Formulating The Plan
Back for a third season, La Casa De Papel begins with a tantalizing countdown, one that begins 77 days before “D-Day” and 2 years after the events of the first 2 seasons. Arturo addresses a crowd of people over the heist while the camera cuts periodically to our surviving heist members who are scattered across the globe, enjoying their lives. Tokyo returns to narration duties soon after and she decides she needs a break from paradise. After some discussion, Rio agrees not to go with her and she heads off the island alone. As she enjoys her newfound freedom, 3 days tick by, leaving 74 days until D-Day. Unfortunately, in Rio’s bid to try and contact Tokyo repeatedly, the authorities intercept the phone signal and figure out where they both are. Stuck on the island alone while police close in, Rio grabs a rocket launcher and holds his ground while Tokyo runs through the streets in a bid to escape. Following some quick thinking, she manages to get away although Rio is not so lucky. We then jump back 3 years before D-Day to see the group make it into International waters and escape with their lucrative stash on-board. However, having made it out they’re informed by The Professor that the hard part starts now – they must try and stay alive. We’re then told there’s 62 days left as Tokyo makes good on The Professor’s fail-safe plan and phones the supplied number, hopping across to Thailand where he waits for her. Raquel is told to pack her bags while The Professor is stuck trying to solve the issue Tokyo has created. This, of course, causes friction between Raquel and Tokyo. Realizing it’s been 11 days since they heard from Rio, and with the mainstream press completely silent on the matter, Tokyo and The Professor realize Rio may be held in a fate worse than prison. Deciding to take action, The Professor recruits the rest of the group who show up and acquaintances are made. They discuss plans to bring Rio back before we cut back in time and see The Professor’s brother who takes him to his house where they discuss a suicidal plan. How ironic then that the group return to make good on that plan all these years later. As the group begin to formulate their roles in this elaborate, suicidal ploy, we skip forward to D-Day itself where a zeppelin bearing the iconic Salvador Dali mask drops money from the sky, signifying the start of the heist. When it comes to opening episodes for another season, La Casa De Papel does a surprisingly good job to keep things tonally consistent. Given the second season wrapped things up perfectly, it’s certainly impressive how easy the series slots back into the narrative and makes this feel like a natural extension on the story. With the scene set and the interesting time jumps in place, La Casa De Papel gets off to a great start.
