[BERLIN Netflix Review] The spin-off of Money Heist that largely retains the original core.

Money Heist BERLIN The Netflix original series, consisting of 8 episodes, is a spin-off of Money Heist, created by the original team of Álex Pina and the screenwriter Esther Martínez Lobato . The story revolves around Berlin, who assembles a team to rob a valuable gem in Paris worth 44 million euros from 34 different cities in a seemingly impossible night. However, the complications of love during the heist make the task even more challenging.

Money Heist BERLIN Review (No Spoilers)

The series narrates the story of the character Berlin before he became a sick with disease, without specifying his exact age. However, in this version, it maintains the same characteristics as in the previous seasons of Money Heist, encompassing his charismatic personality, planning methods, and featuring references to his past. This implies that it serves as a kind of flashback to his earlier life rather than a direct journey into the past. Viewers who haven’t watched Money Heist before may find it challenging to fully grasp the context (they can understand the storyline but may have unanswered questions).

In this installment, Berlin’s resemblance starts with his unchanging egoistic personality. Berlin remains full of charismatic leadership and is still characterized by his outspoken manner. However, the storyline doesn’t involve direct confrontations with anyone; instead, it focuses on silent and strategic planning. Berlin’s ego plays a role in engaging with the new group members. He becomes the central figure in planning alongside a new intelligent character, the professor, Damian (portrayed by Tristán Ulloa). Similar to the previous season, they form a duo responsible for planning everything from the heist entry method to the seamless escape.

The familiar pattern continues with the use of a model of the target location, which is a vault containing valuable French jewels from 34 different cities, gathered for auction. The plan involves penetrating the system to access the vault and extracting the jewels in one go. Berlin assembles a team of five experts in various fields, following the traditional format. It is revealed that this team is one of Berlin’s three special teams, indicating that there are more untold stories about him.

Another similarity is the exploration of love as a central theme, adding a layer of complexity to the storyline. Viewers might mistakenly perceive Money Heist as an action series, but the director confirms that the heart of this series is the theme of love. The intricacies of love disrupt the plan once again, with Berlin himself falling in love with the wife of the main target in this heist. He becomes determined to win her over, prioritizing this over the success of the mission. This aspect is heavily emphasized as Berlin’s pursuit of love takes center stage, leaving the team members frustrated and unable to intervene.

Apart from Berlin’s love story, there are also other couples within the team. This includes a female hacker who becomes involved with a rogue guy. There’s also a mentally ill woman and the team’s second-in-command, who strictly adheres to Berlin’s rules that forbid any involvement with her, despite his own failure to follow these rules. Additionally, the mastermind professor Daniel is abandoned by his wife during the mission. This adds an interesting layer to the series, almost making the love-related issues more challenging than the heist.

Navigating the story through these love dynamics might make the series seem less appealing to those expecting action scenes. The narrative revolves around courtship, testing relationships, and emotional revelations. The conclusion of each couple’s love story is summarized in the final episodes through the adventurous and life-threatening experiences they undergo. This series serves as a blend of various love stories, each with its unique set of problems converging into one storyline. Some couples shine while others may appear superficial. The love story of Berlin is a significant focus and ultimately concludes with an unexpected and seemingly impossible resolution, leaving a memorable and impressive impact.

In the section on plot development, the first four episodes cover the planning phase of a heist to steal jewels. The narrative unfolds through scenes depicting the planning process, with simultaneous execution shown in parallel. There is no continuous heist scene initially, which might confuse viewers into thinking it’s a storytelling. Unlike previous seasons where plans often went awry, this season sees almost flawless execution. The straightforward storytelling in the first four episodes flows smoothly without significant issues, except for a minor obstacle involving a romantic relationship.

The subsequent four episodes focus on the quiet preparations for escaping Paris. This period is fraught with problems, and the meticulously laid plans from the first four episodes crumble due to the complications arising from the romantic entanglements introduced earlier. The characters are separated into pairs, each dealing with their unique escape challenges. While there is a constant tension, there is a notable absence of intense action scenes since the characters emphasize evasion over confrontation. However, the core element in each pair’s storyline remains their enduring love, serving as a constant and crucial component throughout.

The story introduces two characters from the previous season, Alicia and Raquel, who return in the latter four episodes. In this section, they lead a team investigating and pursuing the case in a traditional manner. However, with only eight episodes in this season, their roles are not prominently featured. They showcase their intelligence in the pursuit of Berlin’s team, especially towards the end, but both characters never directly encounter Berlin. This narrative choice seems to be a preventive measure to avoid potential plot issues from previous seasons, yet it serves to evoke nostalgia among fans.

The brief return of Alicia and Raquel is more of a way to make fans reminisce, as their storyline doesn’t take center stage. It is anticipated that future seasons involving Berlin might introduce additional characters, following a similar pattern. The conclusion of this season leaves a clear indication that the story will continue, providing ample room for further developments.

Overall, if you like the character Berlin and enjoy Money Heist, this series continues to maintain its signature style of cleverly planned heists that are entertaining, and the characters still carry the charm that fans have come to love. However, the scale of the story seems to have diminished somewhat.

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