While Romancero's story certainly promises to grow deeper over the course of its six-episode run, the first two episodes that were watched for this review don't provide much reason to get invested. The series clings to the original appeal of binge-able streaming—it practically demands we watch it all in one sitting—but it also forgets to fulfill the episodic demands of television: that every installment communicate something coherent or at least add something to the whole. And while Romancero does have a persistent eeriness about it, even its horror elements don't create enough intrigue or a sense of danger (at least in these first episodes).

The show's decision to throw viewers directly into the action in medias res—no explanations, no initial character establishment—is exciting at first, but quickly saps the narrative of suspense. Similar to the two kids who are shown running from a horde of people in the night in the first episode, Romancero at first doesn't seem like it's heading towards anything in particular. It's a real case of either you're in or you're out, and for this writer, the show's opening moves aren't enough.

Despite its story leaving much to be desired, it's genuinely impressive how beautiful and how cinematic everything here looks, even if we aren't really given any key images around which the drama can anchor itself. The rural corner of Spain where this narrative takes place feels perpetually sparsely populated, almost as if in a western movie. Its shadows are cold and deep, and the little bit of gore we already get in the first two episodes is as messy and unglamorous as it needs to be. This alone may be enough to hook some viewers, so if that's your thing, you could still give this a shot.