Money Heist is a Spanish television heist, crime, drama series. The Spanish original title is La casa de papel (The House of Paper).
The series created by Álex Pina, was initially intended as a limited series to be screened in just two parts, airing on Spanish network TV Antena 3. However, Netflix acquired the global streaming rights, releasing the first part of the series on December 20, 2017.
Money Heist (La Casa de Papel) is Netflix’s most watched non-English series, with over 44 million streaming the third season in the first four weeks of release. It also won the Best Drama Series International Emmy in 2018.
The famous ‘Bella Ciao‘ (“Goodbye beautiful”) soundtrack of the series is a tribute to Álex Pina’s cultural heritage. During World War II “Ciao Bella” was a protest anthem used to rally the antifascist resistance in Italy.
PLOT
Money Heist’s architect is a nerdy, enigmatic character named The Professor whose plan is to carry out the biggest robbery in history. For this audacious mission, he recruits a band of eight highly skilled folks with a common life purpose: nothing to lose.
The eight robbers were code-named after famous cities around the world: Tokyo, Moscow, Berlin, Nairobi, Rio, Denver, Helsinki and Oslo. All dressed in red jumpsuits with a mask of the face Spanish painter Salvador Dalí.
The story is primarily focused on one of the robbers, Tokyo (Úrsula Corberó), as she narrates the unfolding events of the battle with uncooperative hostages on the inside and the Police on the outside.
Season 1: Parts 1 and 2 (2017)
The first two parts revolve around a carefully, long-prepared assault on the Royal Mint of Spain in Madrid. The group of robbers took 67 hostages as part of their plan to print and escape with €2.4 billion. Coordinated by Professor (Álvaro Morte) from an external location.
It all began as “Professor” saves Tokyo from being caught by the police in the aftermath of a failed bank robbery. He then proposes a more organised heist of drastic proportions.
Flashbacks throughout the series show the five-month planning and preparation in an abandoned hunting estate. The modus operandi for the robbers includes: no sharing of personal information nor engaging in personal relationships and the assault shall be without bloodshed (hilariously, all was disobeyed).
Inspector Raquel Murillo of the National Police Corps negotiates with the Professor on the outside and in the course of play naïvely begins an intimate relationship with his alter ego “Salva”.
Professor’s identity was repeatedly close to being blown, until eventually Raquel realises his true identity, but was emotionally reluctant and unable to hand him over to the police.
At the end of part 2, after an eventful 128 hours, the robbers escape successfully from the Mint with €984 million printed. This didn’t come easy, but at the cost of the lives of Oslo, Moscow and Berlin.
One year after the heist, Raquel decodes postcards left by the Professor of a cryptic location in Palawan in the Philippines, where she reunites with him.
Season 2: Part 3 (2019)
Part 3 with eight episodes, was released on 19 July, 2019.
This part plays two to three years after the heist on the Royal Mint of Spain, the surviving robbers were seen enjoying their lives paired-up in various locations. But were forced out of hiding, when Europol captures Rio with an intercepted phone.
With the help of new members, the Professor picks up Berlin’s old plans to assault the Bank of Spain in a bid compelling Europol to hand over Rio.
The disguised robbers sneak into the heavily guarded bank, take hostages as usual and eventually gain access to the gold and state secrets, while the Professor and Lisbon (Inspector Raquel) travel in an RV and then an ambulance while communicating with the band of thieves and the police.
The timely action of the gang forced the police, led by Colonel Luis Tamayo and pregnant Inspector Alicia Sierra, to release Rio to the robbers. However, Nairobi gets gravely injured by a police-inflicted sniper shot in the chest
Part three of Money Heist left the gang in the middle of their gold heist at the Bank of Spain, with trouble for nearly every member of the crew.
Watch Money Heist part 1-3 Official Recap
Season 2: Part 4 (2020)
Part 4 also having eight episodes, was released on 3rd April, 2020. An accompanying documentary involving the producers and the cast also premiered on Netflix the same day.
Titled Money Heist: The Phenomenon.
After being shot at the end of Part 3, Nairobi almost bled out. With the police’s refusal to send in a surgeon and their attempts to interfere with the team’s surgery. However, Nairobi survived, with help of Tokyo (Úrsula Corberó), who saved her life.
This didn’t last for long as the irrational head of security for the Bank of Spain in an attempt to outsmart the robbers shot Nairobi in the head. A lot of deaths in this show have hurt viewers, but this one really stings.
Marseille became the unsung hero of part 4 as he keeps Professor focused on the mission. After the Professor lost his cool because he thought Lisbon his lover was dead.
It’s an indisputable fact that Marseille is always where he is supposed to be and right on time. Now everyone wants to know how Marseille will carry the team in part 5.
Season 3: Part 5 and 6 (upcoming)
Despite how crazy Money Heist‘s plots are, scripts for the series aren’t written in advance. Rather they are written alongside filming to preserve the unpredictable nature of the much loved action drama.
Since Netflix took on Money Heist, the production cycle has been filming two parts together, and then releasing them about 6 months apart from each other.
If parts five and six follow the same pattern notwithstanding the current ravaging Covid -19 pandemic. Money Heist 5 and 6 should be expected in mid 2021 and 2022 respectively.
The heist isn’t over yet for the Professor and the rest of the Money Heist (La Casa de Papel) gang. It has just only began!
Watch official trailer of Money Heist part 4
