Show: Money Heist Season 5 Part 1

Cast: Alvaro Morte, Patrick Criad, Úrsula Corberó, Darko Peri, Hovik Keuchkerian, Najwa Nimri, Itziar Ituño, Jaime Lorente, Esther Acebo, Rodrigo de la Serna, Belén Cuesta

Creator: Álex Pina

Language: Spanish (Original) English With Subtitles Available

OTT: Netflix

After a long wait of one year, the part one of Money Heist Season 5 or La Casa De Papel is finally here with nail-biting and adrenaline-inducing sequences, changing relationship dynamics and some new twists-and-turns that will surely keep you at the edge of your seat. Money Heist Season 5 Part 1 sees stronger opponents and more women calling the shots than ever before. Although the action and strategies are similar to the previous seasons, they still seem fresh as they are packaged in a new and different style.

The show’s first episode takes off immediately after Lisbon’s (Itziar Ituno) entry into the Bank of Spain and the reins of the gang in her hands, and Inspector Alicia Sierra (Najwa Nimri) capturing The Professor (Álvaro Morte) from his hideout.  However, things are not as smooth as they seem, the hostages are getting out of hand and the gang is still not over Nairobi’s death with some internal strife also hankering at their camaraderie and trust. To pile it on, the army also enters the scene to take them down. The heartless Colonel Tomayo is in charge of the authorities and is happily willing to overlook the hostages from the bank but has only plain war in his sight irrespective of the casualties he might sustain in the process.

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Money Heist Season 5 Part 1 is as much about the protagonists’ motives and redemption as it is about the heist. Just like the previous four seasons, Tokyo (Ursula Corbero) is telling the tale, but this time around she is burdened with remorse, grief and a sense of responsibility. She is still the hotheaded woman with more style than substance but has not let go of her leadership qualities and manages the gang well with Lisbon. We get her backstory at length as well as Denver’s (Jaime Lorente). Besides Tokyo and Lisbon, it’s Stockholm (Esther Acebo) who calls the shots in the heist. A new character in the form of Rafael (Patrick Criad) is introduced who is Berlin’s boy. How he is introduced in the series with respects to The Professor’s timeline is worth the watch. This season highlights the fact that the characters might evade the law but how do they escape their own consciousness.

Alvaro Morte as The Professor delivers yet again. He knows what is expected of him and gives just that. This time around he is helpless but he was once the master and that shows up on his face. Ursula Corbero shows her vulnerabilities in this season and manages to make your heart pine and sympathize with her. Helsinki (Darko Peri) and Bogotá (Hovik Keuchkerian) lend able support. Najwa Nimri as Alicia Sierra is impeccable and goes all out to portray her character that has gone all out to get her lost reputation back.

Money Heist Season 5 Part 1 follows the same path as its predecessor’s and seems predictable and lacks creativity but what works for the show is the fact that you’re never sure about the final destination until the very end. There is too much adrenaline rush and edge-of-the-seat moments to keep you engaged interspersed with ample amounts of drama and emotions. It is definitely worth binge-watching.

PeepingMoon.com gives Money Heist Season 5 Part 1, 3.5 Moons.