It is the beginning of the end. It’s been four years since a group of anti-heroes (read robbers) led by a criminal bent Professor (Álvaro Morte) have been looting spots after spots without really getting busted and gaining popularity throughout. But the tables have turned and the bad fate has hit the team. Professor is busted and the gang is stuck inside the Bank Of Spain. Will they survive? Will they die? Is there a right or wrong? What is their redemption? Season 5 vol 1 is all about that.
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The first episode of the season is titled 'The End of The Road' and it could not have been more fitting. In fact, all the episode titles seem to be fitting enough for what lies ahead as the new season kicks off. If there's one thing that I've been appreciative of in Money Heist since the beginning, it's how the show never takes time to jump directly to right where it left off. Following its usual pattern, the fifth season too kicks off straight with The Professor's (Alvaro Morte) capture by Sierra (Najwa Nimri). Pointing her gun at the man who has been the brain behind the heist, a pregnant Sierra rejoices and is willing to go to any level to get him talking about his gang's escape plan from the bank. While the Professor is dealing with Sierra, his gang back at the bank reunites with Lisbon (Itziar Ituño) who takes charge as soon as she returns. She takes the reins as "Ms. Professor", a title Tokyo bestows on her during their first heated but later friendly interaction.
Even before learning about The Professor's capture by Sierra, the gang is already dealing with a major situation as they try to have a negotiation with Colonel Tamayo (Fernando Cayo) ahead of his plans to send the military in. The fast-paced first three episodes of the series promise a lot of action including a scene that will bring sadistic pleasure to many. We see the gang fighting a dual war as they find themselves scrambling without The Professor's guidance and deciding to go into war mode despite knowing the price they will have to pay for it.
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Like every Money Heist season, the latest one also continues to play out key flashbacks and this time they revolve around the new character on the show, Rafael (Patrick Criado), Berlin's (Pedro Alonso) son. It's not established early on how Rafael and The Professor's plan will eventually intersect but one can expect a major revelation happening towards the final two episodes of the season.
As seen in the first three episodes, the women of Money Heist get to call the shots this time. Be it Sierra's ruthless tactics to get The Professor talking or Lisbon, Tokyo (Ursula Corbero) and Stockholm's (Esther Acebo) power walk outside the bank for negotiation with Colonel Tamayo, these women are willing to fight for what they believe in. The fifth season is sure to make you appreciate the talents of Najwa Nimri and Itziar Ituño more, simply because the two actresses shine in every frame they are in.
In terms of the characters, it seems fitting that we see Denver (Jaime Lorente) taking a more mature approach now that he finds himself in his father's shoes due to his son Cincinnati. Tokyo, on the other hand, remains her hot-headed self. Although in an emotional scene we get to see how some deeper wounds still make her heart ache and trigger her impulses. In one of her best lines from the season, Tokyo tells Lisbon, "Love grows exponentially during a heist", it does feel like a forewarning to the former whose relationship with The Professor is yet to witness the bumps that come with a couple whose uncertain future fuels their romance but gets equally toxic when it ends bitterly, something that Tokyo has experienced in her past.
With no laid out plans to follow, the gang finds themselves in a vulnerable place and who better than Arturo ( Enrique Arce) knows how to take advantage of such a situation. From reeling under the emotional weight left by the death of Nairobi to now fearing for their own future with a mutiny on their hands from the inside and outside, the show's lead characters are shown in a different light than before, especially Palmero who seems far less annoying this season. In one of the scenes, Tokyo's voiceover describes their situation as orphans who don't know if they are building their own bunker or grave, an analogy that is cleverly written and even executed even better.
One has to credit the show's creator Alex Pina for not falling into the trap of trying to change the show's treatment for its international audiences. Money Heist remains true to its format and much like the first heist, there are moments where one does find the twists outrageous but if you have followed the show from the beginning, you are already aware of it and have succumbed to its dramatic appeal. Predictability has never held this show back and it doesn't in the new season too. There never was a clear definition of good and bad when it comes to the show's characters and as they continue to err, sometimes repeating their old mistakes, we never lose sight of them as being humane though with twisted minds at best. In terms of the series' score, an additional highlight also is the amazing usage of the song The Cure's 1992 song Friday, I'm in love in one of the scenes.
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Within the first three episodes itself, the series builds a pace that is fast enough to keep you glued to the chair and with only five episodes releasing in the first part, it's almost as if the makers want to lure you into binging the complete season and make you wait for the big finale arriving in December.
Considering the build-up that the first three episodes create, the final two are expected to pack a bigger punch and we won't be surprised if there are some major character deaths waiting to happen. The war is on with the deployment of the army and even as the gang goes all guns blazing, there's always collateral damage waiting to happen. All I can say without giving out any spoilers is that Money Heist is back with more outrageous twists and truly nail-biting moments.