Money Heist (La Casa de Papel) Part 5 Volume 1 Review

Finally we're almost at the end game but of course we're not really there yet so to expect "La Casa de Papel" Part 5 Volume 1 to deliver everything in one blow will be a futile attempt. But since the end is also very near, there's really no reason to hold anything back. "La Casa de Papel" Part 5 Volume 1 wasn't afraid to pull some punches and even some big surprises in its very first salvo. Almost every episode came off as essential and felt like one big step into the right direction.

In "Money Heist" Part 5 Volume 1, the heist of the Bank of Spain still continues with even a rougher road ahead. With the Professor seemingly unreachable, the gang inside the Bank of Spain are at their wit's end. It doesn't help that the army is now being tapped to attack the bank and end the heist. This only means that no one is considered safe - even the hostages can now be collateral damage. And while the end is near in the greatest heist ever, no one knows who will come out victorious.

We must admit, "Money Heist" for us fell off a very steep cliff with Part 3 and Part 4. These seasons felt like they were pushing the story too far, pulling the threads longer and longer into their breaking points just to make the well-received series a reality at all costs. More emphasis was put on silly and senseless action and less time was spent on developing character backstories and relationships. We're happy to say that in "Money Heist" Part 5 Volume 1, they are going back to their roots and what made "Money Heist" special for us in the first place. 

Admittedly, the approach is a balanced and compromised one and it isn't perfect. There are still the silly action sequences were no one gets hit or no one runs out of ammo. There are also certain characters that feel inconsequential and even unnecessary. For example, we just cannot fathom why we needed a back story about Berlin and his son. Maybe more will be revealed in Part 5 Volume 2 but there really isn't anything connected to present in the first five episodes to justify their scenes. We wished these scenes were used to add more flavor to the characters who are still alive. For those who did, the writers did a great job to really tie-in their stories from past to present. It also helps that the actors who portrays these characters actually provided powerful and emotional performances. Overall, the love we lost the past two seasons is now back and we just cannot wait to find out how the story ends in December.      

Rating: 4 reels

Why you should watch it:

- the story is finally moving

- superb and poweful acting from the cast

Why you shouldn't watch it:

- particular character arcs seem to be unnecessary and filler material

- we still can't get over the silly action sequences