Andrés de Fonollosa (better known as Berlin) is a controversial figure in Netflix's Money Heist. While some viewers see him as an egoistic and selfish leader, others accept his bad behavior as an unfortunate result of his terminal condition.
He's a unique fixture in the show because he never actually makes it alive past season 2, but is still crucial in every heist. As the Professor's half-brother and an experienced thief, Berlin's contributions to planning and strategizing the infiltration of the Royal Mint and the Bank of Spain are critical to the robbers' successes. Every season gives fans a better idea of his history with the Professor and reveals the motivations behind some of his shocking actions.
Season 1
Berlin is introduced as an arrogant jewel thief in the first season who the Professor apparently trusts enough to be his second-in-command inside the Mint. He turns out to be more brutal than any of the robbers expected, as one of his first acts is to get Rio beaten up for his carelessness with a hostage. Berlin’s string of aggressive actions continues, from his shocking command to kill Monica to his strangulation of Nairobi, it’s one heinous scene after another.
At one point, fans realize that Berlin’s careless and angry actions are in large part motivated by his terminal illness, Helmer’s myopathy. He has to take his medication, Retroxil, to control the symptoms. Unfortunately, it’s this same medication that allows the police to uncover his real identity and tarnish his name in the press. This causes Berlin to lash out at the other robbers who he believes are responsible for the situation. He also gets romantically involved with one of the bravest hostages in Money Heist, Ariadna Cascales. Their twisted relationship has an obvious imbalance of power, with Ariadna only staying with Berlin to increase her chances of surviving. The first season of the show highlights Berlin’s dark side and emphasizes his brutal actions. While he does a mostly good job of leading the team and executing the Professor’s plan, this doesn’t excuse his vicious acts and nonchalance about killing a hostage and beating up his fellow robbers.
Season 2
Berlin slowly loses control of the gang in season 2, as the hot-headed Tokyo starts defying his orders. The tensions between the crew reach a breaking point when no one is able to reach the Professor, which prompts Tokyo and a few other robbers to overthrow Berlin. Tokyo even goes as far as smashing up his Retroxil, which makes it hard for Berlin to control his symptoms.
When Berlin is able to regain some sense of control, he immediately kicks Tokyo out of the Mint in a dramatic fashion, tying her to a shopping cart and sending her to the police. In the midst of all this chaos, his relationship with Ariadna continues to develop, with Berlin holding on to his delusion of marrying her someday despite his terminal illness. He becomes so attached to her that he holds her back while everyone else escapes and forces her to stay as he is shot by the police. Viewers soon learn after this that Berlin is actually the Professor’s half-brother. The second season gives fans a clearer picture of Berlin’s motivations, as he has nothing to lose because of the time limit on his life. Audiences see for the first time that behind all the anger and aggression, the narcissistic robber is human, as he’s scared of his own mortality and holds on to his fantasy about Ariadna to cope. Berlin says a memorable line about redeeming himself and doing the right thing for once when he decides to stay behind to delay the police. His brave sacrifice proves that he does care about the success of the heist and its robbers – the fact that his death is also an epic and unforgettable moment for everyone is just an added bonus.
Season 3
Fans can’t be blamed for thinking that Berlin could have somehow survived his injuries when he first appears in a flashback in season 3. It eventually becomes apparent that these are scenes from the past, though, as they shed more light on the true extent of Berlin’s contributions to planning the heist decades before it even happened.
Flashbacks reveal Berlin’s complicated relationship the heist’s current leader, Palermo, who was in love with him and was devastated by his death. Palermo’s grief is carried over to the new heist in the Bank of Spain, showing that Berlin can still influence events even after his demise. The season also emphasizes how Berlin is one of the smartest characters in Money Heist, as he helps the Professor with the airtight plans and even secures a monastery as their hideout. What’s more, he helps his half-brother reconsider his philosophy about life and pushes him to enjoy a little bit. He successfully convinces Sergio to let him join the heist, as he wants to die doing what he loves. Despite Berlin’s death, he continues to be a critical part of the show, as piecing together his past allows fans to understand the history of the heists and the motivation behind some of the Professor’s decisions. Berlin is also shown as a happier and more carefree person, which is a fascinating persona to compare with his reckless and aggressive personality in the earlier seasons.
Season 4
Season 4 reveals that Palermo’s unrequited love for Berlin isn’t as one-sided as it initially seemed. Berlin actually has feelings for his fellow thief, but would rather spend his last few months pursuing his relationship with Tatiana. Their grand wedding becomes one of the happiest moments of his life, but only leaves the Professor questioning the point of it.
Some flashbacks also highlight Berlin’s intelligence, with one scene showing how he was able to predict that someone like César Gandía would cause problems. It was also his idea to get one robber to pose as a hostage to help diffuse potentially dangerous situations. This season shows that not only was he a happier man before the heist at the Mint, but he was also more logical and could think clearly about what his priorities should be. It’s obvious at this point that the heist from the earlier seasons changed Berlin into a monstrous character he perhaps didn’t want to become, which explains his need to sacrifice himself for redemption in the end.
Season 5
There are more flashbacks about Berlin than ever before in season 5, as the show delves into his complicated relationship with his estranged son, Rafael. He manipulates the MIT student into thinking they’re meeting for the first time in several years so that Berlin can apologize. In truth, Berlin simply needs his son’s engineering skills to successfully pull off a heist.
That said, Berlin’s actions do hint at his love for his son who he wants to “liberate” from a normal life and bring into his thrilling adventures. Their story arc ends abruptly, with a scene hinting at a potentially tense situation, thanks to Rafael’s newfound affection for his father’s wife. This leaves fans wondering if Rafael will have a bigger role to play in Money Heist season 5 volume 2, which is set to release on December 3. If he betrays his father and takes away Tatiana, it could further explain Berlin’s transformation in the first heist. There’s no telling how else Berlin’s past will affect the chaos happening in the Bank of Spain, as the show has proven over and over again that the character’s previous acts can still change things in the present given the right circumstances – fans will just have to wait a bit longer to find out.