Live Many Lives
Episode 5 of La Casa De Papel Season 5 begins with more Berlin flashbacks as he watches what transpires with Tokyo on TV with interest. As fate would have it, it was actually Berlin who encouraged the Professor to head out and see Tokyo. This ties in nicely with the very first episode of this show, where the Professor recruits Tokyo for the heist. Back in the present, Tokyo and Denver do their best to hold off Sagasta’s men. They even throw a grenade but unfortunately Gandia puts the pin back on it, managing to stop the explosive from… well… exploding. While Gandia and the others deliberate over what to do, the rest of the gang work to try and save Helsinki and get the gold out before it’s too late. With Sagasta and his men kept busy for now, the Professor speaks to Tokyo and has her wind up Gandia. She uses his family as ammunition, which certainly does the trick. Physics go completely out the window here though as a grenade is thrown into Tokyo’s room, which is then thrown back through a small hole into the room Sagasta and the others are in before it blows. As the hand grenade rolls across the ground, it takes the life of one inconsequential soldier. While Manilla questions Denver about his life with Stockholm, Stockholm herself is having serious PTSD, seeing Arturo’s face wherever she goes. She panics this time too, with Helsinki calling out for her to give him morphine. Instead, she heads off and decides to inject herself with it to calm her nerves. As the Professor communicates with Bogota down in the basement, the gang announce that Sierra’s baby is now going to be called Victoria, because they’re going to be victorious. Ah, that’s nice then. Only, the thing that’s going to be victorious here appears to be Sierra, who stashes some pliers in her sleeves while going to the toilet. Meanwhile, Tokyo does her best to hold off against Gandia and the others. Despite getting several shots away, she too is attacked and shot five times in her arms and legs. She’s in a rough way, and with Tokyo fading quickly, the Professor tries to organize the gang to hold tight and set up a defensive position for as long as possible. Stockholm, in her semi-conscious state, realizes the gang can escape through the dumbwaiter. Only, it’s six floors down so it seems completely out the question. However, Tokyo decides to sacrifice herself to save Denver and Manilla. Despite Rio drilling a hole in the roof, the pair hold hands one more time as Tokyo says her goodbyes. Gunshots eventually result in Sagasta and his men heading in to hit the killing blow on Tokyo. Only, she has a trump card of her own. She’s packed with explosives and eventually lets rip just as they stand over her. With all of Sagasta’s men (presumably) killed in the explosive blast, everything is left on a precarious cliffhanger.
The Episode Review
This new wave of Netflix originals, releasing half a season and then the second half later in the year, is a nice compromise to releasing the entire season in one hit and only gaining buzz for a few weeks. This way, fans will be more eager than ever to tune into the second half. And what about that for a finale? The flashbacks here actually make more sense, showing a lot more of Tokyo’s history with the Professor and how she came to be part of his big operation. It also allows for more context with Berlin along with Tokyo’s relationship with her ex-partner too. However, all of this leads to the shocking climax where Tokyo takes her own life in order to save the others. Given how integral she’s been to the whole operation up until this point, it’s quite the hammer blow and something that’s going to see a lot of the gang reeling over for a long time. And how is Helsinki holding up? It seems like he may still be alive but we’ll have to wait and see. Either way, there’s not an awful lot to explain here as we’ll get our answers come December. For now, this first part has been a bit hit or miss but thankfully the final explosive chapter makes good in the end. Roll on December 3rd!
