Money Heist (aka La casa de papel) has become a huge global phenomenon, with fans all over the world waiting with bated breaths for the release of each new season.
Now with four parts (i.e. seasons) and a delay on the fifth due to the pandemic, we wanted to look back on the scenes that had us literally sitting on the edge of our seats, jaws dropping to the floor, and gasping so loud the neighbors probably heard it.
It was definitely hard to narrow it down, but these are our favorites (in no particular order).
*TRIGGER WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!*
Denver saving Monica Gaztambide
This was one of the first moments that may have had you start rooting for the robbers. After Monica is caught stealing a phone, Denver is ordered by Berlin to kill her in the bathroom. Instead, he chooses to save her life, shooting her non-fatally in the leg.
The “on the edge of my seat” moment: When Berlin comes in to check if she’s dead after hearing the gunshot and Monica is lying on the floor in a pool of blood, pretending to be dead. Is Berlin going to find out she’s still alive?
Ángel’s car accident
When Ángel was accused of being the mole, my heart broke for him. He was so close to getting his moment of redemption when he found out that the DNA from Salva’s teaspoon matched the evidence found in the junkyard. Now he’s the only person who knows the Professor’s true identity!
The “gasp out loud” moment: It was tense enough watching him drive drunkenly and leave slurred messages on Raquel’s voicemail, but it was definitely a gasp-inducing moment to watch Ángel’s car crash and flip over on the highway.
Raquel’s epiphany about Salva
After the admittedly odd plan to fill the hospital with clowns and Salva disguises himself amongst them to check if Ángel was still comatose, he and Raquel meet over dinner and drinks at their favorite diner.
The “OH NO” moment: Raquel spots a single, orange hair on the front of Salva’s coat. After receiving confirmation that the clown who visited Ángel was wearing an orange wig, the ball drops and Raquel realizes the man she’s falling in love with is the same man orchestrating the heist she’s trying to stop.
Nairobi’s death
Nairobi went through a different kind of hell before her life ended. She sees her son but gets shot, undergoes dangerous surgery under inexperienced hands, and gets her head pushed through a door (and her hand shot) by Gandía.
The “jaw-dropping” moment: That split second when she turns around to face Gandía after he calls her a “mutt” and he puts a bullet right smack in the middle of her forehead. I really thought it would be a fair trade and she’d go free.
Tokyo reenters the Royal Mint on the motorcycle
Even Tokyo’s capture by the cops had a contingency rescue plan in place, but not everything can go according to plan. A little hiccup has the Professor MIA, leaving Tokyo to improvise her way back into the Royal Mint.
The “eyes glued to the screen” moment: Tokyo fearlessly speeding through the police barricades and up the front steps while Rio, Denver, and Moscow cover her, and her slipping through the doors just as they’re about to close and skidding to a stop in front of a shocked Berlin, Nairobi, and Helsinki. EPIC.
The Russian witness and his facial composite
The Professor scrambles to correct Helsinki’s mistake of leaving their fingerprints in the car he dumped at the junkyard. He gets caught by the Russian owner on his way out – a mistake that’ll bite him in the butt later on.
The “fingernail-biting” moment: When Raquel figures out the Professor had already been to the junkyard to wipe evidence, the Russian is brought in as a witness. Just as his facial composite is coming together, the Professor calls in and threatens his family, prompting him to delete the composite before Raquel could see it.
Rio’s release from detainment
Throughout the entire third and fourth parts, it’s glaringly obvious that the robbers have the full support of the public. They’re outside the Bank of Spain, protesting the government’s wrongdoings and rallying for Rio’s release.
The “tears running down my face” moment: Left with no choice but to release Rio, Inspector Sierra makes arrangements for his transfer to the Bank of Spain. That moment when Rio exits the car and sees all of their supporters, with Tokyo watching him in the background as he raises his fist in a “The Breakfast Club” moment – that one was a winner.
Lisbon’s “death”
AS soon as Lisbon couldn’t climb up the tree and deviated from the plan, we all knew something bad was about to happen. Once again just on the edge of negotiating her way out of capture by civilians, she gets turned over to the cops.
The “heart-stopping” moment: As the Professor runs through the forest to get to Lisbon in time to save her, he’s begging her to get out even knowing that there’s nowhere for her to go. Through her microphone, he suddenly hears gunshots and stops in his tracks, thinking she’s been executed – just like the rest of us did.
And her subsequent rescue
Trust the Professor to have all bases covered, including a rescue plan in case either he or Lisbon ever get captured. We all thought that was out the window following her “death”, but Sergio got back on his feet as soon as he was able to confirm that she was still alive.
The “pacing nervously” moment: Literally her entire rescue from start to finish was so intense, you’ll have a hard time sitting still. When she was stalling for time at her trial, when the miners were digging through the parking garage, when they successfully ambushed her transfer vehicle, all the way down to the hijacked evac helicopter for “Gandía”, staged gunfight on the roof, and the blue-marked ammo magazines shooting blanks. What a way to end the season!
Our first glimpse of the gang returning to save Rio
Last but not least is a scene of cinematic beauty and was the perfect scene to get the fans excited for what was to come.
The “YAAAAS” moment: The Professor gets the gang together again after they’ve all agreed to get Rio back from his captors. As they all pull up to the Italian monastery where they would be preparing (and where Berlin originally thought of the plan), we get to see all the key players both old – Nairobi, Denver, Stockholm, Tokyo, and the Professor – and new – Palermo, Lisbon, Bogotá, and Marseille.