“We are the Resistance.”
Creator: Álex Pina
IMDb Link: Money Heist
Warning: Spoilers for Seasons 1-5 Ahead!
Season 1: The Perfect Heist Begins
“Have you ever thought that if you can go back in time, you might still make the same decisions?”
In this complete Money Heist review, we look back at how a group of robbers led by The Professor (Álvaro Morte) try to carry out the most perfect robbery in Spanish history with no bloodshed, aiming to become heroes in the eyes of the public by believing in ‘We are the resistance’ as they steal 2.4 billion euros from the Royal Mint of Spain. Easily one of the most fast-paced pilot episodes I have seen in any series, making me think, “What would they show if they end up executing the heist this early?” But of course, there is so much more that happens.
The Professor assembles his team, letting them choose names of cities: Tokyo (Úrsula Corberó), Berlin (Pedro Alonso), Rio (Miguel Herrán), Denver (Jaime Lorente), Helsinki (Darko Perić), Nairobi (Alba Flores), Moscow (Paco Tous) and Oslo (Roberto García). No personal names allowed and no relationships allowed… a rule immediately broken as Tokyo and Rio get involved.
The Brilliant Writing and Narration
The writing and specifically the narration style are engaging. We are told that The Professor intends to have a 5-month class teaching the team, but instead of showing it in detail, we cut directly to the heist day. A clever idea because we remain unaware of the full plan. So many times I felt the heist would go haywire, only for a flashback to reveal how it was pre-planned because The Professor went into every detail, even predicting how the police would negotiate.
Raquel Murillo (Itziar Ituño) handles the negotiation while going through personal turmoil with an ex-husband. Her conversation and subsequent closeness to The Professor (under a false identity) makes for an intriguing watch.
Characters That Hook You
Nairobi’s fun, fast dialect with a hint of craziness; Denver and Moscow’s lovely father-son relationship; Berlin, despite being an asshole, making you enjoy his act as the captain who never lets the heist fail; and Tokyo, a complicated girl trying to sort her feelings for Rio… all these sub-plots work very well.
There are also the hostages: Mónica Gaztambide (Esther Acebo) revealing she is pregnant to the boss, Arturo Román (Enrique Arce). It is fun to see how many times Arturo comes close to death but survives (sadly, as his character only irritates throughout the series). Then there is the high-profile teenager hostage, Alison Parker (María Pedraza).
Bella Ciao and Memorable Moments
I loved the scene where The Professor disguises himself as a beggar, or how he reacts while watching the proceedings inside the building—the small victory celebrations and the uncomfortable feeling when Tokyo or Nairobi try to flirt with him.
Special mention to the use of ‘Bella Ciao’ twice. First, when the team celebrates reaching the tunnel… a quiet moment of happiness. And the other is, of course, the perfect ending with The Professor and Berlin singing in a flashback. Very addictive song. Also, ‘My Life Is Going On’, the show’s opening credits song, is pretty catchy and suits the story.
All in all, Season 1 is very entertaining, well-acted by the entire cast, and fast-paced, giving us a chance to feel for every one of them.
Season 2: More Drama, Less Thrills
“What are we? The fucking best..”
I thought the ending of the last season was just an attempt to trick us with Raquel once again reaching a dead end. However, The Professor lands into trouble trying to erase the forensic proof Raquel’s ex-husband finds. This season is a lot more dramatic, and thereby less on thrills, though we still get them every now and then. What I missed most was The Professor interacting with his team or Raquel from his hangar as he is mostly out in the field fixing loose ends.
Tokyo’s Mistakes and Berlin’s Dignity
Tokyo’s hot temper and impatient attitude twice led the heist into danger. Berlin died with dignity, and it was a crazy emotional way to end him with the Bella Ciao theme used again. He was a hated character but went out doing something useful. As captain, he kept the plan working and was the only one other than Moscow and Helsinki who trusted The Professor when he was out of contact. Personally, I always enjoyed watching him.
I totally loved how they developed Denver’s relationship with Mónica to the extent she joins the team and leaves with them.
Questionable Turns
Raquel’s sudden turn towards The Professor at the end was questionable, especially taking a year to decode the postcards to reach him. And like a miracle, The Professor was there waiting, like his mind had worked this out too. I was disappointed with what they did with the Alison Parker character; I was expecting a big scene with her doing exactly what Nairobi had told her.
Overall, it’s a good follow-up season, not on the same level as the first but still very enjoyable.
Season 3: A New Heist, A New War
“This isn’t a robbery.. or a challenge to the system. This is war.. Act accordingly.”
A new heist situation arises because a desperate Colonel Prieto finds out the location of Rio. No surprises as Tokyo is again responsible for the mess, indirectly this time, with Rio not following the guidelines and using a satellite phone.
If I remember right, the fact that Berlin is The Professor’s brother wasn’t revealed directly in earlier seasons, though their interactions always gave that feeling. Happy that they give Berlin (who is dead now) plenty of flashback sequences since the new heist was his plan. The vault entry sequence with the parallel flashback commentary of Berlin on how they will pull it off was easily my favorite moment of this season.
New Characters That Don’t Click
The new characters, however, don’t really work out. Be it Palermo (Rodrigo de la Serna), who thankfully gets less time as captain, or the other guys like Bogotá and Marsella. The most disliked character of the show arrives: pregnant Alicia Sierra (Najwa Nimri), always with a face that says ‘I will show you hell’, taking advantage of emotions to hit The Professor hard.
Relationship Drama Derails the Heist
Rio-Tokyo breakup, Tokyo trying to come close to Denver, or the relationship of Denver-Stockholm taking a hit… somehow these plots derailed the heist for me, especially the jealousy angle. If the last season ended on a happy note, this one is the total opposite with the slow version of Bella Ciao. The Professor makes a wrong call, unable to guess the bluff for a change, losing the ‘we are good guys’ angle. An enjoyable season that is a bit too much carried on the shoulders of The Professor and Berlin.
Season 4: Stretched and Unnecessary
“There’s always happier days to remember. And the more fucked up things are, the happier those days seem to be.”
Easily a season that is stretched unnecessarily, with less action and some meaningless flashbacks. The only few enjoyable episodes were when Gandía launches an attack and the entire team has to come together to take him down.
Nairobi’s Death Hurts
Nairobi’s emotional scene while being carried out made me angry. By now, Nairobi had become one of the most lovable characters. Even though Tokyo is fun to watch despite her uncountable mistakes, I would have preferred Tokyo to die instead. I will miss the command and style Nairobi had over the people.
Palermo’s Redemption
I liked how they showed the good side of Palermo even though he is the reason why Nairobi dies. The farewell scene between him and Berlin, and then admitting to his mistakes while talking to Helsinki, gave me a feeling he will play a big positive role in the next season.
The finale, unlike the last 3 seasons, was a total let-down. The ‘Paris Plan’ never felt exciting to me. It’s still a watchable season but they could have rushed up the Raquel part. What was good to see is that The Professor does get a semi-win in this season over Sierra, minus losing Nairobi. Sierra’s version of ‘Bella Ciao’ worked for me here; it sounded quite good, also in sync with her character, slightly diminishing the victory moment of the team.
Season 5 (Volume 1): Tokyo’s Emotional Farewell
“I believe you keep on living in the final thought you have the moment before you die.”
A much better follow-up after a disappointing Season 4. Also, one of the rare times when Tokyo doesn’t do something stupid, which the writers may have done intentionally so the emotions pour in perfectly for that final episode. To be honest, I did feel bad about her death even if I had said I would have preferred her dead rather than Nairobi in the last season.
Berlin’s Son and Fun Flashbacks
I like how they mix the current heist with a flashback of Berlin and his son Rafael’s mini-heist. It actually keeps the mood balanced. The entire Alicia-Professor angle felt very weird; had they not showed her conflicted interest it would have been very hard to digest.
Stockholm’s Weakness
The buildup to Stockholm’s bullets fired at Arturo was so worth it, but alas, the next episode has our dearest Stockholm full of guilt. She was easily the weakest link of the season. It just felt odd to see her full of guilt just because he is the biological father.
Favourite Moments
- Nairobi-Tokyo: The small conversation about life after death.
- Palermo: Eager to kill Arturo, saying he has no conscience.
- The Professor: Fooling Tamayo with the helicopter trick.
- Songs: The use of ‘Friday, I’m in Love’ and ‘Will You Fight?’.
Quite an enjoyable season. My personal hunch says only The Professor will die now and probably at the hands of Alicia.
Season 5 (Volume 2): An Ending That Works, Mostly
“No matter how bad things get… we keep on believing.. because we know we will always have the Professor.”
The start of this final volume is very engaging. Two scenarios are almost a replica of earlier seasons: The Professor hiding in the sofa, and Palermo describing how the heist will take place with enthusiasm, very much like Berlin.
Alicia and Palermo Steal the Show
The pick of this season has to be Alicia and Palermo. Firstly Alicia’s tussle with The Professor, followed by the hilarious lorry ‘galloping, galloping’ scene. Eventually, she does team up with The Professor and I like how that part progresses without feeling forced. Palermo is a character that keeps growing on you. The scene where he joyously explains to The Professor how the heist won’t fail is my personal favourite.
The Final Heist and Unanswered Questions
Good to see one last ‘Bella Ciao’ celebration. The twist of Tatiana-Rafael teaming up to steal gold from The Professor is what I didn’t see coming. I loved The Professor’s flashback on how he witnessed his own father’s death while attempting a robbery, and how Raquel decodes it later.
The Finale: A Win, But At What Cost?
I like how the finale begins and proceeds. The Professor about to pull off one last masterplan. But the only issue I had was: all those military people that died accounted to nothing. It’s not fully convincing to me despite knowing all the reasons. I am happy to see The Professor and the gang survive, but to be given free tickets and new identities is a bit much.
Also, Rafael. Why did he suddenly agree to a lesser share? Was it because there would be too much bloodshed? Or did that note from The Professor change everything? What was in that note? Did The Professor reveal the gold was fake? Or was it a reminder of a promise to Berlin? The show leaves it ambiguous, allowing us to choose our own truth.
Final Money Heist Review Verdict: A Special Place Despite Flaws
Overall, Money Heist starts with a bang, loses its touch in Season 2, gets too dramatic in Season 3, and sadly weak in Season 4. However, the final season brings the show back to where it should have been. It’s a show that isn’t my personal favourite, but it still holds a special place because I liked most of the characters.
My Rating: 7.5/10
P.S. If you enjoy binge-worthy thrillers, check out my list of the [Top 10 Hindi Films of the Decade]
