After being liberated from police custody in Money Heist season 4's finale, Raquel Murillo a.k.a. Lisbon surprised fans by joining the other Dalí robbers inside the Bank of Spain, rather than trying to escape. While it might seem like she's jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire, there are some good reasons for Lisbon to reunite with crew - even if it is inside a building surrounded by the police and army. In fact, this was something that the Professor had planned from the start.
Raquel was on the other side of the law in Money Heist seasons 1 and 2, working as the lead negotiator during the Royal Mint heist. However, after falling in love with a man whom she later learned was the criminal mastermind she'd been negotiating with, she ultimately made the decision to be with him when the heist was over. Rebranding herself as Lisbon, she got her mother and young daughter away from her abusive ex-husband and joined the Professor in strategizing the Bank of Spain heist from the outside.
Thanks to the wily leadership of Alicia Sierra, the police were able to track down the couple and Lisbon was held in secret for some time before being officially arrested. With the help of an outside crew and an unfortunate lookalike kidnapped from a salon, Lisbon was liberated while being transported and then smuggled into the Bank of Spain on a helicopter that the police were fooled into thinking was one of theirs. But why all the effort?
The Professor Has An Escape Plan For The Bank
Money Heist has a habit of only unveiling the next step in the Professor's plan as it arrives, so we still don't know how exactly he intends to get the Dalí crew out of the Bank of Spain without getting caught. The only thing we do know is that the 90 tons of gold that are currently being melted down into small grains are somehow essential to the plan. The Professor knew that the Bank of Spain would immediately be surrounded by everything the police, military and Interpol could throw at it the moment there was a hint of the Dalís' return (in fact, he was counting on it), so he must have a concrete plan for their escape.
Lisbon (or another captured crew member) being smuggled into the bank was also part of a plan that was in place before the heist even began. Referred to as "Plan Paris," the Professor and Lisbon were shown discussing it in a flashback, and the Professor also explained it to the outside crew who helped to liberate Lisbon. The Professor had a military helicopter, bought on the black market, in place before the heist even began - just in case Plan Paris had to be executed. In short, smuggling Lisbon into the Bank of Spain was far from an impulse decision.
The Paris Plan Worked Because It Was So Unexpected
Fans might have been expecting Lisbon to make her escape from Madrid or to reunite with the Professor, but that's exactly what the police would expect as well. The helicopter plan worked so well because Colonel Tamayo (who isn't as savvy as Sierra) never thought for a moment that Lisbon would want to be surrounded by the police immediately after getting away from them - and also didn't know that she'd escaped until it was too late. Just as the Royal Mint heist was all about buying time, for the moment the only reason the robbers are still inside the Bank of Spain is because they want to be there. And now, with another member of the team added to their side, they'll be even better equipped to deal with internal threats like Gandía and Arturo.