TV show Money Heist wraps up: Bid ‘Bella Ciao’ to Professor and his crew

Netflix audiences, including myself, were screaming the rallying cry ‘Bella Ciao’ after the fifth and final instalment of the drama series dropped on Dec 3, 2021.

Throughout the series, I habitually skipped over the broody intro song ‘My Life Is Going On’ by Cecilia Krull. However, as I played the part five volume 2 episodes, it did not feel right to scrub ahead after a well-deserved binge session.

Money Heist has quite a bit of Soap Opera DNA. Indulgent? Yes. Tear-jerking? Double Yes. And all, rightfully so with a great and strong impact on its audience. I loved it!

‘La Casa de Papel’, the twisty story of a bank robbery, features standout performances from Álvaro Morte (The Professor), Úrsula Corberó (Tokyo), Alba Flores (Nairobi) Pedro Alonso (Berlin), Itziar Ituño (Raquel), and Najwa Nimri (Alicia) among other international talents.

My advice? Don’t get too attached to any of the casts. Throughout the schemes and shootouts in the series, unfortunately, not all of the characters come out alive.

That has to be the downside for me.

Money Heist’s fourth season featured the death of a beloved character as did the fifth and final season, Nairobi and Tokyo respectively. This is just to mention a few. 

I went into ‘Money Heist’ part 5 volume 2 full of anxiety following Tokyo’s death that also loomed over fans, leaving an unrelenting desire for revenge against Colonel Luis Tamayo (Fernando Cayo) by the Professor and the gang.

The series creator Alex Pina however maintained Tokyo’s presence and legacy through her voice-overs.

In addition, we lost one of my personal favorites, Berlin, in the second season following a rare degenerative disease with a life expectancy of only a few months.

Pedro Alonso’s portrayal of Berlin over the seasons made the volatile sadist one of my favourites. We see some flashbacks of Berlin and the Professor planning the heist of the Royal Mint of Spain. Berlin was however dead by the time the heist took place, leaving a sense of foreboding.

Berlin is nevertheless set to have his own spin-off series, as announced recently by Netflix, during a fan event hosted by Netflix recently in Madrid. The plot will revolve around the story of Berlin's origin, scheduled to arrive on Netflix in 2023.

In conclusion, Money Heist leaves behind lessons; It’s okay to love the ‘bad guys’ and question those we have long considered to be the ‘good guys’.

Loud enough for the people at the back....?  “Bella Ciao, Ciao, Ciao!’