Hard Broken is a brand-new Lebanese Netflix Original that is not just about beautiful men and women who hold highly reputable jobs. The show is a murder investigation drama that begins after a young doctor is killed, while her husband is the witness to the ghastly crime. It is also a story of betrayal, infidelity, and love that each character feels through the entire runtime of the show. This recap of Hard Broken will help the viewers understand what the motive behind this premeditated murder was.
Spoilers Ahead
Prologue
Hard Broken begins with Dr. Yasmine being taken to the hospital by her husband, Adam, because she is experiencing severe abdominal pain. The commute is interrupted by an assailant who drags Yasmine out of the car and kills her instantly. This sets the tone for the show as an investigation is launched to understand if Yasmine had enemies who wanted her dead. Yasmine comes across as an intriguing character, and killing her right in the beginning will help the audience understand her as the show progresses. We get to know this woman through the memories people have of her. The police will be interested in interrogating the big friend group Adam and Yasmine were a part of. In such cases, it is always the friends who end up divulging a lot more information than a family member.
Who are the prime suspects?
As the police begin interrogating Adam and Yasmine’s friends Lana and Dr. Youseff, we learn that Lana and Adam ran a law firm together, while Dr. Youseff and Dr. Yasmine were dentists at their own clinic. Such a close-knit group is bound to have a lot of information about Yasmine’s daily habits and interactions to understand who would benefit if she passed away.
The police questioning brings up only one name: Saad, who is not just Adam’s best friend but also Yasmine’s ex-boyfriend, whom she does not get along with. There is a shared history between them; we are wondering if theirs was a case of a bad breakup, which is why Yasmine never liked having Saad around. It was not news to anyone that Saad was not fond of Yasmine either, as he claims that she has been unfaithful to him and Adam.
Saad’s claim could be bogus because of his premeditated notions about the woman. His dislike for her could cloud his judgment and mislead the investigation as well. Saad might be a suspect but he cannot be relied on to tell the truth. His arrogant nature led his fiancée, Surayya, to break up with him. Surayya also happened to be Yasmine’s best friend. There is proof of Saad and Yasmine having an altercation at a party, but it is not strong enough to have him arrested. At this point it might seem, Saad is a stand-in suspect in the plot just to distract the audience from the actual killer, who might still be at large.
Why did Adam always suspect Yasmine?
Adam has suspected Yasmine’s every move since they got into a relationship, something that is revealed through a series of flashback sequences. He resorted to checking her phone regularly and constantly confronting her about the men she interacts with daily. Adam is a typical toxic man who is insecure about having a beautiful woman by his side and cannot help but wonder if she’s getting some attention from other men. We also get to see how Yasmine slowly and steadily got fed up with his suspicious behavior.
We learn about the genesis of Adam’s suspicious behavior. He and his father had caught his mother with another man when Adam was young, which led to his father’s death. Adam could never come around to forgive his mother, Sherine. Adam blames his mother for his father’s death, and it probably changed the family dynamics. He was probably raised by a family member because Adam, as a kid, may have refused to live with his mother. There is a hatred he’s formed against her, which could have also led to his highly suspicious behavior.
He never allowed his mother to be around Sarah after Yasmine’s death. He probably felt his mother could never be a good grandmother because of her past. He is probably a chauvinistic man who believes women who don’t behave in a dignified manner are ruined. Unlike his mother, who chose to live with her boyfriend for many years, instead of speaking to a counselor to deal with their issues, Adam unleashed his toxic side on Yasmine, which was known to many in their friend circle. Adam could easily be a suspect in this crime, but the police chose not to pursue that angle.
Will Adam submit Yasmine’s other phone to the police? ?
Adam is now the single parent in the household of his daughter Sarah. Yasmine and Adam had only one child, and they seemed to have moved past all their marital woes concerning his suspicious behavior. Sarah seems to be their only source of happiness, but with Yasmine gone, Adam has wholeheartedly taken up the responsibility of raising his daughter.
Adam comes across another phone owned by Yasmine in her jewelry box, and he wonders if it has any details about her life he wasn’t aware of. The fact that she kept the phone away proves that Yasmine had her secrets as well, which Adam was initially unwilling to come to terms with.
Adam’s suspicion radar has gone into hyper mode since the phone is found. It is implied that Adam now thinks Yasmine cheated on him, which is why she had another mobile phone stowed away. Adam is in two minds about whether to surrender the mobile phone to the police so that they can reveal the uncomfortable truths to him.
Adam is chauvinistic to the point that he does not want to come to terms with the fact that he might have made a mistake that may have pushed Yasmine to the corner and forced her to either seek another relationship or have a life that is separate from what she led with Adam. After a lot of contemplation and discussion with Dr. Youseff, Adam agrees to submit the phone to the investigation team in a bid to understand what his wife was up to. He is most likely expecting the worst, but Adam does not have a lot to lose because Yasmine is not alive anymore.
Why did Youseff want the phone?
Dr. Youseff also learns of Yasmine’s discreet phone and wants to get hold of it before Adam surrenders the device to the police. It is revealed through Surayya and some flashback scenes that Yasmine had begun an intimate affair with Dr. Youseff because she was harassed by Adam regularly. Yasmine essentially faced emotional abuse, and she found solace in her business partner and friend, Youseff.
Surayya also reveals that Yasmine was pregnant, and it was most likely Youseff’s kid. What makes this subplot ridiculous is that the postmortem report of Yasmine shows the presence of anesthesia in large quantities in her body but does not reveal she was pregnant. The writers probably included this for the shock value at the last minute to create more drama.
Youseff has been depressed since Yasmine’s untimely death, and this should have been a giveaway to many that he was attached to her. Many saw their relationship as a business partnership and friendship, but it is now revealed both were in love. Yasmine’s reasons for falling in love could be justified, but there is no ground on why Youseff pursued this affair, for Lana was a perfect wife. Youseff was probably terrified of leaving his wife because her profession as a lawyer would allow her to play dirty if the case went to court.
To his shock, Adam finds out about the affair because of Yasmine’s second phone, as revealed by the police. An angry Adam heads to confront Youseff, while the latter claims to be heading out of the city and hides at the apartment where he and Yasmine always met. Youseff knew that Adam and Lana would be after him in no time, as the news of the affair was out. He wanted to stay away from the barrage of accusations that would come his way.
Youseff figured hiding away in this place would be an ideal solution. Unfortunately for him, Adam followed and confronted him as expected. The police followed them as well and detained Adam while they charged and arrested Youseff for his role in the murder of Yasmine. This is exactly what Youseff was worried about. The gun used to kill Yasmine is also found in Youseff’s apartment. Youseff claims innocence, but all the evidence says otherwise.
Who killed Dr. Yasmine?
Dr. Youseff’s trial begins, and all the evidence presented contradicts every claim that the man made. It seems the investigation team is not willing to take another route but believes what is being presented to them. Adam confesses to Youseff that he killed Yasmine, and there is no way Youseff or his lawyers could prove it. Adam finally comes clean about his role in Yasmine’s murder to prove himself to be right all along about Yasmine’s nature. We feel Adam is wrong once again because he left no choice for his wife but to follow her heart and be with a man who respects her. This does not justify adultery, but Adam’s harrowing nature pushed her to do this. Lana had tracked Youseff and informed Adam about it. Instead of confronting their spouses, the two formulate a revenge plan to make sure both pay for the infidelity.
Adam and Lana’s unwillingness to deal with their partners implies that there was a lot of hatred the two had for their respective spouses, which is why they were willing to commit a perfect crime. If Adam was aware of the affair, what was he afraid would be revealed through Yasmine’s other phone, which he willingly submitted to the police? This is a plot hole that the makers did not take into consideration. We felt killing them was a dramatic step. Adam’s memories of his mother being unfaithful to his father may have triggered him to decide to eliminate Yasmine. Lana planted the gun in the apartment long ago, which helped the police frame Youseff for the murder. The man is sentenced to death at the end of the trial. This is a win-win situation for the two of them, as they can get rid of the people they despise the most.
Epilogue
Hard Broken Season 1 ends in a way where the police still think it was Youseff who committed the murder. The team has an odd feeling about the way Youseff was nabbed; the puzzle fit too perfectly. Youseff’s lawyers also claim that Lana left the restaurant right after Adam and Yasmine’s departure because of her stomachache. This is connected to the beginning of the show, where all the friends gathered to celebrate Adam and Yasmine’s eighth wedding anniversary. Adam and Lana, at this juncture, probably knew of the affair and orchestrated the plan to take Yasmine out of the restaurant to kill her. Yasmine knew she was killed by her husband and friend Lana. She must have felt betrayed and killed by those who were closest to her. The duo did not think twice before killing which showcases how ruthless the two had become in their pursuit of revenge.
The investigation claims that if it was indeed Youseff who killed Yasmine, Adam should have been able to recognize his friend’s voice immediately instead of waiting all this time to wait for the police to nab the culprit. This will most likely make the investigation team look for Adam’s involvement in the murder and put a hold on Youseff’s execution. It implies that there is no such thing as a perfect crime. The investigation team will soon get to Lana or Adam through this loophole. This paves the way for Hard Broken Season 2, which will most likely acquit Youseff of all the charges.
