Money Heist, also known as La Casa de Papel, is a Spanish crime-drama on Netflix. It tells the story of a mysterious stranger known as The Professor, who recruits a band of misfits to pull off one of the biggest heists in history. These top criminals, who derive their names from different capitals from all over the world, are an amalgamation of the most talented criminals out there. And despite the wild twists and turns this adventure takes, it’s so worth watching and investing in.
Still not convinced? Don’t worry, I’ve come ready with facts, from the actual heist to found family and the badass women of Money Heist. And don’t worry about getting spoiled. We’re going to keep it relatively spoiler-free and focus on the beginning of this journey to hopefully entice you to watch more.
The Actual Heist
The Professor, played by Álvaro Morte, is a mastermind like none I’ve ever seen before. He’s meticulous, calm, vicious, and caring wrapped up in one. Trust me when I say it’s a journey with that man and that you should trust him with your life and then some. Because when he makes a promise, when he sets something up, he means it completely and will fight tooth and nail for you.
His personality and conviction make it easier for the cast of criminals to trust in the heist as he lays it all out. And oh lord, it is a thing of beauty, thought over and analyzed till the cows come home. Because The Professor wants to win this thing. And he knows that these people can pull off his meticulous planning, no matter what obstacles they may face. And they face them, a lot.
Money Heist faces challenges from those that want to stop them, which is pretty predictable by TV standards. But it also faces challenges between the criminals themselves and then the actual group of people that are being held hostage in the Royal Mint of Spain where the heist is going down.
By the time that season one gets to its final episodes, you’re left in a position where you’re actively cheering on the criminals and then some. You want them to make it away. You want them to stick it to the man. And you want them to survive with no casualties because you’ve come to care for them in the middle of history’s biggest heist.
The Found Family
Right off the bat, I knew these people would become family. Not all of them, of course. There’s always one or two who end up being a pain. But for the most part, I was right when it came to my instinct that these people, these criminals, would end up seeing each other as the found family that they never had aka my favorite trope of all time.
Remember how in the Fast & Furious movies they talk about family and how they’re basically each other’s ride or die? The same thing goes for the gang from Money Heist. They might not say it all the time and act aloof because sharing feelings is hard when you’ve been burned like these criminals. But they care deeply for each other. And when push comes to shove, they will take out all that are in their way in the name of found family.
Along the way, and for only a couple of them, their bonds transition from found family into something more. Basically, we get some romance out of this bad boy and I’m more than ok with the connections that form and the directions they take as the heist progresses. It’s not perfect, they do mess up, but it’s all about family in the end.
What more could you want? Well, besides the next part of this post on why you should be watching Money Heist on Netflix …
The Badass Women
Just because this is listed last doesn’t mean that it’s not supremely important. In fact, it might be the reason why I love Money Heist the most. This show has multiple badass women who are here for their own reasons and not just because it serves the male characters of the show. They are crooks, they are officers, they are businesswomen.
Tokyo, played by Úrsula Corberó, is the messiest of all the characters, and I love her for that. She’s technically the main protagonist of the show but her presence doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the show. She’s part of a collective even though she narrates the story. And even though I might not like the relationships she forms sometimes, she’s loyal, fierce, and takes no one’s crap.
Then there’s my Nairobi, played by Alba Flores. She is the smartest of all of them. I said, what I said. She sees the bigger picture coming a mile away and knows how to get stuff done, especially when it comes to counterfeit money. But one of my favorite things about her is how she always keeps an eye out, analyzing every bit around her as if she were ready to jump into action.
While Tokyo and Nairobi are the “thieves” of the story, there are two other women who enter this story in unexpected ways. First up, Mónica Gaztambide, who is played by Esther Acebo. She’s taken hostage during season one by the robbers of the Royal Mint of Spain, a.k.a. the place she works. What she doesn’t expect, and what we don’t expect, is for Mónica’s life to be changed for the better because of this incident.
The same thing could be said about Raquel Murillo, who is played by Itziar Ituño. Her life was completely changed in season one because of the heist at the Royal Mint of Spain. She was a police inspector assigned to the heist that eventually found herself way too deep and in a place that she never expected, where her loyalties would be tested by those she held dear.
Together they form a team of women who thrive against a world that wants them to fail. And it’s almost impossible to not love them by the time you’re done with season one, because they’re all messy, jaded, funny, kind, harsh, and take no one’s shit. Basically, they’re all so painfully human that you can’t help but connect with them and cheer them on as they face the fate and perils of Money Heist.
Money Heist Part 5 Volume 1 is set to hit Netflix on September 3rd with Volume 2 arriving December 3rd.
(images: Netflix)
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