Sumith Prasad
Netflix’s Spanish series ‘Bank Under Siege’ unfolds through the POV of Maider Garmendia and Bernardo “Berni” García, two journalists who work for the local newspaper Daily Barcelona. While the former is a newbie who delves into the shocking developments concerning the robbery in the Central Bank of Barcelona, the latter is an experienced photographer who deals with the death of his daughter. Maider and Berni overcome several obstacles and limitations to unravel the mystery behind the startling heist that shakes the positions of power in Spain. While the crime drama is based on an intriguing true story, the origin of the two characters is not at all that straightforward! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Maider Garmendia and Bernardo “Berni” García Serve as the Tools to Explore the Truth Behind the Robbery
Maider Garmendia and Bernardo “Berni” García are two fictional characters created by screenwriter Patxi Amezcua for ‘Bank Under Siege.’ The two journalists do not have exact counterparts in real life. First of all, the series’ depiction of Maider and Berni arriving at a telephone booth to obtain the envelope that lists the robbers’ demands is rooted in actual events. Instead of Daily Barcelona, the criminals involved in the heist reached out to Diario de Barcelona, whose employee(s) arrived at the scene first. However, what follows in the lives of the two journalists in the crime drama is fictional.
There is no evidence to state that Emilio Alonso Manglano, the then-head of the Centro Superior de Información de la Defensa (CESID), threatened or offered money to a journalist who worked for Diario de Barcelona. Similarly, no bomb blast that nearly killed a journalist has been linked to the infamous robbery in the years that followed. Amezcua must have created Maider and Berni as the truthseekers who unravel the mystery behind the heist for the viewers. The nature of the crime that occurred in reality makes a straightforward narration immensely difficult. Even though more than four decades have passed since the robbery, the exact motive behind it is still a matter of contention.
The real-life accounts concerning the heist have contradicted each other for years. To make matters even more complicated, conspiracy theories and myths have altered the understanding of what really happened in the Central Bank of Barcelona on the fateful day of May 23, 1981. While approaching such a highly layered, complicated crime, Amezcua must have needed two fictional characters to present his version of the “truth” to the viewers without worrying about authenticity. Since journalists are nothing but truth-seekers, the creation of Maider and Berni is justified. ‘Bank Under Siege’ depicts the motive behind the robbery with an investigation that never happened in reality. Two fictitious characters are appropriate choices for integrating this fictional portion into the narrative.
Maider Garmendia and Bernardo “Berni” García Represent the Fearless Spanish Journalists of the Last Century
In addition to serving a particular purpose in the narrative, Maider Garmendia and Bernardo “Berni” García shed light on the world of journalism that existed in the 1980s in Spain. Even though ‘Bank Under Siege’ is primarily a heist series, it also explores the cultural and political dimensions of the period altogether. The focus on high-ranking positions and authority is a testament to the same. Patxi Amezcua’s show uses these two fictional journalists to delve deeper into these themes. The 20th century was a highly turbulent period for press workers in Spain. Censorship and the repression of the freedom of the press were prevalent in the country during this tumultuous era in Spanish history.
Like Maider and Berni, journalists were often restricted from reporting the truth behind what was really happening in Spain. Even after the end of the Francoist era, several extremist and separatist groups have targeted journalists, according to the United Stations. The murder of the El Mundo journalist José Luis López de Lacalle highlighted the severity of the threat faced by the press works. The near-death experiences of Aurora Intxausti and Juan Palomo, who contributed to Antena 3 and El País, respectively, remind us of the bomb blast that nearly kills Maider.
Although Maider and Berni are fictional, the plights of the real journalists who worked in Spain in the 20th century were not drastically different. Through their experiences, we can learn about the courage and determination displayed by the Spanish press during a period when the country was transitioning to the promised land of democracy.
Read More: José Juan Martínez Gómez: Where is the Spanish Robber Now?
