as I feel it captured a very realistic essence of what is lived in those places. I think that one of the achievements of this series was the inclusion of a disruptive element that contributes a lot to the story and by that I mean the inclusion of the enigmatic sports brand “Olympo”, which beyond seeking talent, has a hidden intention that helps to intensify the drama and suspense.
I'm not going to say that this is the best series I've seen, not even close, but I think it leaves a small legacy for the sports genre as it uses elements of real life that many can relate to, but also adds external elements that certainly creates opportunities to make the story more entertaining. I am hesitant to recommend this series or not as I can understand that many (including myself) can't stand teen dramas, but believe me you will see more than that in this series, I leave it up to you.
