You know the saying, when it rains, it pours?
In Part 5 of the hit Spanish series La Casa De Papel, or Money Heist as it is known all over the world, our Salvador Dali mask-wearing thieves are in a proverbial torrential storm that just would not let up.
Yes, our favourite Spaniards are knee-deep in trouble and just can’t seem to catch a break.
(This article contains spoilers for Parts 1 to 4 of Money Heist.)
The plan to steal gold from the Bank Of Spain has hit some bumps for the robbers. The gang – and their hostages – have been stuck in the bank for 100 hours... and counting.
And although they have managed to rescue Lisbon (Itziar Ituno) from the police custody, they are still reeling from the death of one of their own (more on this later).
Their eyes and ears outside the bank – the mastermind of the heist – The Professor (Alvaro Morte), is of no help now that the heavily pregnant Inspector Alicia Sierra (Najwa Nimri) has found his hideout and captured him.
And there’s a new ruthless character – Sagasta (Jose Manuel Seda), leader of the Spanish army – they have to deal with.
How will all these play out in the final season of Money Heist?
The wait is almost over as the first five episodes of Part 5 premiere today (Sept 3) on Netflix with the remaining five to be released on Dec 3.
We tried to get a little sneak peek of the season from lead actor Morte but even he doesn’t know how things will end for the gang.
“I don’t know how the series ends yet. I’m (only shooting) episode eight (now),” he said back in May when StarLifestyle was invited on a virtual tour of the set of Money Heist in Madrid, Spain.
“What I can tell you is that it is a season with a lot of tension, a lot of action, and it’s very exciting.
“And that’s very rewarding for an actor... and it’s quite exhausting too, but in a good way,” added Morte, 46.
Pedro Alonso, 50, who plays Berlin, concurred. “(We’re) making a war movie but within four walls. It’s not just action sequence; it’s an epic war film,” he promised.
Money Heist premiered in 2017 and was conceived as a limited series told in two parts. It is a story of a genius, The Professor, who recruits a rag-tag team of crooks using cities as codenames to rob the Royal Mint Of Spain.
Initially, when the series aired in Spain, it had good viewership but interest waned and the ratings dipped. After the end of the two parts, the cast and crew parted ways.
Renewed interest
When Netflix acquired the show for its platform, there was a renewed interest for the show globally.
Suddenly, this Spanish series, which didn’t get much love in its home country, was on the Top 10 list of many countries around the world.
Celebrities such as actress Mindy Kaling, author Stephen King and Brazillian footballer Neymar couldn’t stop raving about it. The latter even made a cameo appearance in Part 3. Money Heist went on to bag an Emmy Award for Best Drama Series in 2018.
The success came as a surprise to showrunner Alex Pina and director Jesus Colmenar as they didn’t think the show would be embraced by so many around the world.
“We weren’t aiming for international success, we were looking for something we believed in. If that becomes an international success, then the best lesson (we have learnt) is that you always have to do what you believe in,” said Pina at the virtual tour.
With the backing of Netflix (and its deep pockets), the budget for the subsequent seasons of Money Heist was increased. So much so, the series – which was shot in and around Madrid for the first two seasons – went on locations to countries such as Panama and Thailand.
With the popularity of Money Heist at its peak (a K-drama remake is on the horizon), why end the series now?
“We’ve made over 2,000 minutes of fiction with two heists.
“We have exhausted some of the characters’ emotional arcs and their arcs of transformation,” Pina explained, adding that it is always better to leave sooner rather than later.
The last thing they want to be, said Colmenar, is to overstay their welcome.
“We have many examples of international series that dragged on for too long. And I think the smartest thing to do when a series is at the peak of its success, as Alex says, is to leave with a bang,” Colmenar added.
Gone too soon
Bang, twist and turn are what viewers have come to expect from Money Heist, and for the past four seasons, the show has served enough twists to give us a whiplash.
But nothing prepared us for the death of fan favourite, Nairobi (Alba Flores) in Part 4 when she was shot by Gandia (Jose Manuel Poga), the chief security of the bank.
No interview with the creator of Money Heist would be complete without asking them, “WHY KILL NAIROBI?”.
Pina explained: “I think fiction has changed a lot. Before it was unthinkable to kill off your characters. I think even a network executive would say, ‘But how is that possible?’
“Now death is part of contemporary fiction. Personally, I think the episodes in which my characters die are very powerful. They manage to instill empathy and almost shared mourning with the viewers.”
According to Colmenar, there’s another reason they wrote Nairobi’s death; her personality just didn’t fit with the narrative of the new season.
“Nairobi represented the heart of the gang in a way. She would have had a hard time fitting in because this is a season of direct confrontation,” Colmenar said about the premise in Part 5.
Plus, it is only realistic to have characters die when the stakes are high.
“It’s almost impossible to imagine that some characters could rob the Bank Of Spain or the Royal Mint and come out unscathed,” mentioned Colmenar.
Nairobi is not the only character who met her untimely demise. Berlin, Moscow (Paco Tous and Oslo (Roberto Garcia Ruiz) have also died in the line of duty.
Consider yourself warned
Like many TV shows and films productions around the world, Money Heist too had to deal with the pesky problem known as the pandemic.
Apart from the usual SOP they had to adhere to while filming, the real problem, according to Pina, was before the camera started to roll.
Initially, Part 5 was supposed to be released early this year but due to Covid-19 lockdown, the writing process got stalled.
“We were writing Part 5 when Spain was locked down. And it was tough because confinement makes you tired, mentally,” Pina admitted.
What he came up with eventually is a roller-coaster ride for everyone in the series as well as the viewers who have invested so much into these beloved characters... like The Professor.
“The whole approach of this season is to smash The Professor with a technical KO and the more blows he receives the better,” Pina let in.
“When you make things more difficult for him, you increase the tension and unease for the viewers.
“That’s why we have made things very tough for him this time around, so much so that the viewers are going to suffer a lot from what they see this season,” warned Pina.
Money Heist Part 5 premieres on Sept 3 on Netflix.
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