“In milliseconds, your private life stops being private and becomes public. Someone presses a button, causing an unrestrained hurricane to erupt. And, like an epidemic, your privacy spreads from screen to screen at an incredible rate.”
Creator Verónica Fernández sounded rather dramatic while describing Netflix’s latest Spanish original Intimacy, but with everything from fatal car accidents and near-fatal diving board jumps to GBH counts and gun-toting chases caused by the ripple effect of a leaked sex tape, the politically and socially-conscious tale more than justifies such disastrous talk.
So how exactly did its whirlwind settle down? We break down all of the major plot points below – spoilers follow.
Intimacy ending explained
Who leaked the tape?
It’s the question on everyone’s lips once the world of married rising politician Malen (Itziar Ituño) collapses with a single click in the opening episode. Who uploaded the secretly-filmed beachside tryst that essentially turned the evening news into soft porn? The man whose face is hidden in the clip, Cesar (Eduardo Lloveras), was the initial suspect. And although the cash-strapped son of Bilbao’s business overlord did indeed help to set the honey trap, he only intended to use the footage for blackmail purposes.
In the finale we learn that Cesar didn’t initially set out to make money out of his extra-marital affair. It was only when a lackey of another powerful businessman spotted the two lovebirds getting cosy at a restaurant that a plan to besmirch Malen’s name came together. Andoni Segurola (Mikel Tello) had harboured a grudge against the aspiring mayor ever since she announced plans to further regulate the real estate market. Turning her into the city’s answer to Paris Hilton was his ultimate form of revenge. And he wasn’t sorry either.
Who killed Cesar?
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Segurola’s cockiness subsided, though, when no-nonsense inspector Alicia (Ana Wagener) threatened him with some serious jail time. It had already been determined that injuries sustained from a vicious beating had caused Cesar to drive off a hillside to his death back in episode three. But we didn’t know who was responsible for the broad daylight attack until the real estate magnate, a surprisingly pivotal figure considering he was only briefly introduced in the penultimate episode, squealed.
According to the chauvinist, he’d sent two of his security workers to politely renegotiate with Cesar over payment for the sex tape. But things got out of hand and the henchmen decided to beat him to a pulp on a patch of industrial wasteland instead.
Do Malen and Alfredo get back together?
Well, the fact that they’re last seen cuddling in bed together suggests yes. Of course, news of Malen’s sexual exploits didn’t come as a surprise to Alfredo (Marc Martinez). The pair had an open marriage after all, albeit one that appeared to be completely falling apart. And Alfredo knew that his wife had used their holiday home to fulfil her needs before the tape got out.
But concerned with the fact that the public would see him as a cuckold, Alfredo still acted every inch the wounded party, constantly giving Malen short shrift despite the fact that she was entirely innocent of any wrongdoing. Luckily, he eventually managed to see the error of his ways and in the finale reveals that he was only lashing out because of societal expectations. In the end, all the drama appears to have brought the once-distant couple closer together.
Who leaked the other sex tape?
Sadly, Malen wasn’t Intimacy’s only revenge porn victim. As shown in the very first scene, Ane (Verónica Echegui) tragically drowns herself after uncompromising videos circulating around her factory workplace make life untenable.
Sister Bego (Patricia López Arnaiz) subsequently makes it her mission to track down those responsible for both leaking and passing on the sex club footage. And thanks to the help of Alicia, it’s discovered that Jon (Mikel Losada), the old boyfriend that’s seen in flashback harassing Ane on her doorstep, was the culprit. Malen’s lawyer father reveals that a prison sentence of two-to-five years awaits and that Ane’s guilty colleagues will be fined and fired. Bego, meanwhile, takes on a new job supporting women who’ve gone through similar ordeals.
What happened to Leire?
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After being shamed at school for her mother Malen’s leaked sex tape scandal, unruly teenager Leire (Yune Nogueiras) then finds herself at the centre of her own thanks to weaselly ex-boyfriend Xabi (Arnatz Puertas).
In retaliation for uploading intimate footage, Leire physically assaults Xabi, resulting in a charge of grievous bodily harm. But after showing remorse, and with the mitigating circumstances, the judge accepts the defence’s argument that a fine and community service is punishment enough.
What happened to Malen’s political ambitions?
Malen goes through quite the political rollercoaster in the eighth and final episode as the tide of public opinion slowly begins to turn. At the start, she’s hanging onto her position by a thread. And when her sexist male colleagues start to take credit for her bravery in facing the scandal head-on, she understandably tells them where to go.
But Malen soon has second thoughts about returning to her former job as a lawyer. Firstly, she sees the groundswell of support on leaving the city hall. She’s then left feeling helpless and ashamed when a victim of sexual harassment she once helped to discredit tells her to stick her advice. And then her political party practically begs her to run for mayor after their other main candidate Gorka (Iñigo Aranburu) resigns: it’s quickly revealed that Malen’s right-hand man Hugo (Francesco Carril) blackmailed their rival over his escort habit. The closing shot of Malen putting up campaign posters proves that she’s now back in the game and perhaps ready for a second season too.
Intimacy is streaming now on Netflix – check out our Drama hub for all the latest news. If you’re looking for something to watch tonight, check out our TV Guide.
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