Public Disorder (2025) – Season 1 Episode 1 Recap & Review

Episode 1

Episode 1 of Public Disorder begins in Susa Valley. It’s been 10 hours and the Roma 3 riot unit finally gets the green light to intervene at a protest that may turn violent. The locals are protesting against the building of the TAV railway system in the valley. The police chiefs don’t want a mess and simply want to stop the locals from entering the construction site. However, one of the squad members, Pietro is severely injured.

Once the superior leaves with him, Mazinga orders the cops to beat the locals. Later, he cleans their batons of any proof. They head back to the precinct where he claims their bodycams fell and focuses on Pietro’s tragic spine injury. However, ER was called to treat the protestors who were chased to the river and beaten up. His superior points out that whenever there is an issue, Mazinga’s squad is always involved.

The media report on the protest annoys Mazinga as he believes they are not emphasizing the danger Pietro is in. The squad tries to visit but Pietro’s wife, Anna sends them away as she is upset.

A squad member, Marta is a single mother who struggles financially. Her ex sends skates for their daughter, Agata and Marta wants to return it. Agata doesn’t understand why and Marta accidentally snaps at her.

Another member, Salvatore runs into Michele Nobili from the Senigallia riot squad who has been transferred to Rome. He is indifferent to Pietro’s case and Salvatore is furious by it. Mazinga claims that Nobili is a snitch. He is known as an old-school riot cop and the police chief advises him to win over the squad by earning their respect. His first task is the Rome-West Ham match in 2 weeks and he is the assigned leader.

As for Mazinga, he has a hobby of planting carnivorous plants. Joanna, his pregnant daughter-in-law shows up for some silverware while his son, Giancarlo prefers to avoid him. He has also dropped Mazinga’s last name and taken up his mother’s surname. While Mazinga is cordial, the bit about the surname annoys him.

Marta is still unhappy but gives in and lets Agata use the new skates. She cheers up when she sees Agata skating well. Meanwhile, Nobili has a loving family as we see them have karaoke night with his daughter, Emma and her friends.

The next day, reports come in that the injured protestors are in a worse state with one of the boys going into a coma. The squad looks uncomfortable by the news. Mazinga is the only one unaffected and reprimands them for worrying about a stranger. They visit Pietro who finally wakes up and the mood lightens as they jokingly chant ACAB at the end of Public Disorder Episode 1.

The Episode Review

Episode 1 of Public Disorder aka A.C.A.B. La serie dives straight into one of Italy’s riot incidents by opening with the TAV protest. While it began in the 1990s, from the setting, it seems that it focuses on the 2011 protest. Especially with the viral 2011 song Titanium playing when Agata skates and Marta steels herself. The use of the song is a little too on the nose but perfect for immediately identifying the time period.

It is also worth noting that while the Netflix show is based on Charles Bonini’s novel, ACAB: All Cops Are B*stards and the 2012 movie of the same name, it provides a new story with the same character of Mazinga. 

He is the spokesperson for the police while Nobili stays on the fringes as he refuses to join the fraternity. Meanwhile, the rest of the squad members struggle with their actions, their consequences and their loyalty to Mazinga and Pietro.

With such a sensitive and controversial premise, we do wonder how they will balance out both views. The first episode simply sets the tone and introduces us to the overarching dynamic of Mazinga’s squad. While slow, it has definitely piqued our interest.