Netflix’s Spanish original series “Money Heist” has recently come out with the second volume of its fifth season, consisting of five episodes that are jam-packed with action and emotional moments between the beloved characters. The final episodes of the popular series, created by Alex Pina, were released in the first week of Dec.
The series depicts the intricate storyline of a group of bank robbers that have been brought together by the Professor, a highly intelligent man who has spent his life planning out numerous heists. Dressed in red jumpsuits and Dali masks, they attempt to carry out nearly impossible heists, including the Royal Mint of Spain and the famous Bank of Spain itself. The group themselves, though never explicitly stated, are thought to be the modern-day reincarnation of the Italian anti-facist resistance.
The vast majority of the characters have come from seemingly troubled pasts, with most of them engaging in crime and running from the law long before being recruited by the Professor. Each named after a city, they are originally told to keep personal relationships and any information about their past lives out of the mix. However, as the show continues they begin to share the same goals and aspirations, causing them to grow closer. I believe the series manages to create authentic characters that are well-casted, and the audience is able to relate to both their attributes and flaws.
The plot itself is also full of twists and turns. What starts off as a bank heist quickly turns into much more, with the group facing outside threats and betrayals in their own circle. However, critics of the show say that the haphazard writing, excessive drama, and lack of detail in the final season seem to demoralize the original plot of the series. Readers should be aware of spoilers in the paragraphs ahead.
Audiences were left on a cliffhanger at the end of the first volume of season five, with the death of one of the main characters and the unreliable narrator of the series, Tokyo. However, the group seems to fall apart rapidly after her death. The plot seems to draw away from the actual heists themselves. The dialogue becomes unimaginative and the reactions of the characters become predictable. There seems to be less of an actual plan in motion and more of a chaotic scramble to make it out of the heist alive.
While many believe that this took away from the show itself, I believe the series was able to dive deeper into the relationships and backgrounds of many of the characters. The audience is able to delve deeper into their pasts in order to understand how they were incorporated into the group, and they are able to watch them develop as the show progresses. The final season brings many loose ends to a close, giving the audience a satisfactory ending and allowing the characters to split apart in order to pursue their individual dreams.
Overall, the fifth season – and the series as a whole – is popular, and for good reason; it manages to add a thrilling addition to the world of crime and drama.