If only… What if? Why not? These are some pertinent questions we ask ourselves while thinking about some major events from the past and how things would have been different if that event or incident hadn’t occurred. This is the idea followed by “If Only” or “Si lo hubiera Sabido”, a Spanish Netflix Original released on October 28th, 2022. The show, which stars Megan Montaner and Miquel Fernandez, is about the lead actress’s time travel to a life she led ten years ago and changing her life ever since. Are the changes that happened to her good or bad?
Spoilers Ahead
‘If Only’ Plot Summary: The Story Of Emma, Nando, And Isa
Emma, a homemaker, mother of twins, and wife of Fernando, aka Nando, realizes she has reached a point of a rut in her marriage. The only thing that keeps her going is her kids, Mia and Mario, but she has no interest whatsoever in keeping her marriage going with Nando. At her anniversary dinner, she finally informs her husband that she no longer intends to stay in this marriage. Nando is shocked but not surprised at her decision. She informs her mother of the same. At the breakfast table the next morning, Emma and Nando inform their kids about the separation and divorce. Emma, at this point, has reached a stage where she no longer feels for Nando. She is the one taking up the burden of taking care of the kids while Nando is keeping himself busy in the office without offering any help to Emma. Frustrated by his lack of understanding towards Emma, she decides to take this step and intends to take the kids with her. Emma looks back and remembers the time when she had said yes to her marriage with Nando. She keeps thinking that if she had not said yes to him, things would have been completely different for her. She could have completed her college, started her business, or followed a different path altogether. Emma reminisces about her past often since her divorce announcement. Emma thinks with utmost seriousness: why did she agree to marry a person like Nando when she had so much to offer herself and her parents? Emma’s best friend, Isa, is her pillar, a shoulder to cry on who supports her decision to leave Nando.
Emma’s kids and the news talk incessantly about the red moon or the blood moon. On the way to dinner with her and Nando’s friends, Emma is visibly agitated and angry, and just like a déjà vu, she stops in front of a runner. As she is about to give the car to her friend Alfredo, the valet at the restaurant, she takes one glance at the red moon, and suddenly she has gone ten years behind, wearing the dress she had worn the night Nando proposed to her. The year she is in now is 2008; she remembers everything that happened ten years after the proposal, so she realizes she has gone back to the past from the future. Emma, as desired, refuses to marry Nando. Taken aback by her decision, Nando starts disliking her for rejecting him. He assumes their common friend Deme is in love with her, and he wonders if she is in love with Deme, which could be the reason why she rejected his proposal. Her family, Isa, and the rest of the gang are shocked to learn of her decision not to marry Nando. But soon, Emma realizes changing her past would change her future as well, which means she will not give birth to Mia and Mario, her twins from Nando. She is desperate to convince Nando, but Nando, fuelled by anger and freedom, starts dating Emma’s best friend, Isa. Emma, at this point, also learns from Isa that Nando proposed to Emma only at the insistence of Isa, making Emma wonder if Nando ever loved her. Emma’s mind is on overdrive since she has gone back ten years behind. She is aware of things that happened ten years later, but many around her don’t seem to understand whatever she is trying to convey. Emma is paranoid about losing her kids but is calm enough to know she can now lead her life the way she wants. Emma initially wonders if Deme likes her, but he confesses that he is gay and that he has been in love with his best friend.
Emma is upset to know Nando quickly moved on to her best friend Isa and has a breakdown on the college campus when she starts to mention things from the future. Emma is admitted to a hospital, where she is contacted by Alfredo, who informs her of how he also felt the time jump, just like Emma. He gets her in touch with Ruben, who went through the same phenomenon. They form a friendship, and since they know of a lot of things that would happen ten years from there on, they decide to start an advertising agency. They start the ad agency based only on the fact that they know what will happen in the future, bank money off of it, and cut the competition. Alfredo gets into betting full-time because he knows which team in which sport would win. Emma is terrified of the thought that two people other than her felt the time jump. She is happy and scared at the same time. Emma, though, is excited about the prospect of starting her own business and taking charge of her life. The kryptonite in her hand is the ten years’ worth of information that will push her business forward, making her, Alfredo, and Ruben richer quicker than they imagined. As their lives go forward smoothly, they come across hurdles, but they tend to somehow get past them.
‘If Only’ Season 1: Ending Explained – How Is Emma Dealing With Her Current Life As A Successful Entrepreneur?Â
As Emma’s life has gone behind for ten years, she is excited to see her father next to her mom, enjoying each other’s company at this age. Emma is happy to know her parents stand by her decision not to want to marry Nando. Emma, since the time jump, decides to spend as much time as she can with her parents, for she is aware that in the future, her father will leave. She starts her own advertising company, and the company soon becomes one of the most innovative companies in Spain. Emma is scared but is glad her parents, her friend Deme and his boyfriend are around for her. Emma, at this point, is at an all-time high for her venture with Alfredo and Ruben. At many points, Ruben comes across as a fellow with a shady past, which Emma finds very attractive and starts pursuing him. Ruben rejects her advances, stating he would want to be with her at the right time. Emma, though, is fixated on the fact that she wants her kids back. She goes miles to be in Nando and Isa’s lives or make Nando somehow sleep with her so that she can get pregnant. Emma misses Mia and Mario the most in her life. She believes they are the only reason she feels alive. Emma, though, is skeptical of Nando’s intentions; she finds out he is cheating on Isa with his ex-girlfriend.
Emma celebrates her 30th birthday with Ruben setting up a romantic atmosphere for her. Emma soon remembers how Nando forgot her 30th birthday. Ruben swoops Emma by her feet, but Emma reveals that she is keen on getting her kids back and cannot get intimate with him. Emma is attracted to Ruben, but she doesn’t let the attraction get the best of her, for her goal is to get Mia and Mario back into her life somehow. Emma is happy financially and emotionally, but she keeps thinking of her twins and their presence in her life. Isa and Nando are married; Isa soon reveals that she is pregnant with twins, much to Emma’s chagrin. She involves herself in Isa and Nando’s lives, hoping that would help her get close to the kids as well. Soon, Ruben disappears, and a raid in her office reveals that Ruben works for the state intelligence, with authorities now behind him for some information he carries. Emma is hurt to know that Ruben has just disappeared from her life. She feels helpless and hopeless, but Isa’s pregnancy keeps her mind off Ruben.
Emma knows her father won’t be around past December 31st, 2016, so she tries her best to keep him healthy and keeps suggesting to her mother not to indulge in any intimate activities with him to avoid any unwanted attacks or strokes. It is revealed later in the show that her father passed away on New Year’s Eve in the year 2016, and Emma, since then, has not been in the right mindset. Emma is close to her father; she wants him to be around her and spend time with him because he is her biggest strength. He supports every decision she makes, and he is proud of her, and he makes sure to be vocal about it. Her father’s constant presence makes her feel strong, and that’s the reason she goes miles to keep him healthy and hearty and hopes that he crosses the December 31st 2016, mark. Isa goes into labor, and Emma runs to the hospital with her parents to be with her, only to know her delivery is going to be complicated; Isa might lose her life along with the babies. At the same moment, Emma’s father suffers a heart attack, which puts Emma in a limbo of sorts where she sees imagery from the future. She sees herself lying on the hospital bed, unconscious, and Nando beside her. The story goes back to the present, where it is revealed Emma knew about the affair Nando had with Isa while being married to Emma. She goes through a series of emotional upheavals. On reaching the restaurant, Emma starts saying things that seem disoriented to Nando, Isa, and Deme. They moved her to the hospital only to discover she had a brain hemorrhage. The ten-year time jump was a part of her vision when she was in a coma for 20 days. After 20 days, Emma becomes conscious and goes ahead with her divorce plans. She is told that Ruben never existed in their lives. He is just a Spanish actor whose movie Emma watched over and over again. Emma’s coma took her mind on an overdrive of various memories clubbed together. Since the divorce announcement, she kept thinking of what would happen if she had said no to Nando, that thought overpowered her mind and took her through a whirlwind of scenarios, which is a mixture of real-life people, real-life experiences, and fictional characters being all cinematic with her. Emma was hit by severe trauma when she came to know of Nando’s infidelity. Emma was beyond heartbroken, and an emotional upheaval such as this one led to a mental breakdown followed by a hemorrhage. Emma recovers soon and goes ahead with the divorce. Emma is intrigued by the Spanish actor, follows him on his jogging track, and decides to approach him. Emma is more sorted at this point since her 20 days in the coma have helped her make up her mind about her life going forward. She lets Nando go and gets her babies back. Emma is now content with her life decisions.
Final Thoughts
“If Only” had its issues at the screenplay level, for a time travel story needs to connect the dots accurately, or else the audience watching the show would lose the plot after a point. “If Only” in some places did not make sense, as some plot points were not explained well. The only things that kept the show going were the humor and performance of Megan Montaner as Emma. The show is hilarious and will keep you engaged long enough to finish it in one sitting. Thankfully, each episode is just 30 to 37 minutes long, and the running time of each episode is just enough to make the show interesting. “If Only” is a time-travel comedy-drama that is watchable, if not boring.
“If Only” is a Netflix original show that is now streaming with subtitles.
