The Season 4 of Money Heist (La Casa de Papel) released on April 3, 2020, and as expected, it is presently the most popular non-English show on Netflix. . The good news is, the fourth season does a great job in telling an entertaining story with some clever twists and turns that the fans will love. But in the end, it is just a pure dose of escapist entertainment with too many plot-lines subverting logic as and when necessary.

While watching it, I felt that the dubbing was not of the best standards, but it did a modest job of preserving the original flavours. You can try watching the Spanish version with subtitles, if you want a more authentic feel.

The 4th season is a tight package of 8 episodes that pack of a lot of story with the characters locked up in the Bank of Spain along with the hostages. The Professor evades arrest to figure out the details of his crumbling plot, while Raquel is arrested and led back in the tent to face Inspector Sierra. With eight episodes, the story-lines are densely packed which makes the pacing fast and often breathless. Moreover, the action and violence are notched up, that makes the overall impact perfect for thrill-seekers.

To talk about any of the plot elements of the season is venturing into spoiler territory. So I will avoid that from every angle. One of the fun-factors of Monet Heist is enjoying the twists and turns that are thrown in along with the episodes. However, the fallacies of the characters come into play which leads to the fact that the basic danger is sometimes more from the inside of the group than the outside. Suffice to say that this season presents some of the most challenging situations that the team has ever faced since their coming together.

While the excitement is kept intact all through the season, the plot is often stretched thin to its limits. Events fall into place with exquisite timing to ensure things move in a particular direction which requires a healthy dose of suspension of disbelief. Also, as I mentioned in the review of season 3, a happy ending is not what we can expect. Moreover, with the makers deciding to increase the stakes, character pay-offs are not the strongest point of this season.

Not that the show is devoid of interesting characters. The idiosyncrasy of the characters and their vulnerabilities does make them the most interesting point of this show. There are some moments, especially a few tender ones, in this season that definitely add more colours to the character palette.

However, Nairobi is in trouble after being shot and with a volatile Tokyo, egocentric Palermo and traumatised Rio, one can hardly expect the heist to go right. In addition, Berlin turns up in some flashbacks that were not always necessary but provide some breaks from the tense setting inside the bank.

Romantic subplots have not been the strongest points in this series. The good thing is, season 4 does not waste much time on those and heads into the core elements of the story. As usual, the actors perform wonderfully well, one constant factor that makes the series even more watchable. However, as the writers struggle to get innovative with the script, the foundations of the plot are becoming weaker with every season.

The main theme of rebellion against a callous and corrupt government is not the strong point of the series. It is the character arcs and the thrill of the heist that has added to its fan following. The makers understand this and introduce character motivations as catalysts to make things more exciting.  On the other hand, that does leave some of the character development askew to stay the least.

One character that deserves a mention is Arturo. His annoying presence has always made him a person worth despising. However, his forced entry into the house in the last season didn’t make much sense for me. In this season there are some disturbing aspects of his character that make him even more detestable. Whether it was necessary for the larger context of the plot is a question that remains.

In short, the law of diminishing returns is catching up with Money Heist and no amount of grenades and gunfire will be able to keep things interesting for much longer. Still, an overstretched script with unbelievable plotting is overcome by some refreshing twists that make it an enjoyable watch on the whole. In the end, we get another riveting ending that will make the viewers crave for season 5. Then again, it is not something that we have not seen before and I am sure many of the viewers will see it coming in advance.

While the escape part is one of the most interesting aspects of a heist thriller, Money Heist has reversed the concept to some extent. We see more robbers entering the bank than leaving it. The good news is, Netflix has announced that season 5 will be the last one for the series. That seems to be a prudent decision before the plot starts serving us leftovers. Obviously, the last season will have to deal with a lot before the curtains are drawn.

If you have been with the show for the past three seasons, this isn’t a season you should miss. While it is high time to say goodbye to one of the most entertaining heist stories in television, the important question is this- will Money Heist be able to tighten up all the plot points and go out with a bang? We will have to wait and see.

Money Heist is streaming in Netflix.

By Suvajit Banerjee

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