The Time It Takes Season 1: Timelines & Ending Explained

The Time It Takes Plot Synopsis

For Nico and Lina, their 9 year relationship has hit rock bottom. The passion is gone, their interests in one another have dwindled and their time has run out.

This essentially forms the crux of The Time It Takes, Netflix’s latest Spanish drama. With a split timeline jumping between the present and past, along with bitesize chapters, this show depicts a break-up both in-the-moment and in the days and weeks that pass. It’s a clever idea, one that actually keeps the break-up scenes withheld until the final scenes of the show.

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Why do Nico and Lina break up?

As we establish through the show, there’s a lot of history between Nico and Lina, and not all of it good. The timeline is relatively straightforward, following the usual romantic girl-meet-boy storyline until a twist comes around the middle of episode 4.

Nico is taken into hospital following a motorcycle accident. He tells Lina that he was with a friend but the truth is, he was out riding with a new co-worker called Noe. She hasn’t been at his work very long and the pair have obviously grown close in that short period of time. Given Nico lied about his whereabouts, Lina presses him on the truth.

It turns out Nico actually cheated on Lina with Noe and slept with her. He claims it didn’t mean anything, and that he’s invested in Lina, but it essentially starts off a downward spiral to follow.

Over the years, Nico has been growing more and more disenfranchised with this relationship, and he’s no longer passionate with Lina either. Eventually this lack of passion ends with the pair breaking up in a teary farewell during the final episode.

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Why does Nico stop being so passionate toward Lina?

Depression can do a lot of things to people, and one of those is a loss of libido. Following his cheating incident, Nico’s world is turned upside down when his father passes away. He’s struggling to get over it and in a way, is resentful of Lina, given his perceived notion that she managed to move past grieving for her deceased mother.

During episode 8, after the pair attend Nico’s father’s funeral, Nico asks Lina in despair how she coped with this.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder and in a way, Nico’s trip across to Zanzibar did do that, allowing him to return with a new perspective – and a new beard. However, despite pledging his life with Lina it’s not enough to shift the weight hanging over him. So naturally, the pair end up breaking things off thanks to Nico’s lack of passion for her. However, there’s obviously still love there.

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How does Lina get over Nico?

During episode 9, Lina heads off to Morocco on October 21st, intending to visit a children’s hospital and course-correct her life in the process. Lina has been stuck in a rut for a long time and this appears to be her way of trying to gain closure over losing Nico.

While there, Lina ends up befriending a man whom she ends up sleeping with. This is enough for her to feel the pangs of passion she’s been so desperately craving all these years.

Interestingly, the location they end up in is a direct comparison to the tranquil paradise she and Nico ended up sharing during moments in the past. However, when Lina tried to get passionate with Nico in this scene, he shot her down, claiming his book is going to get wet.

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How does The Time It Takes end?

After gaining some closure from her father Vincente, who’s still reeling from the death of his wife (and Lina’s mum) Lina decides to leave for good. She wants a fresh start and she’s ready to move on, typified by her earlier scenes of clearing out her apartment.

News of her leaving travels across to Nico, who shows up on her doorstep that night. He tells her it doesn’t feel right to leave things forgotten, which points toward their shared past. Before we find out what Lina’s answer is, the series comes to a close.

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Do Nico and Lina get back together?

Well, that is the million dollar question isn’t it? It would be easy to point out that these two are toxic and not right for one another but really, they do have a lot in common. The early moments of their relationship clearly showed a natural chemistry between the pair as well. Not only that, they have a good 9 years of history together.

However, Nico cheating on Lina is a big elephant in the room that’s likely to cause a lot of doubts to fester in Lina’s mind. However, given she still showed up in their meeting spot (on the rooftop on her birthday), it shows that Lina is still not 100% over her ex.

Likewise, Nico has not been in the right headspace since his father died. His return from Zanzibar shows that he can make changes for a while before slipping back into old ways. What’s to say he wouldn’t do the same again now?

Ultimately though, The Time It Takes has been a show all about moving on and learning to heal broken hearts and mend wounds. I’d like to think that Lina turns him down but the ambiguous ending leaves things up to us to decide.

So what do you guys think? Is it a happily ever after for the pair? Or is this a tale about moving on and starting fresh?

 

Read More: The Time It Takes Season 1 Review

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