WARNING: The following contains spoilers for 30 Coins Episode 3, "The Mirror," now airing on HBO.
In HBO's 30 Coins, Elena has been most fervent when it comes to dissecting the evil forces descending on the small Spanish town of Pedraza and understanding their purpose. After fighting off a spider-monster and watching a young girl become possessed, she knows Father Vergara has brought something sinister with him as he tries to hide out from his past.
But come "The Mirror," as strong as Elena is and as much as she's fighting back, the Judas coin she's secretly taken from the priest finally breaks her. However, her emotional response could lead to apocalyptic consequences as the evil Vatican seek its power.
Elena is investigating the town's mystical mirror with mayor Paco. They're seeing the Gospel of Judas in its reflection while trying to determine why the tome isn't existing in the real world. They bring Vergara in out of desperation, thinking he could solve the predicament, but he gets trapped in it. As a result, Elena and Paco have to go into the mirror world themselves and bring him back, only for them to see how the cult has infiltrated the church and is planning to use agents from all over to gather the coins.
The retrieval mission ends up being a success, but when they get back home, the odds really are stacked against Elena. The priest has tried to gaslight her into thinking she's hallucinating demonic entities and may be insane in the past, while the evil version of Vergara also got the town to burn her vet clinic down. Not to mention Paco's wife, Merche, secretly wants her gone because she thinks Elena's having an affair with Paco. Basically, the town's ungrateful and believes Elena is the cause of their woes, even when she's working hardest to save them.
Seeing the coin turn her dogs into rabid monsters and factoring in how many people are dying, Elena is at her wit's end holding onto this coin. Vergara admits the cult is part of the Cainites, a sect that is basically anti-Christian, seeking out relics that harmed Christ, such as the coins, the thorns and the spear, and this adds pressure she can't handle.
And while Elena's got this target on her back, she simply can't trust Vergara anymore. This causes her to make a massive mistake when she throws the coin off a bridge and into the lake, an act that costs her all of her all leverage. And to make matters worse, given their power and the fact that they've already acquired most of the coins, it'll be easier for the Cainites to track this one down and use it to bring about the end of days.
Starring Eduard Fernández, Megan Montaner, Miguel Ángel Silvestre, Macarena Gómez, Pepón Nieto and Manolo Solo, 30 Coins airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and is also streaming on HBO Max.