A feeling of deja-vu and twists and turns galore seem contradictory, but that's where the strength of La Casa de Papel part 3's formula, available on Netflix since July 19. The article will be spoiler-free first, then with!
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La Casa de Papel is a hit on Netflix and, for this part 3, the bias is to use a formula that has proven itself and has already won millions of viewers. In the video I devoted to the first two parts of the series, I contrasted the sense of suspense at Casa de Papel with its lack of consistency.
A concentrated version of La Casa de Papel parts 1 and 2
It is a dynamic that we find identically in part 3. As I knew this time what to expect, I left myself carried and I spent a good time for entertainment, provided that I regularly put my brain to sleep.
To start, this part 3 goes very quickly, with its 8 episodes against 13 for part 1 and 9 for part 2 (at least according to the Netflix breakdown). finds it tighter and perhaps even more rhythmic than before, especially since we already know most of the characters.
The suspense machine therefore resumes more beautifully by restarting a good mechanical oiled.
Casa de Papel season 3 uses a proven recipe
We find the same pattern applied in a loop: pressure from the police which triggers the suspense , then the revelation of a rescue plan prepared in advance, then we start a loop interspersed with scenes of emotion or crisis within the family.
And yes, the family, since this part 3 takes advantage of all that the characters and the spectators crossed together to play the loyalty card, but also the tensions that inevitably arise when we have the brilliant idea of mixing family and business.
We could even go further and draw parallels between Palermo and Berlin and their respective trajectories.
More budget
Alex Pina, creator of the series, obtained twice as much budget thanks to the takeover by Netflix knowing that Casa de Papel was initially funded in Spain by the Antena 3 channel. An extension that can be seen a little on the screen (more exteriors, exotic destinations), nothing more.
It is clear that Alex Pina decided to play it safe by using all the ingredients so as not to lose and disappoint the fans.
Political and social message ... quickly
According to some , the progression will beit in the more assertive political message of this part 3. So indeed, we find a varnish of political message, but by scratching a little, we do not find anything very concrete there, I will come back to it in the spoilers part.
To this political varnish, we must add a small layer "message of society on the themes of machismo and misogyny, knowing that southern Europe is often considered to be strongly affected by these phenomena.
I will let you judge the relevance of the subject, knowing that the caricatural aspect of characters such as Tokyo or a new inspector to which I will come back does not really help to convey this type of message in subtlety.
Should we watch Casa de Papel part 3?
Insummary, before going to the spoilers, if you liked parts 1 and 2, the third will offer you the same recipe in a more concentrated version, so go for it, you will be delighted. On the other hand, if the inconsistencies and the exaggerations you have already spoiled the pleasure before, it is probably better to devote your free time to something else.
A family story
To start the spoilers, what works well in this part 3 is to put loyalty between the members at the heart of the plot and to make the rescue of Rio the central objective of the team.
It's smart to play on the attachment to the characters and we find with pleasure Andrès thanks to the cunning construction of flashbacks allowing to resuscitate Berlin, that themost fans of the series love or love to hate.
It must be said that the actors always hold their characters as well, with special mentions for Andrès, the Professor, Nairobi and Denver.
Torture is bad
The only political message that seems to me to have a certain consistency concerns respect for human rights and the condemnation of torture. As Nairobi said in Palermo after he beat up the bodyguard with his cane, this kind of practice reduces them to the same level as the Taliban.
Obviously, there is exaggeration, it is part of the personality of Nairobi, but the background is fair enough.
Beyond this point, we can say that the relative moral greyness of the preceding partstes gives way to a fairly clear opposition between nice robbers and bad police and military.
Caricature well "nag
all the members of the colonel's team seem caricatured, starting with himself, the worst of all being clearly inspector Alicia who boils down to four characteristics: sadistic, manipulative, sugar addicted and pregnant to the eyes.
So, an operation with international repercussions would be entrusted to a woman of 47 years at the end of pregnancy and identified by the press as linked to a probable case of torture, I highly doubt it, but precisely , let's talk a bit about these enormities that are part of the furniture of the paper house.
Some inconsistencies of season 3…
From the start, the team arrives with an uncovered face, notably Tokyo which everyone recognizes, except the police stationed in front of the Bank of Spain.
Good point, however, the boxe of the Bank of Spain really benefits from a system which would flood it in the event of attempted theft and we understand why this could inspire the creators. Zeppelins in the airspace of central Madrid…
Let's talk about the false scandals prepared in 15 minutes to counter the potential revelations by the Professor. If the Spanish government is capable of that, it works much better than all the others put together.
The worst part is that then we pretend that the real compromising information became genuinely useless, when that rests only on the most eccentric supposition. That said, I do not despair that the contents of the famous red boxes come back to play a role in the rest of the story.
Another moment that really made me laugh is Angel who enters the first, alone and with a smartphone in hand in the abandoned motorhome. There i have to saythat we do a lot in compliance with police protocols.
We could chain them, but I stop on one last surreal scene, that of the inspector Alicia who approaches, not only pregnant, but also with a child, within shooting range of the building and under the eyes of the demonstrators, but especially of the lenses and cameras of the press.
It's ridiculous, but hey, as I said, we can override and enjoy all the energy of the series.
Energy to spare
Precisely, we find with some pleasure the side not at all smooth, even downright trash, but above all very lively characters and their passionate interactions, sometimes even to make tons of them.
In style, I particularly appreciate Denver and Nairobi. The seduction coaching scene in the bathroom is particularly offbeat with everything else, the one in which Denver explains the basics to the computer specialist who talks about constipation to womenof his dreams.
Tokio remains unbearable
As for Tokyo, which already bothered me in season 1, what can I say except that its "I'm going foutisme and its instability make it particularly crisp, with a very particular performance when it tries to heat Denver in the elevator. A real poison ...
For me, if there were to be a character to sacrifice to obtain a form of redemption this time, it would obviously be Tokyo and since the recipe seems to have been copied to the end , it would not be surprising if part 4 ended like this to echo the death of Berlin.
Uneven screen time
Even if it is a great pleasure to find these colorful characters, I also have some regrets about the very short screen time granted to the life of Denver and Monica or even of Nairobi and Helsinki after the first breakage.
Among the new characters, Palermo is clearly the most developed. A character toohuman than antipathetic, who could also take over the role of the Berlin sacrifice at the end of part 4.
As for Marseille and Bogota, clearly the second is more interesting, even if comes down to two diatribes, notably the most striking on his definition of the role of father.
The "resistance, vast opportunistic joke?
For what is pseudo political message, we talk about resistance and we even find the word "indignant in the mouth of the professor, a term very connoted and powerful in Spain with the popular uprisings.
However, the message resembles more to a teenage rebellion than to a constructed matter. We find an amalgam of all forms of rejection of the order in place, but to propose what opposite?
It is almost as if the series was overriding the diffuse feeling of rejection of the system, the idea of "all rotten about the political class and another potentially populist and demagogic messagee.
The music in La Casa de Papel season 3
Another essential element of Casa de Papel, music of course! The series revives moments shared by Andrès and Sergio in particular and it is rather pleasant.
On the other hand, the songs are to my taste overused and, above all, there is a sacred problem of variation of the volume from one scene to the next.
When you watch it at 2 am on a TV, it becomes downright painful to always have to hold the remote control.
Cliffhanger final and season 4
Concerning the final of this part 3, and the pseudo-death of Raquel, personally I did not believe it for a second and I found it a pity that the series considers essential to explain that it was a manipulation.
As for Nairobi, it is on the verge of death, but if I had to bet, it would however be on its survival in extremis . It’s hard to understand why the Professor didn’t includea war doctor among the new members of the group, huge question!
Part 4 is already official, it will count 8 episodes and its shooting has started. It could arrive in late 2019 or early 2020 at the earliest, but there is no date yet announced.
Despite the shortcomings of the series, it will be almost impossible to resist the urge to see how this incredible twists and turns will manage to get the Dalis out of their bee-eater.
