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Money Heist season 5: when the impossible might just be possible

*This article contains spoilers.

Money Heist season five delivers another exciting instalment in the Spanish drama. With just as much action as in previous seasons, audiences won’t be able to look away.

Money Heist follows a rag-tag team of criminals – each code named after a major city – brought together by the mysterious Professor (Álvaro Morte) to carry out extravagant and dangerous heists.

Volume 1 of season five, released this month, jumps back into the action mid-heist two at the Bank of Spain.

Alicia Sierra (Najwa Nimri) has taken over the helm as inspector for the second heist. While it’s initially a little odd to no longer see Inspector Raquel Murillo (Itziar Ituño) in this role, the new dynamics within the police force and between good and evil are just as exciting to watch.

Sierra is ruthless, employing methods far harsher and less forgiving than Murillo ever did. Throughout the season, viewers are given glimpses into her past and the recent death of her partner.

In this first half of the season, Sierra reluctantly accepts help from the Professor and his team to give birth. We last see her taking care of her newborn, but that doesn’t make her any less of a threat.

Sierra is still very clearly on edge, which leaves it open to possibility that, in the second half of the series, to be released December 3, she is still scheming to shut down the heist from the inside.

Money Heist season 5: when the impossible might just be possible

The team, all with easy to remember city codenames.

While the show follows many stereotypical tropes of the heist genre, it attempts to break the mould with its quick-witted humour and in-depth character arcs.

The series positions viewers on the side of the heist “criminals”, a format that works well. Despite the calculating and manipulative behaviour, it’s impossible not to cheer on the team in their iconic red jumpsuits.

Ocean’s Eleven and Widows are excellent film examples of making the bad guys likeable—if you’re a fan of either, then I highly recommend adding Money Heist to your binge-watch list.

A predictable series can be a turn-off, by failing to put audiences on the edge of their seat. Money Heist is far from predictable. Twists and turns come from nowhere at any moment.

The series strategically places clues along the way, leading to some exciting “aha!” moments for viewers as the pieces start to come together.

Although, nothing could be as impressive as the Professor’s back-up-plans for his back-up-plans, at one point even having a way to get around his death if it were to occur.

Álex Pina, the creative genius behind Money Heist, is great at forming bonds between characters and audiences, and he’s just as good at developing characters audiences love to hate.

Money Heist season 5: when the impossible might just be possible

Álvaro Morte as the Professor.

Arturo Román (Enrique Arce) is the frustrating civilian hero from the first heist, where he acted to save hostages.

Having weaseled his way into the Bank of Spain, Román is back for heist two and is as deplorable as ever. At one point, he’s so blinded by his hunger for revenge that he shoots and injures fellow hostages in a poor attempt to “save them”.

Arturito would traditionally be the “good guy”, but his antics make him detestable.

Flashbacks to Berlin’s (Pedro Alonso) past feature many times in the fifth season, though they feel disruptive and oddly placed, detracting from the heist storyline. The fact he met his end back in season two makes it hard to sympathise with or relate to him now. This information now revealed would have helped to form audience connection back when Berlin was alive and leading the heists.

Money Heist‘s soundtrack has been great from the beginning, but this season has made a sharp turn toward recognising the show’s now global audience.

Originally, the backing music and pivotal songs, like Bella Ciao, were predominantly Spanish. However, there’s been a noticeable change, with more English tracks featured in the fifth season.

The show had previously created an authentic atmosphere through the local cast, setting and soundtrack, and it seems a shame to have deviated from this format.

While seasons one and two are undeniably the best, season five still had me on the edge of my seat. It delves deeper into character relationships and their pasts and with a cliff-hanger to finish off the first half, I’ll be readily awaiting the conclusion in December.