A full-fledged war is looming at the Bank of Spain, the setting of Netflix’s hugely popular Spanish series, set to return for its final part on September 3.
“Locked up for a hundred hours, trapped, about to be killed, having lost a friend, it feels like a 100 years have gone by,” says the character Tokyo in a voice-over in the action-packed trailer for Part 5 of Money Heist or La Casa de Papel (The House of Paper) in Spanish, unveiled on Monday.
The hit show ended on a cliffhanger in part 4, with a disconsolate gang holed up inside the bank as the army prepares for an assault from outside. Meanwhile, their leader, The Professor, is held at gunpoint by a police officer.
“Always fight. Never surrender,” the new trailer teases, taunting an enticing showdown of epic proportions.
Ever since its premiere in 2017, Money Heist has been a runaway success for Netflix, even among non-Spanish speaking audiences. Following a gang of robbers, all code-named after cities, more than 65 million watched part 4, according to Netflix, making it its most-watched non-English series.
The show’s iconography, including the red jumpsuits and Salvador Dali masks worn by the group, have become Halloween favourites, while the 19th-century Italian protest song Bella Ciao has seen renewed popularity after it was featured in the show.
The final part of Money Heist will be released in two volumes of five episodes each, with the second one set for Friday, December 3.
Ahead of part 5 volume 1’s premiere, here are some key takeaways from the trailer.
SPOILER ALERT if you’ve not watched part 4 of Money Heist:
How did the army break into the Bank of Spain?
In part 4, the gang takes control of the Bank of Spain and turns it into a fortress, after rescuing rescued Lisbon from the police. But a teaser for part 5, released in May, suggested a gunfight within the walls of the bank. So how did the army get through the supposedly impenetrable walls of the bank?
“The stormwater tank has been discovered,” The Professor tells the group in the new trailer, suggesting their planned exit route has been compromised.
But fans also have a theory the army could have blown their way into the bank. In May, actor Fernando Cayo, who plays Colonel Luis Tamayo, posted a photo from the set of the show on his Instagram.
“End of shooting of Season 5. Something big is coming,” the actor said.
Eagle-eyed fans pointed out a section of a wall that looks to have been blown open behind the actor in the photo, suggesting that could have been the point of entry, and the start of a deadly fight.
What’s to become of The Professor?
“Checkmate,” police inspector Alicia Sierra said at the ending of part 4, with a gun pointed at The Professor, the mastermind of the heist played by actor Alvaro Morte. In the trailer, The Professor is seen tied up by Sierra, who was fired from her job after The Professor exposed her unlawful torture of Rio.
“It’s possible this is the last time I’ll speak to all of you,” The Professor tells the gang as Sierra stands watch.
With their leader captured, it’s anyone’s guess as to what will become of the gang, now holed up within the walls of the Bank of Spain.
Will Lisbon be the new leader?
She was an inspector who was originally tasked with capturing the group of robbers in the first part of the show, but ended up joining them later.
Lisbon, played by actress Itziar Ituno, is seen in the trailer trying to galvanise the gang.
“We’re up against rogues, but we’re not going to end up in morgues,” she’s seen telling the group.
With knowledge of the police strategy, Lisbon is primed to lead the team. But with a more powerful Spanish army now at the gates, and the constantly changing power dynamics within the group, it will be interesting to see if Lisbon, who is also The Professor’s love interest, will be up to the challenge.
What will volume 2 be about?
If volume 1 of the final season is an all-out war, what will the final five episodes be about? Will the plot be able to sustain the high-stakes beginning?
“In volume 2, we focus more on the emotional situation of the characters. It is a journey across their sentimental map that connects us directly to their departure,” series creator Alex Pina told Variety in May.
Pina, who also created the series White Lines on Netflix, added that part 5 was written in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We felt that we had to change what was expected from the 10-episode season and used every tool we could to create the sensation of a season finale or series finale in the first volume itself,” he said. “We decided to work in an extremely aggressive genre, putting the gang on the ropes.”
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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The Gandhi Murder
- 71 - Years since the death of MK Gandhi, also christened India's Father of the Nation
- 34 - Nationalities featured in the film The Gandhi Murder
- 7 - million dollars, the film's budget
Mane points for safe home colouring
- Natural and grey hair takes colour differently than chemically treated hair
- Taking hair from a dark to a light colour should involve a slow transition through warmer stages of colour
- When choosing a colour (especially a lighter tone), allow for a natural lift of warmth
- Most modern hair colours are technique-based, in that they require a confident hand and taught skills
- If you decide to be brave and go for it, seek professional advice and use a semi-permanent colour
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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