Since Berlin (Pedro González Alonso) was hands-down the most captivating (and problematic) character in the Spanish heist drama, fans always wanted to get to know more of him, especially after he sacrificed himself in the season 1 finale for his team, largely due to his terminal illness, redeeming himself in the process.

Quickly rising the ranks as a fan-favorite, the writers kept Berlin’s spirit alive in the following seasons via flashbacks, noting that he always had a hand in the planning of the heists, even if he wasn’t around to see them through. And it became more and more clear that there was an unsatiable thirst from audiences to explore additional parts of the character’s origin story; thus, a prequel to Money Heist focusing solely on Berlin’s prior escapades only made sense. 

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As seen in the later season of Money Heist, or La Casa de Papel, Berlin garnered even more intrigue when his son, Rafael (Patrick Criado) joined the heist. The former Electronics Engineer from MIT is Berlin’s prodigal son, whose only request was not to end up a thief like his father, also drew attention after entering a relationship with his father’s wife, Tatiana. It’s a lot to unpack, clearly, but it’s also proof that there was nothing boring or mediocre about Berlin’s life in the slightest, at any point. 

So, again, it warrants a spinoff that digs even deeper into this complex, charismatic, and morally questionable character we’ve all come to love. 

When he joined the Professor’s group in the series, he was already one of the most seasoned robbers of the bunch, having a plethora of experience mapping out and executing heists of ranging scales.

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With Berlin: Money Heist, we’re not only going to get to see one of those previous heists in action, but we’re also going to get a sense of the man he was before attempting the biggest heist in history, which made him the beloved criminal we’ve come to know.  

Capitalizing on the love already established for the series—one of Netflix’s most popular shows of all time—the prequel finds Berlin, in all his glory as Andrés de Fonollosa, the mastermind behind a heist targeting the biggest auction house in Paris to steal €44 million.

The series trails the planning of a new heist as he recruits his crew: “Michelle Jenner (Isabel) plays Keila, an eminence in electronic engineering; Tristán Ulloa (Fariña) goes into the skin of Damián, a philanthropic professor and Berlin’s confidant; Begoña Vargas (Welcome to Eden) plays Cameron, a kamikaze who always lives on the edge; Julio Peña Fernández (Through My Window) brings to life Roi, Berlin’s faithful squire; and Joel Sánchez plays Bruce, the relentless man of action in the gang.”

While it’s mostly an all-new cast, we’ll see a few familiar faces with Alicia Sierra (Najwa Nimri) and Raquel Murillo (Itziar Ituno) appearing at some point, though it’s unclear what their connection is to the storyline. Is it possible that their paths have always crossed and Berlin was always on their radar way prior to the action at the Royal Mint?

We may not be getting the version of Berlin from the original series, but don’t fret, as the teaser trailer evidenced, he’s still as ruthless, dapper, and flirtatious as ever, meaning that they really did this character–and prequel—justice. The fact that it hails from the original showrunner, Alex Pina, is also a sign that it won’t let the fandom down.

“It’s a trip through the golden age of the character, when he robbed around Europe crazy in love,” Pina previously told TUDUM, adding, “That’s the most surprising, the comedy. You’re going to make people laugh a lot.”

Berlin in his prime, in love, and flexing his comedic bone? As the beloved criminal says in the trailer, “it’s all the things worth living for.”

The full synopsis for the series reads:

“There are only two things that are sure to turn a bad day into a great one: love, and a payday worth millions. They’re what keep Berlin going through his golden years, a time when he still has no inkling of his illness and hasn’t gotten trapped like a rat in the Spanish Mint. This is where he starts preparing one of his most extraordinary heists: making jewels worth 44 million disappear like some sort of magic trick. To do it, he’ll enlist the help of one of the three gangs he’s ever stolen with.” 

Watch the Berlin trailer below:

Berlin arrives a few days prior to New Year’s Eve on Dec. 29, 2023, which means you’ll have plenty of time to binge watch while counting down to 2024.

To prepare, you can stream Money Heist on Netflix and read our coverage here. 

It’s the beginning of the end for Money Heist, also known as La Casa de Papel.

On Friday, September 3, the Spanish series dropped part 1 of its fifth and final season. 

WARNING: spoilers ahead, stop reading if you haven’t seen Money Heist Season 5 Volume 1

The action-packed five episodes find the Professor’s gang trapped inside the Bank of Spain as the CNI, the police, and the army attempted to infiltrate and put an end to one of the most impressive heists in history. 

Survival is the name of the game not just for the red jumpsuits but also for the mastermind behind the robbery, the Professor, who has been taken hostage by former police inspector Alicia Sierra, who has gone rogue after having her name tarnished by the people she trusted the most. 

We’re breaking down the 5 biggest and most shocking moments from the season below:

LA CASA DE PAPEL (L to R) JAIME LORENTE as DENVER, BELÉN CUESTA as MANILA, ÚRSULA CORBERÓ as TOKIO in episode 04 of LA CASA DE PAPEL. Cr. TAMARA ARRANZ/NETFLIX © 2020

1. Tokyo’s Final Hurrah

There was plenty of foreshadowing throughout indicating that Tokyo wasn’t going to survive the season, but her fate was really cemented in a flashback scene with Nairobi (RIP, girl) during which the two chatted about what happens after death. Tokyo explained that she believed that when she died, she would live on in her happiest memory. A lot of emphasis was also placed on elaborating on Tokyo’s journey prior to joining the Professor, her two loves — Rene and Rio, and the fact that joining the heist gave her life a renewed sense of purpose. 

After she was shot five times by snipers, she told Manila and Denver to jump down the elevator dumbwaiter while she stayed behind and defended them from Gandia and the rest of the ruthless army. It was an unfair fight as it was several against one, and eventually, Tokyo was overtaken as they shot bullet after bullet into her. As she lay there bleeding out, she looked up at Gandia, who had a gun pointed at her, and smirked as she revealed several grenades strapped to her body. And then… BOOM.

The only thing missing from the scene was Tokyo shouting “for Nairobi” moments before the explosion, but it was clear that this was Tokyo’s revenge on the man that killed her friend. 

And sadly, there was no way our beloved narrator could’ve survived that. 

Tokyo may have been reckless in previous seasons, but this was her moment of redemption and revenge. As she noted, if her body couldn’t be free, at least her spirit would be. Plus, her death meant that the rest of her team might have a fighting chance at escaping the Bank of Spain alive. 

2. Arturo Is Dead

Hopefully… because, at this point, it’s way overdue. There is no character on television more annoying than Arturito. He makes my skin crawl. His ideas are terrible, he’s a nuisance in every possible way, and he keeps trying to make Denver feel inferior. It’s slimy. He also created more problems for the Professor’s crew than any of the government agencies combined. 

So, I was the first to champion Stockholm when she had the chance to shoot him. And I agreed with Palermo when he questioned why anyone was wasting precious time and resources trying to save him. He deserved everything that happened to him. 

Unfortunately, it’s not confirmed whether or not Arturo actually died. Sure, he was haunting Stockholm as a hallucination, but that was more guilt than a solid confirmation of his death. And knowing Arturito, he somehow survived once they set him free from the Bank of Spain. 

3. Helsinki Is Injured

Death and injury is inevitable, especially during a heist where the stakes are so high. Nairobi’s death was gut-wrenching, Tokyo’s death, while badass, was soul-crushing, but now, it’s not looking great for our big teddy bear either. 

Helsinki, or as Palermo affectionately call him “Fatty,” was crushed by a two-ton marble column that seriously destroyed his leg. The team banded together in a risky mission to pull him out because cutting his leg off simply wasn’t an option. Sadly, even though he was rescued, it’s not looking too good for him. 

An injury that grave seriously limits what he’s able to do. How is he going to escape when he can barely stand up? How is he going to run? And since Stockholm never gave him the morphine he so desperately needed to numb the pain, is he even going to survive? 

LA CASA DE PAPEL (L to R) ÁLVARO MORTE as PROFESOR, NAJWA NIMRI as ALICIA SIERRA in episode 01 of LA CASA DE PAPEL. Cr. MANOLO PAVÓN/NETFLIX © 2020

4. Alicia Sierra’s Baby Is Born

Alicia pulled a fast one on the Professor when she cornered him in his hideout, but then something unexpected (that she definitely should’ve expected) happened: her water broke and she went into labor! While she tried to push through it herself as the Professor, Longrono, and Marseille looked on, when the baby went into a breech position, she had no choice but to cut them loose and allow them to assist. And, of course, the Professor knows how to deliver a baby. What does that man not know how to do?

After what seemed like a a very painful and natural birth, Alicia welcomed a tough baby girl into the world. When the Professor shared the news with his gang, she told Lisbon that she would name her Victoria. 

But is Alicia really on Team Professor? She accepted his kindness and seemed to be in awe of how he operates, but that was because of sheer circumstance. She had no choice, especially since Tamayo pinned everything on her publicly. She, like the rest of the Professor’s squad, was a disgraced member of society… the lowest of the low. 

However, in one of the final scenes before Tokyo’s untimely death, Alicia says that she’s always going to be there for her daughter before going to the bathroom and hiding scissors (or what appears to be scissors) up here sleeve. Is she planning on killing the Professor and his men and redeeming herself in the eyes of the public? I wouldn’t put it past her, but I sure as hell am upset with all the hospitality she was offered. 

5. Berlin Has a Son

This is one of the rogue storylines that we’re totally invested in, but we don’t know how it fits into the bigger picture just yet. Berlin died on Money Heist Season 2, but the writers have found a way to keep him alive in flashbacks. This one, in particular, reveals that he has an adult son named Rafael who is a skilled coder and engineer (thanks to his MIT education that was paid for by his father — a plan clearly set into motion years in advance). Berlin recruits Rafael to join him on one of his epic heists (prior to the events of the Royal Mint in Season 1 and 2) during which they swap real gold artifacts with replicas. 

Rafael takes the moral high ground initially, but once he’s caught up in the action, he seems to get a thrill out of his father’s line of work, which leads us to believe that he’s somehow involved in the present-day heist. Rafael clearly also has the hots for his dad’s wife, Tatiana, which is something Berlin isn’t afraid to confront him about. Will that turn into something?

How do you think this storyline plays into what’s happening in the present? Is Rafael a “last resort” when the Professor runs out of plans?

LA CASA DE PAPEL (L to R) ESTHER ACEBO as ESTOCOLMO in episode 02 of LA CASA DE PAPEL. Cr. TAMARA ARRANZ/NETFLIX © 2020

Other Notable Moments

• • As his plan unravels, The Professor — the master of illusions — still manages to blackmail Tamayo and hold him by the cajones by threatening to expose his corruption if he doesn’t pull back his troops from entering the Bank of Spain. And how does he have that evidence? Lisbon managed to sneak a listening aide into handcuffs when she released some of the hostages! Beauty and brains! She has definitely earned the nickname Mrs. Professor!
  • In a life-or-death situation, Manila tells Denver that she’s always loved him. Denver tries to brush it off because of their friendship, but Manila insists that they talk about it since they might never get another chance. She questions whether Denver is truly happy with Stockholm and reminds him that he’s given up on his dreams to be with her. Denver assures her that he’s grown up and loves Stockholm very much, but Manila doesn’t seem convinced. And it’s possible she may have planted a seed of doubt because when Denver sees Stockholm high out of her mind, he seems upset and angry rather than understanding.
  • Which brings us to Stockholm’s problematic decision. After she maybe, possibly, hopefully killed Arturo, the father of her child, and, in her eyes, her child’s only chance at a normal life, she’s flooded with guilt. She keeps hallucinating him in the worst moments. And you better believe the one where he popped out of the dumbwaiter is going to haunt my nightmares for the rest of time. To numb the pain, she decides to shoot some morphine, which doesn’t just feel out of character, but it’s also detrimental to the rest of the group, who is slightly preoccupied fighting for their lives. She is able to find a solution that saves Manila and Denver, but it’s still a concerning turn of events for one of the most grounded characters. What does this mean for her future with Denver?

What did you think of the first half of the season? Do you really think the Professor doesn’t have a plan? How will they get out if they’re surrounded? Does the gold even matter at this point?
Let us know in the comments below. 

Money Heist Season 5 Volume 2 drops on Friday, December 3, 2021. 

One of the best things about Netflix is that it gives you the ability to travel the world. 

The streaming giant has a growing library of international titles that make it easy to watch a foreign show or movie with just the click of a button. 

There’s a solid collection of Turkish and Korean TV shows, but my personal favorite is Spanish-language shows. 

There’s just enough drama and excitement in them to keep you on the edge of your seat! 

Turn on the written subtitles and enjoy! 

Money Heist

La Casa de Papel, as it’s known by its Spanish name, is arguable the most popular series on the list. A group of thieves led by criminal mastermind “The Professor” attempt to pull off the biggest heist in history at the Royal Mint of Spain. And once you learn why they’re doing it, you’ll find yourself on team hiding their faces behind the terrifying Salvador Dali mask. You’re missing out if you haven’t given the series a chance! 

Elite

Rich kids at an exclusive prep school? Check! A clash between the wealthy students and the working class? Check! A murder mystery that has you guessing until the very last moment? Double check. Elite, a modern-day Gossip Girl, has it all. 

High Seas

Also known as Alta Mar, the murder mystery thriller finds two sisters looking into a series of mysterious deaths on a luxury ship in the 1940s. It’s like a game of “Clue” come to life, only ten times more dramatic.

Cable Girls

The Spanish period drama is set in the 20s. It’s a proud day in Madrid, the location of the first national telephone company, as four young women get jobs, which is a statement and representation of the progress being made for women’s equality. 

Valeria

A comedy-drama that’s all about the power of friendship! Valeria, a writer who is having marital issues and writer’s block, turns to her three best friends, Carmen, Lola, and Nerea, for comfort and distraction. There’s nothing like the power of sisterhood. 

Somebody Has to Die

Sky Rojo

Who Killed Sara

In this twisted thriller, Alex is framed for his sister’s murder and spends 18 years in prison planning the perfect revenge. When he’s released, he sets out the find the real killer and seeks retribution on the family that’s responsible.

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