HOW ONE CHARACTER IN NETFLIX’S ‘MONEY HEIST’ CHANGED MY MIND ABOUT NOT WANTING MORE SEASONS.
Spoiler Warning!
“Quit while you’re ahead”. We’ve all heard the saying; it’s not unfamiliar to most. And after 4 exhilarating seasons, this is a saying I wish to apply to Money Heist (‘La Casa De Papel’), the hit Netflix show that garnered worldwide acclaim, asserting itself as a cultural phenomenon.
We’ve seen what happens when a show runs longer than the story can continue to enthrall or reinvent itself, it almost always ends with a beloved TV show turning into a colossal disaster (you either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain) that loses all semblance of what made it great in the first place, (cough, cough, looking at you Lost). This has also contributed to limited series becoming a bigger deal these days, than they were 10years ago (article for another day).
After watching Volume 1 of Money Heist, Part 5 (Season 5), I can’t help but want the show to continue on for more seasons despite the announcement that Part 5 serves as the final chapter in this story. Netflix has so far only released the first 5 episodes of Part 5 (all brilliant), which make up Volume 1, with an additional 5 episodes to be released on Dec 3rd, making up Volume 2, to conclude the show.
One of the things that got me really hooked on the show is it’s enigmatic array of characters, each with their own motivations and monikers based off famous cities around the world, with which they identify as. Each of these characters plays an important role and adds a certain je ne sais quoi that makes the entire cast function so well together; solidifying the dysfunctional family dynamic they share. From the hot-headed Denver, to the gentle giant, Helsinki, to the high-spirited and sexy Nairobi, to the eccentric and narcissistic Arturo Román. These individual characters as they’re portrayed by their brilliant cast of actors, do a great job of selling you on their idiosyncrasies and motivations.
The show has managed to maintain intrigue with its cast and introduced even more brilliant characters along the way with just as much or even greater appeal. Characters you simply can’t help but fall in love with or love to hate. One such character, and the muse for this article, is inspector Alicia Sierra, first introduced in Part 3, as sort of the antithesis to detective Rachel Murillo (Lisbon). Inspector Sierra is a ruthless, manipulative, self-absorbed and calculating individual who’ll go to any lengths to achieve her objective.
When inspector Sierra is first introduced, she’s heavily pregnant and dead-set on bringing our beloved gang of thieves to justice; sabotaging the plans of our protagonists with her Garry Kasparov-like read on the game at every turn; getting a high off it in the process.
By the end of Part 5, Volume 1, this all changes slightly, after The leader of the gang of thieves, The Professor, helps Alicia deliver her baby under the worst possible circumstances. Alicia, now branded as a rogue-agent acting on her own accord, is forced to rethink which side she’s on and contemplate her next move carefully. Does she trade The Professor in exchange for immunity and strike some kind of deal that keeps her out of prison and free to raise her child? Or does she do the same thing that detective Raquel Murillo did, which is, join the robbers and abandon the right-side of the law?
At this point in the story, working with The Professor and becoming a part of the gang seems like the logical choice; as the former inspector isn’t left with many options after her superior, Luis Tamayo, in an attempt to save his own ass, leaves her out-to-dry by framing her for working with The Professor and his gang; going as far as telling the press that she was a mole who sabotaged the investigation through every stage.
It’s uncertain how the story will conclude in Volume 2, of Part 5, but the thought of having Alicia Sierra as part of the gang is one that excites me. Her wit, her tenacity and her ruthlessness in any given situation would be something worth witnessing on the other side of the law. She could easily take the reigns as The Professor’s 2nd in command for her ability to lead and account for every outcome before it happens. As a bonus, a team-up between her and Lisbon wouldn’t hurt; as this would serve as an opportunity to unearth even more of that anecdotal history that has been hinted between the two.
Is having more seasons to satisfy my curiosity of what Alicia Sierra would look like in a red jumpsuit worth risking the legacy of the show for? I don’t know. I guess we’ll have to find out what happens at the end of Part 5, Volume 2, before speculating on whether Alicia Sierra’s possible defection opens up more possibilities that warrant more seasons of the show.
