In 2017, Americans were graced with the Spanish TV series “Money Heist.” It first aired on the small Spanish network Antena 3, and later got picked up by Netflix and went global. Unlike anything viewers had seen before, it was a show composed of eight petty criminals all with code names as cities, one being Berlin, played by Pedro Alonso. Spoiler Alert: With an unfortunate death in the show, Berlin was a star thief, and the brother of the mastermind, “The Professor.” The spin-off of Money Heist aired December 29th, 2023, and follows Berlin in his glory days, with his team of all-purpose criminals robbing $44 million worth of expensive crown jewels in Paris.
The series follows Berlin, the mastermind of the operation, and his crew. Keila (Michelle Jenner), the tech genius. Cameron (Begoña Vargas), the criminal running from her past. Roi (Julio Peña), star lock picker and Berlin’s most loyal associate. Bruce (Joel Sanchez), the braun to Berlin’s brains. And finally, Damian (Tristan Ulloa), the brains of the operation, makes sure everything is working how it should. This crew composes the show’s cast, along with love interests and characters that Berlin personally has a vendetta after.
The show follows along the build-up to the heist and the actual heist itself, leaving viewers anxious to see if they pull it off. The show takes place in various settings around old Paris, although we don’t know what period the show is set in (we just know it’s before the money heist). They also fill the show with side quests that show the relationship development between characters. This includes Berlin frequently going on his adventures to try to find his love interest played by Samantha Siquieros, and the rest of the crew pairing off into their respective duos. Showing sprouting romance and friendships, you’re not only watching for the heist but for the people. Characters start sticking out as fan favorites, like Roi with the good heart and hopeless romantic, Keila, another hopeless romantic who has never branched out, and the rest of the characters having their fan-grabbing personas.
Between the constant suspense, mischief, and teamwork, Berlin executes one of the best thief stories I have seen, attaining a 9/10. The show is TV-MA and not school-appropriate, however, this is one of the first spin-offs I’ve seen that’s tied up with its original show and has enough of a plot and individuality to even stand alone from Money Heist.
