Diksha Sundriyal
‘Money Heist’ is one of Netflix’s most popular dramas. It follows a group of people who execute an elaborate heist. Headed by a man who calls himself the Professor, a team, members of which are named after cities, is assembled to target the Royal Mint of Spain. The first two seasons focus on this heist and give us a picture of the relationships of the characters and the power dynamics of the team. The third season deals with the consequences of their actions and the tough situation that prods them to undertake another impossible plan. If you haven’t yet seen the show, head over to Netflix.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Summary of the Plot
After successfully pulling off the biggest heist in history, the Professor and his team disperse to different parts of the world. Like everything else, the Professor had planned the aftermath of the heist as well. He knew that the chase wouldn’t be over just because they were out of the bank. The pressure would increase now because they had no hostages to use as leverage, no cards left to play, and unlike when they entered the bank, they have a lot more to lose now.
Despite the first and most important rule of robbery, strong personal relationships were developed during the planning and undertaking of the heist. Even the Professor wasn’t exempt from this mistake. He divides the whole team, which now also includes Monica, into various pairs and sends them to different places. He has a plan for every situation but still asks the team to stick to the rules. After saying their goodbyes, they enjoy the next couple of years partying and spending the money they had worked so hard for. Meanwhile, we discover that they are not the only ones reaping the benefits of the heist.
Arturito has managed to turn the situation into his favour. Obviously, he lost his job at the Royal Mint, but now, he has the status of being not just a survivor of the heist, but also a hero. He has become a bestseller author and a public speaker. He enjoys a massive fan following and doesn’t miss any opportunity to use his experience at the bank to attract attention. His personal life, on the other hand, is a complete mess. His wife has left him, his children despise him, and his mistress chose to run away with the robber who had almost killed him. Also, he will never get to meet his illegitimate son.
For the most part, it looks like everyone got what they wanted. But then Tokyo rises up to the occasion to stir some trouble. Bored out of her wits on the island, she bids goodbye to Rio and heads to the mainland. Before that, Rio gives her a satellite phone he had purchased from the black market. Three days after she leaves, he becomes desperate and calls her. Interpol, who had been on their tails all this time, get a whiff of it and immediately figure out their locations.
While Tokyo manages to escape, Rio is captured. Instead of releasing the news of his capture, they take him to a secret facility where he is tortured for information. Meanwhile, Tokyo manages to contact the Professor. The team is reconvened to find a way to get Rio back. The Professor discloses that before Berlin got involved in the Mint of Spain plan, he had been working on a heist of his own. He had formulated a plan to rob the Bank of Spain and get 90 tons of gold out of there. They didn’t go through with it because it still had a lot of loopholes, and by that time, the Professor had come up with his plan, which was safer and more viable. Even though he has his reservations, the Professor knows that they have no other option but to move forward with it.
An Unplanned Heist
While the previous heist had been a slow burn, with the first season stretching for thirteen episodes, this time, things move pretty fast. This works wonderfully in favour of the show. It lands one punch after another, giving the binge-watchers no time to catch their breath. The plot is thicker and more tightly woven this time around. If you think the finale of the first season was breath-taking, the third season will knock the wind out of your lungs. Even with far lesser preparation, the Professor has quite a few tricks up his sleeve to keep the cops on their toes. He could have benefitted with more time, but Tokyo’s unrest about Rio’s situation doesn’t allow him that luxury.
Things seem to go smoothly for a while, but after some time, the unpreparedness begins to show and we understand why the Professor had spent so much time on planning his previous heist. Apart from the things that he couldn’t account for due to the lack of time, there are a number of other situations that pop up unexpectedly and tug at the rug beneath his feet, before completely pulling it off in the finale.
Even though they have done this before, even though they are aware of all the incongruities that can appear in their already not-perfect plan, the team is not ready for what happens next. Surprisingly, Tokyo keeps a lid on her whims this time, and only disrupts the plan one time when she decides to attack the Governor and his bodyguards. The biggest mistake is made by the Professor. He underestimates his opponent- the negotiator, Alicia Sierra.
While Raquel had played by the book and was vulnerable during the time of the first heist, Sierra is a complete opposite. She is ruthless; she doesn’t just respond to the Professor’s moves but also creates traps for them. She seems better at this job because she is not afraid to exploit anyone for anything. She had been in charge of Rio’s interrogation, and the condition in which we see him, it isn’t difficult to understand that she is not in the mood to take any prisoners. In fact, the new boss is also ready to go in guns blazing rather than staying back and negotiating.
What Happened to Nairobi?
After going through the profiles of the robbers, she zeroes in on Nairobi. She knows that it would be impossible to take them down altogether, so she begins with the target that can shake their foundations. At first, they decide to hack off the head of the team, who is pointed out to be Denver by a vengeful Arturito. But when they fail at that, Sierra comes up with another plan. After finding out about Nairobi’s son, she sends a blue teddy bear for her.
Nairobi is reminded of her son and how he had been taken away from her due to her own mistakes. Sierra then lures her towards one of the windows to show her that she has her son. In a moment of weakness, Nairobi falls for it and is shot down by a sniper. The team tries to calm her down and begin patching up her profusely bleeding wound, but are distracted when the cops knock at their doors with armoured trucks. In what seems like her final breaths, she asks Helsinki to give her son the money she had from the previous heist and tell him who his mother was and closes her eyes. Is she dead then? Does this mean the end for the most badass member of the team? We hope not.
‘Money Heist’ is about risk-taking and death often comes with a part of that deal. In the previous heist, the team had lost its three members- Oslo, Moscow and Berlin. While Oslo had mostly been a stranger, his death was a reminder that things can always go south for our heroes. Moscow’s death was a tragic affair, and we really do hate Tokyo for that. He was an invaluable member of the team, which taught the audience that death is not bestowed in accordance to one’s importance.
Just when we had thought that the loss was done with, Berlin was sacrificed in the name of saving everyone else. So, to think that Nairobi is indispensable and that her death is something the audience would never accept isn’t the guarantee of her survival. The stakes are higher this season and we can expect some massive losses this time around. The ending will surely be a bittersweet affair. Nairobi’s death could be the undoing of the whole team. She is, after all, the one tying them all together, especially when most of them are such volatile characters.
Money Heist Season 3 Ending: What Does It Mean for the Resistance?
While chaos ensues inside the bank, the Professor and Lisbon fight for their lives outside. Angel is sent to track them down, and luck favours him when some locals help him with the van. The Professor, as always, was ready for this situation. He and Lisbon ditch the van and prepare to hide in plain sight, but at the critical moment, she is forced to improvise. She hides in a barn but is caught by the owners. She tries to negotiate a deal of twenty million dollars with them and almost succeeds. By the time, Suarez arrives with his team and catches her. As the Professor runs for her, he hears two gunshots and believes that they have killed Lisbon. It is later revealed that Sierra had planned this. She used the Professor’s technique of creating paranoia with sound and lets him think that the woman he loves is dead. She knew that he was already struggling with the plan and this unhinges him completely. Even if he had any further tricks, even if he could still have salvaged the situation, he won’t be able to do so now. With Nairobi dying in the bank and Lisbon dead a small distance from him, only one thought crosses his mind. “It is war.” When Palermo asks him how to handle the army who is about to knock down the doors, he tells him to act accordingly. Tokyo and Rio destroy one of the trucks and wait for the next attack.
Money Heist Season 4: What to Expect?
The second heist takes everything a notch higher. There is better loot and it is riskier. They are less prepared and have everything to lose. The last time, the Professor had been in control of the situation almost the whole way through. Even when something unexpected happened, he was able to counteract it very easily. This time, however, he has been bested and already seems at the end of his rope. However, considering how he is always prepared for anything, we don’t want to give up on him yet.
‘Money Heist’ Season 4 will show him picking up the pieces of his plan. The first course of action would be to save Nairobi or to say goodbye to her properly. We still have our fingers crossed on that, so let’s not speculate much. With the cavalry outside their door, how will the team defend itself? What flashback advice from Berlin will save the day for the Professor? He presumes that Lisbon is dead, and we are sure that the truth will come to light sooner or later. But what will his supposed loss drive him to? How will he retaliate? Is this where the red briefcases serve their purpose? Will he directly attack the government or will he rather focus on Sierra? Will his vengeance take hold of him to such an extent that he might abandon his team? Will he help them escape? Speaking of which, what is the escape plan here?
The only other member of the team operating from the outside is Marseilles. We refuse to believe that the Professor hired him to do one menial task. He must be an important part of the escape plan? What emergency measure will they put into action now that everything has gone haywire? Another thing that they might incorporate in their plan is the throng of supporters gathered outside the bank.
In this season, time and again, the focus has been brought on the following that the resistance has gathered all over the world. The Professor used them to kickstart the plan. Will he use them as his escape plan as well? One of the things that we know about the Professor is that he keeps some of his cards hidden even from his team. The last time, he had employed the help of the Serbs in his most desperate times. Is another such help available for him this time? Not to forget, there is one other person on the outside who knows about this plan. Berlin’s girlfriend, Tatiana. Sergio had expressed his doubts about her, wondering if she would ever sell them out. He wouldn’t have moved forward with the heist without securing an unpredictable element out of his reach. Will he turn towards her for help? Was she always a part of the plan?
Speaking of unpredictable things, Arturo was something that the Professor wouldn’t have anticipated. He is back in the bank and he hates them, especially Denver, with all his heart. He wants revenge because they ruined his life and took Monica away from him. What trouble will he stir this time? Moreover, how will Lisbon get out of her situation? How will anyone come to help her if they think she is dead? There is only one ray of hope for her now- her ex-partner, Angel. He had been in love with her, and even though he hates the Professor, he must still have some affection for her. He might become the key to her survival, as well as her team’s.
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