Over the past 4 seasons, Money Heist has kept fans entertained and engaged with dynamic characters, thrilling storylines, and twists and turns. After being canceled due to low viewership in Spain, Money Heist was added to Netflix where it became an international sensation.
The show went from almost being canceled to being one of Netflix's most successful programs through its powerful message and iconic imagery. But obviously, there were some storylines that added more value to the show than others. If a storyline can make a viewer emotionally invested in a story, it is a strong storyline -- whether fans are happy about those strong emotions or not. With that in mind, let's examine the storylines that drew fans in and the ones that weren't as great.
Hurt: Alison Parker
Fans of Elite will recognize the actress who plays Alison due to her role as Marina. And while at first it seemed that Alison would grow to be as integral to the story as Marina was, Alison's storyline fell flat,
Alison was essential to the heist. When first presented, she seemed to have little confidence. But as she spent time around The Professor's clan, it seemed as though she began to grow. She even got a pep talk from Nairobi about standing up for herself! Fans were disappointed that all of these little scenes, which seemed to be building to something more climactic, went nowhere, making this storyline a flop.
Saved: Moscow's Death
One of the most emotional moments on the show was Moscow's death. Moscow was a fan-favorite character. He was kind, respectful, and a hard-worker. He cared for his son and served as a father figure to many characters. Moscow often served as the voice of reason, keeping others on track and delivering some much needed harsh truths on members of the heist.
When Tokyo broke back into the Royal Mint, Moscow was shot trying to defend her. This set off a thrilling chain of events as they raced against time to escape and save Moscow's life. While fans weren't happy about the death of this beloved character, this storyline is undeniably moving and impactful.
Hurt: Raquel As A Mother And Daughter
When Raquel is first introduced, she seems to have a strong connection with her family. In fact, the scene in which she is first shown features both her mother and her daughter.
Unfortunately, her supposedly strong relationship with her mother and daughter is told more than it is shown. Though these relationships are supposed to be a major aspect of Raquel's character, her mother and daughter seem to exist only as convenient plot devices.
Saved: Palermo Helps Gandía Escape
Palermo is a character that fans love to hate. When Tokyo tries to overthrow Palermo's rule, he does not take it well. While being held prisoner, Palermo provides advice to Gandía in hopes that Gandía's escape will create chaos and cause the group to reinstate Palermo's reign.
This decision sets off a chain of reactions that has some serious consequences for the group. The group is forced to work together and create cunning plans to try and take down Gandía. This also leads to another impactful death as Nairobi is killed. But this decision also leads to happy moments, such as Lisbon being rescued from police custody and added to the heist. The full effects of this decision are still to come as fans will see the way this impacts the group dynamic moving forward.
Hurt: Tokyo And Rio's Relationship
Tokyo and Rio's relationship is a central point of the show, but there are many aspects of their relationship that feel weird. Firstly, though they constantly mention a large age difference, the characters don't feel different in age. In fact, Tokyo's more impulsive nature often makes her seem more immature than Rio.
While Rio often seemed infatuated with Tokyo, the love from her never seemed genuine. When their relationship ended, Tokyo lashed out and became vindictive. This storyline left fans rolling their eyes and they'd prefer it not have been part of the story in the first place.
Saved: Nairobi And Her Son
One of the great thing about Money Heist is that the characters are multi-dimensional. Every character has moments that make them endearing and others that show they are flawed. The show also gives many of the characters backstory which provides insight into who they are.
Nairobi is a lot of things, but one label that she most identifies with is "mother." Though Nairobi made some bad decisions and lost custody of her son, it is clear that she has learned from her mistake and wants what is best for her child. Providing this level of depth helped make Nairobi a well-rounded and beautiful character.
Hurt: Arturo Becomes A Rapist
During the first 2 seasons of Money Heist, Arturo was annoying and obnoxious. When he decided to break into the heist at the Bank of Spain to be held as a hostage, fans expected to be rolling their eyes at his annoying heroics again. What they got was much worse.
Arturo began to sexually harass and assault Monica before drugging and raping another woman being held captive. It became clear that this was something he planned to do to other women as well when he offered Julia the same pills he used to drug Amanda. This storyline is completely unnecessary and contributes nothing positive to the story. It's time to stop using rape and assault as shock value.
Saved: Raquel Helps The Professor
Although problematic, fans couldn't help but love the relationship between The Professor and Raquel. The two seemed to share a deep connection. Although The Professor worked against her as she was the inspector trying to track him down, he respected her and acknowledged her abilities.
At work, Raquel wasn't always given the respect she deserved and was often overlooked. She was pressured to make decisions that she didn't feel were morally correct. Her teaming up and joining The Professor was an extremely satisfying conclusion to a building dynamic that paved the way for Raquel to become a member of the group.
Hurt: Berlin Assaults Ariadna
Berlin was often portrayed as a charismatic villain. For a long time, he was a character that fans loved to hate. Though he was egocentric and arrogant, he still was endearing to many. But once again, they pushed his dark side too far by having him abuse Ariadna continuously. Even when his fellow heist members called him out, he refused to listen. He did all of this while preaching about how the lies spread about him on the news were preposterous and saying he would never take advantage of someone.
Even in his final moments, Berlin continued to abuse Ariadna -- forcing her to help with the escape plan and putting her at risk of being shot. Yet somehow, his death is labeled as noble by many as he ended his own life to save his friends. There are some evils that should not be carried out by characters that are supposed to be sympathetic villains.
Saved: Mónica Switches Sides
Similarly to Raquel, Monica was a woman who didn't have much power in her life. That all changed when she decided to defend Denver from Arturo during the first heist. Monica found a new family and she found her voice.
She has had arguably the most character development on the show and the fans have enjoyed watching her grow.