In late 2017, Netflix acquired the rights to globally release ‘Money Heist’ (also known as La Casa De Papel), a popular Spanish heist series written by Álex Pina and directed by Jesús Colmenar.
The narrative series follows the consummate plan of a group of professional criminals, led by a mysterious man under the alias ‘The Professor’, to heist the Royal Mint of Spain. The show joined the elements of hostages, politics, psychological games, and tons of interpersonal conflicts that make its viewers anticipate each episode.
It received a whopping 34 million views in just a week, a phenomenal record for a Spanish show making it the most-watched and most successful non-English language show on Netflix.
As if its millions of views are still not enough to prove its popularity and quality, ‘Money Heist’ also garnered the Best Drama Series award at the International Emmy Award in 2018.
The series was initially aired on Spanish channel Antena 3, with 15 episodes running from May 17 to November 23 in 2017. Netflix later released the first part of the show for worldwide streaming in December 2017, with 22 recut and shorter episodes.
After gaining huge popularity, Netflix renewed the series in April 2018 and released the second season with a total of 16 new episodes. The season 3 with 8 episodes was recently released last July, and we are now anticipating its next season which they have finished filming last August.
If you have not yet watched any of its episodes, here are some reasons why you should binge-watch the series now or you’ll be missing out big time.
(Warning: May contain some spoilers!)
Table of Contents
Exceptional storyline
Every successful series starts with an exceptional story idea and a well-written script, and ‘Money Heist’ undeniably has both.
The plot resembles a game of chess requiring each character’s intellect in surpassing the arising conflicts and follow through their heist plan.
The show intelligently drops much-anticipated information just exactly when the viewers need to know. Its smart way of bringing the audience in a roller coaster ride of emotions through the plot’s details and twists — with constant shifts of who the real protagonists and antagonists are — makes it even more extraordinary.
Authenticity
Although ‘heist’ and ‘robbery’ themes seem common in most crime shows and movies, ‘Money Heist’ managed to outshine them by combining different crimes (with more emphasis on heist and hostage-taking) with psychology, suspense, and interpersonal schisms in one breathtaking story.
Also, the makers of ‘Money Heist’ did not try to westernize the show in exchange for capturing more global popularity. Instead, they made sure to keep viewers engrossed with the Spanish characters and their Spanish way of living.
Director Diego Ávalos even stated some things about the show’s authenticity: “We are proud of bringing stories that are made in Spain, to the world. It has been loved by fans all around the world because of the authenticity and originality of storytelling.”
Mysterious and dynamic characters
Money Heist has suspenseful twists making its characters face new conflicts unraveling after surpassing current ones. The story also keeps the heist characters mysterious, keeping them with just their alias names in cities such as Tokyo, Nairobi, Helsinki, Moscow, Berlin, Rio, Denver, and Oslo. The brain of the heist plan is also known as just ‘The Professor’ who ensures their operation runs smoothly without any casualties from the members of the police or their hostages.
Relatable story
“The moment there is a single drop of blood, we’ll stop being Robin Hoods and become simple crooks.” – The Professor
Although the story revolves around a group of robbers, it doesn’t mean that they are horrible. Viewers find them relatable with the human side found behind their dangerous criminal fronts.
Continuity
Each episode ends with perfectly crafted cliffhangers that intrigues and challenges the minds of its viewers. The mysterious characters, suspenseful scenes, plot twists, and cliff-hanging endings blended all together so well as the story escalates to another level each episode, making us scream for “just one more episode!”
Soundtrack
The soundtracks of the series include “My Life is Going On,” a song about the future and having confidence, composed by Spanish composer Manuel Santisteban, written and performed by Cecilia Krull.
In 2018, the antifascist Italian track “Bella Ciao” became a summer hit in Europe due to the series’ popularity. These are just a few of the many reasons why ‘Money Heist’ is a hit. Now, isn’t it time to keep off from the clocks and watches around you, and lose track of time while you binge-watch this sensational series? Catch it on Netflix now!
Alex is fascinated with “understanding” people. It’s actually what drives everything he does. He believes in a thoughtful exploration of how you shape your thoughts, experience of the world.