The fifth episode of City of Shadows unfolds at the La Ferradura Youth Center in Tarragona, 1984. A nun puffs on a cigarette while the children marvel at a documentary on Gaudi's architecture. Hector, the younger accomplice, holds hands with a girl who is enraptured by Gaudi's religious symbolism. The grown-up version of this girl, now a museum security guard, checks on Susana, who is being held hostage in the Gaudi cage after work.
Meanwhile, Milo heads to his old apartment with Irene, filled with happy memories of Marc, Irene, and even Susana. Irene's father, Elias, joins them to meet potential buyers and hurls barbed comments at Milo. They bicker until Elias lets slip that Torrens was rumored to be corrupt and perverted. Milo rushes off upon learning that Susana is missing, leaving Irene and Elias annoyed with him.
The autopsy on Georgina reveals that she was injected with a high dose of anesthesia, causing cardiac arrest. Susana's PA also reveals that before her judicial career, Susana was in juvenile surveillance. The scene cuts to a woman hiding her face and recording Susana, revealing that they have met before.
Milo and Rebeca learn that Torrens opened three juvenile facilities named after Gaudi symbols like the horseshoe (Ferradura), hare, and key. La Ferradura is the first facility, which he left in 1990. Two years later, it was burned down, meaning the cops have to go through physical records to find the culprits.
Desperate to find Susana, Milo skips therapy, leading Bastos to fire him, claiming he is too close to the case. Milo suffers a panic attack but convinces Singla to let him keep his badge until Sunday, the day the Pope visits, for Susana's sake. Rebeca helps by getting a search warrant for Georgina's house. The old lady's daughter shares that Georgina didn't sleep due to stress, leading the cops to believe she saw something and was killed for it.
Mauricio continues to report on the case, talking about freedom of press and Susana's abduction. He then calls someone, hoping to check in with them. There is a photo of him with a man and a kid, right after which the killer wants to meet but orders Mauricio to lose the cops on his tail.
Vintage footage reveals the transformation of Barcelona's once serene seaside into a bustling tourist hotspot, its charm marred by an overwhelming presence of visitors. Milo's troubles deepen as he confronts a deranged Hugo, whose sanity wavers until Milo threatens to commit him to an asylum. In a bid to avoid such a fate, Hugo promises to redouble his efforts, earnestly hoping that Milo will spare him the institution's confines.
Milo, in solitude with Rebeca, shares the heartbreaking truth that their father met his end in the asylum's walls. In turn, Rebeca reveals that her mother's cancer is a genetic legacy, allowing her to empathize with the fear that plagues both Milo and Hugo.
Mauricio sets to work, enlisting Lucas's aid in evading the authorities' watchful eye. They make their way to the garden, with Lucas hiding more meticulously than before. Hector's arrival signals a moment of truth, as he removes his helmet to reveal an exclusive piece of information for Mauricio.
That night, Milo and Rebeca delve into their best efforts to dissect the suspects' profiles. Their quest to connect Pinto and Joan to the perpetrators remains elusive until they decide to take a swim. The next morning, a burnt body dangles from a Gaudi fence, sending shockwaves through Milo as Rebeca swiftly realizes it isn't Susana. They eventually ascertain that it is Mauricio, after Lucas reports him missing.
As the episode concludes, Helena visits Susana without her disguise, catching her off guard as Susana is defensive and unrecognizing her. Helena unleashes her fury, blaming Susana for making decisions that shatter lives and threaten the very fabric of their world.
