Episode Guide
Episode 1: The first episode of the show. It introduces the characters and the setting. Episode 2: The second episode of the show. It follows the story of a group of people who are trying to escape from a prison. Episode 3: The third episode of the show. It follows the story of a group of people who are trying to find their way home after being taken prisoner by a warlord. Episode 4: The fourth episode of the show. It follows the story of a group of people who are trying to find their way back home after being stranded on an island. Episode 5: The fifth and final episode of the show. It follows the story of a group of people who are trying to find their way back home after being stranded on an other planet.
After a recap of last year’s events, La Casa de Papel begins with Raquel investigating the house the thieves used to plan the heist. The police seem to be closing in on them, but The Professor seems to be playing a dangerous game with Raquel and the authorities. This growing desperation spills into events inside the Factory of Moneda and Timbre too. Tokio begins to question The Professor’s claims, contemplating throwing in the towel or instigating “Project Chernobyl.” ..
If you haven’t seen the first season, you’ll be severely lost here as the 9 episodes act as a third arc to the overall story and play on the characterisation built during the first 13 episodes. For those unhappy with some of the archetypal characterisation last year, should be happier as almost every character, perhaps with the exception of Nairobi (Alba Flores), see a decent amount of work done to flesh their personas out. This is especially true for Berlin (Pedro Alonso) who’s easily the stand out character this year and his journey from start to finish is arguably one of the best. Despite shorter run time this time around, there’s plenty of twists and turns along way that keep you guessing right up until finale but this year is all about ending and seeing whether thieves can make it out with money before getting caught. In doing so, dynamic of show shifts slightly from wondering how long they can stick it out to whether they’ll survive or get caught. In doing so, this subtle change shifts focus from slow paced tension to fast paced action which seems fitting for such an explosive ending but also loses effectiveness this had over story last year. ..
Tokio, the protagonist of the show, narrates most of the events that occur this year. Midway through the season, however, a shocking turn of events sees the focus shift to Berlin and then to Nairobi. This dynamic power struggle typifies the growing distress between the characters and as can be expected from such a suspenseful crime thriller, there are casualties along the way. La Casa De Papel does an excellent job of preventing any character from feeling safe or wrapped in plot armour and this really helps elevate the tension a second time around. ..
The excellent cinematography is solid again this year and there’s some smartly worked editing used to continue the slick, polished feel the series had the first time around. Although unaware at the time, there is an option to watch La Casa De Papel in English and having gone back and re-watched parts of the first season in English, the dubbing is surprisingly not bad. While it’s obviously more authentic to watch this one in its native Spanish tongue to really appreciate the excellent acting, the English dubbing does a good job of bringing you into the story for those who don’t fancy reading 7 hours’ worth of subtitles.
Netflix’s decision not to make La Casa De Papel into a 21 episode season was a mystery to many, but as one cohesive story it succeeds in delivering on all fronts. The first season is a beginning and middle arc, with the second season’s 9 episodes all about building toward the ending. Some may find the final 10 minutes of the final episode clichéd or even contrived, but given what transpires across the 2 seasons there’s enough here to bring an end to all the characters in a believable way. Personally, I thought the ending added another layer of thought-provoking questions that elevated La Casa De Papel above other crime thrillers. The third act isn’t perfect, but much like the first season there isn’t anything quite like this on TV making La Casa De Papel an incredibly endearing series and one of the best heist stories out there. ..
