Diksha Sundriyal
The prequel to ‘Money Heist,’ Netflix’s ‘Berlin’ puts the fan-favorite character on center stage, giving him the chance to carry out his own heists. Away from the shadow of the Professor, who likes to have every detail planned with as few distractions and detours as possible, Berlin’s plans are meticulous but chaotic and often veer off the path as he himself becomes one of the biggest distractions. The show also gives more space to his love life, which might remind the viewers that he also has a son. What happened to him during the events of ‘Berlin’ and what did the end of ‘Money Heist’ spell for him?
Rafael is in America During Berlin
The events of ‘Berlin’ take place before the events of ‘Money Heist’ Season 1, which is explained through a dialogue in which Berlin mentions the Professor, who is planning his own heist on which he has been working for his entire life. The heist that he refers to is the Royal Mint of Spain. The second heist was at the Bank of Spain, and it was the brainchild of Berlin himself, though he didn’t live long enough to execute it.
It is during the flashbacks of the second heist that we meet Berlin’s son. Considering that he has never taken part in a heist before and that the timeline puts the flashbacks about five years before ‘Money Heist,’ it is safe to say that ‘Berlin’ takes place even before that. With that in mind, we can safely assume that Rafael, during the events of Berlin, is either still at MIT getting his degree in Electronic Engineering or getting a post-degree in cybersecurity, both of which he puts to use later during the heist. His absence in ‘Berlin’ confirms that he is still either a teenager or barely in his early 20s, which makes sense why his father wouldn’t want him to tag along.
Rafael Follows Into His Father’s Footsteps in Money Heist
The heist of the Bank of Spain is as audacious, if not more than, the Royal Mint of Spain and even riskier than the latter. The Professor executes it not just to save Rio, who had been captured by the authorities, but also as an ode to his brother, who had died during the previous heist. The reward from the heist is such that the Professor and his entire crew won’t have to rob anyone else ever again. But their entire plan is at risk when the gold is robbed from them.
The Professor was not the only one who knew about the entire heist. Berlin had planned it with Palermo, but at the same time, Berlin also discussed it with Tatiana, whom he had married while planning the entire thing. During that time, Berlin also brought his son on board, and later, Rafael and Tatiana ran away together. Berlin also disowned both of them, which explains their anger towards him and why they jumped on the wagon when they discovered that the heist was taking place.
When the Professor has stolen all the gold from the Bank of Spain and brought it to the safe house, Rafael and Tatiana arrive as police officers and leave with all the gold. When the Professor realizes that he has been fooled by his nephew, he decides to get the gold back, but he also knows that Rafael and Tatiana deserve their share. He sends Alicia Sierra, who by now has joined the Professor, to search for the gold, and once again proving herself to be exceptionally efficient at tracking down robbers, she discovers the location of the gold, even though it was very well hidden in plain sight.
The Professor gives her a note, which she gives to Rafael; after reading it, he agrees to give up the gold. What was written in the note is not revealed, but later, while talking to Tatiana, Rafael says that “this is what he would have wanted.” The “he” is most likely his father, Berlin, who had dreamt of this plan in the first place. Rafael also knows that heists are not just for the money, but they are a family affair, which is why he knows that his uncle will send him his share of the gold, and he can live the rest of his life in luxury.
Read More: Money Heist Berlin: Are Cameron and Berlin Related? Is She His Daughter?
