Vis a Vis

Five years after the explosive finale of Vis a Vis: El Oasis, the acclaimed Spanish prison drama makes a daring return in Vis a Vis (2025) — not as a nostalgic revival, but as a sharp, modern evolution. Gritty, intense, and emotionally charged, the 2025 series brings back familiar faces while introducing a fresh generation of inmates to the cruel, chaotic world behind bars.

Set in a newly privatized version of Cruz del Norte, the prison is now a high-tech correctional facility run by AI surveillance and corporate interests — but the brutality inside remains as raw as ever. The story begins when Rocío Martín (played by breakout star Claudia Salas) is wrongfully imprisoned for a political hacking scandal. As she navigates the violent prison hierarchy, she crosses paths with legendary inmate Zulema Zahir — still alive, very much dangerous, and played once again with chilling power by Najwa Nimri.

Zulema's return is a masterstroke. She’s older, scarred, and more calculating than ever, serving as a ghostly mentor to Rocío while manipulating events from the shadows. The question that drives the season: can Rocío survive without becoming exactly like her?

Vis a Vis (2025) does not hold back. It maintains the franchise’s trademark brutality — fights, betrayal, and psychological warfare — but injects it with timely themes like digital control, surveillance capitalism, and gender identity within carceral systems. The show’s ability to evolve without losing its raw energy is impressive.

The ensemble cast brings the prison to life, especially Yolanda Ramos returning as the tragicomic guard Sole, now stuck in a moral crisis. Meanwhile, the prison’s upgraded systems provide eerie new tension — invisible punishments, facial-recognition discipline, and the disturbing presence of artificial “rehabilitation” programs.

The direction, led by Sandra Gallego, combines gritty realism with noir stylization. Stark lighting, tight framing, and bursts of color contrast the dehumanizing monotony of prison life. The soundtrack mixes haunting Spanish ballads with industrial beats, perfectly matching the emotional extremes of each episode.

By the season’s end, alliances have shattered, systems have glitched, and Zulema delivers one final twist — one that could launch yet another war inside the walls.

Vis a Vis (2025) is more than just a comeback. It’s a violent, intelligent, and unflinching look at power, resistance, and survival — proving once again that in Cruz del Norte, no one is ever truly free.