For the past four and a half seasons of Money Heist , I habitually skipped over the broody intro song ‘My Life Is Going On’ by Cecilia Krull. But as I played the Part Five Volume 2 episodes, it felt wrong to scrub ahead. In a cheesy sense, my life would have to go on after I bid the Netflix series farewell after this binge session.
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So where did we leave off? Former inspector Alicia Sierra (Najwa Nimri) had given birth to a baby girl at The Professor’s (Álvaro Morte) hideout; Tokyo sacrificed herself to keep her crew – Bogotá (Hovik Keuchkerian), Denver (Jaime Lorente) and Stockholm (Esther Acebo) – safe, blowing many members of volatile army leader Sagasta’s (José Manuel Seda) unit and Gandia (José Manuel Poga) to smithereens after an intense face-off; and we are yet to see how Berlin’s (Pedro Alonso) domestic bliss in Paris and his relationship with his son Rafael (Patrick Criado) tie into the heist.
Also Read | ‘Money Heist’ Part 5 Vol 1 review: A dizzying, heart-pumping celebration of The Professor and his crew
Upping the ante
Like many, I went into Money Heist Part Five Volume 2 with a sense of dread. Tokyo’s death loomed over fans for the past four months, such that returning to the series without enjoying her unusual mix of belligerence and loyalty felt wrong. But series creator Álex Pina made sure audiences still felt Tokyo’s presence through not just her voice-overs but the legacy she left behind… plus an unrelenting desire for revenge against Colonel Luis Tamayo (Fernando Cayo).
One of the most prevalent desires I had for Part 5 Vol 2 was Tamayo’s rude awakening; his brash actions let many people die for his PR. And Pina and his team delivered, in a wonderful package labelled Alicia. Her elevated intelligence of strategy makes Tamayo look like no more than a bully, and she becomes as much a driving force for the story as The Professor and his crew.
Through the new episodes, Alicia’s endgame evolves. She feels immense guilt over not being as excited for the birth of her daughter as the events of the heist overshadow everything. On top of it all, her credibility has been torn to shreds. It is a delight to watch Nimri slowly unravel Alicia’s human side while she still keeps her eye on the prize. And watching The Professor tiptoe around that is one of the series’ most interesting interactions to date.
Álvaro Morte never fails. Triggered by the loss of Tokyo, elements of his rarely-seen rage bubble to the surface. We see him struggle between his need for revenge and his duty as the leader of his crew to keep them safe.
It had been a while since we enjoyed the madman in Denver; and we get to do so in Volume 2. While his relationship with Stockholm is certainly beautiful, audiences got a sense that he was often censoring himself. With Denver’s growth in Volume 2, he finally learns to embrace both sides of himself and Lorente taps into his dramatic well to really pull some tears from viewers.
A big reveal is that Berlin’s timeline in Paris is years before the heist. If you dearly missed your dose of brotherly plotting with the Professor and a terminally-ill Berlin, worry not; we also see some flashbacks of them planning the heist of the Royal Mint of Spain. But things take a turn when Berlin is betrayed in Paris and in typical Berlin fashion, he exacts his special brand of humiliating revenge. And of course, this has consequences, tying into the events of the heist… but I shan’t reveal spoilers here.
This does, however, leave a sense of foreboding; does this mean Berlin is dead by the time the heist takes place? Alonso’s portrayal of Berlin over the seasons has made the volatile sadist into a fan-favourite, and he pulled no punches in Part 5 Volume 2. And it only seems right that Berlin is set to have his own spin-off series , as announced recently by Netflix. A suitable expansion of the Money Heist universe.
And we bid farewell
So we have come to the end… or is it? Has Part 5 Volume 2 been loud? Yes. Indulgent? Yes. Tear-jerking? Double yes. And all, rightfully so. There is no other way to end a series that has had such a strong impact on its audiences. Maybe I’m an elitist, but whatever remakes of the series may come down the line, they will have to work as hard as the devil to remotely measure up.
Money Heist leaves behind a lot of love and many lessons: it’s okay to love the ‘bad guys’ and question whom we have long considered the ‘good guys’; we can all work together towards a common positive goal, however difficult the process; and our ideas of family, success and happiness always change. So, loud enough for the people in the back: ‘Bella Ciao, Ciao, Ciao!’
‘Money Heist’ / ‘La Casa De Papel’ Part Five Volume 2 is now streaming on Netflix
