The fifth season of Elite, from Netflix, has the complicated objective of renewing a series in which practically everything and all its characters have happened. And in fact, the first chapters seem to have the obvious purpose of renewing his repertoire of intrigues. But under a contradictory premise: remember all the twists and little tricks that surprised and fooled the public in previous seasons. So the new episodes are a mixture of the well-known formula of an unsolved crime (mystery) with a probable culprit. It also does so from an accent to the provocation that is a notorious way of sustaining the journey of the series through its highest points.
Elite he does not forget his status as a phenomenon. As one of the most watched series in Spanish on Netflix, it carries with it the conception of a captive audience. It is notorious that he makes use of that muscle of interest to pose a simple story, without major complications and that refers to its best-known moments. But what could have been effective in the fourth season, it is repetitive and even tiring in the fifth. With the accusation of Philippe (Pol Granch) and a crime that must be solved through different versions of a fact, Elite returns to its origin. But he does not do it with intelligence or wit, but rather as a kind of morbid show.
Previously, the series had based its effectiveness on carefully moving the pieces of its unique collection of students. He did so taking into account the ability of his argument to skillfully provoke and twist narrative threads. But the fifth season is more interested in recreating the central idea of the series since its inception. Guilt and provocation turned into a game of mirrors in which any character is, without a doubt, suspicious. The scenario is different, the bet on the risk of history increases. But in essence, Elite tells the same story. An intrigue between privileges, now with two new faces to add interest to the labyrinth of doubts and false leads.
But of course, Elite it is also a drama that bases its effectiveness on connecting its characters with a misleading drama. That the big first scene of the season goes to Philippe is indicative of the way the show seeks to dazzle. Especially when he emphasizes his well-known habit of pushing his characters to the limit. The student and also prince is in a way the embodiment of the decadent opulence of the show’s atmosphere. So an accusation of rape in the midst of his attempt to dazzle Cayetana (Georgina Amorós) is a statement of intent.
But what seems like a complicated twist turns out to be just another one of the tricks of Elite to create tension. The Serie doesn’t go too far from that premise and, in fact, his great seasonal interest is connecting the dots. Which? Actually, the question could be “how?”. The usual narration in fragments about a major event, this time blurs into a minefield of small narrative fractures.
Of course, the murder on duty is also part of the first chapters. And it does so without the script changing the idea of the necessary interrogation, the conflicting versions and the perception of the disaster. Yes ok Elite makes the right decisions as to how to unravel its mysteries, it is impossible to wonder how many times he has played the same game. Season five is also the clumsiest exercise in the show’s formula. the least intelligent and what is even more worrying, the most confusing.
from school to jail
Perhaps the most striking points of the series are the new faces that join the cast. Sofía (Valentina Zenere) makes a grand entrance, although in reality, her story is not fully developed. Or not all that her grand opening scene suggests and the hints of devotion—with double intentions?—for Phillipe.
Elite again he takes on his vision of wealth, influence and the twisted lines of power, with an air of nonchalance and audacity. But he doesn’t get to delve into several of his weirdest moments — and what might set the season apart from the rest — he just hints. Over and over, there’s the feeling that the story stays in the middle, poorly constructed and worse narrated. Much more, when the series needs to renew its proposal from the essentials and ends up duplicating its best moments.
On the other hand, Iván (André Lamoglia) could be the great breath of fresh air of the season. Especially, because the character is related to the world of sports. But again, the series decays, drops some confusing hints about the preponderance — or not — of newcomer faces in the story. As unique as it may seem, Elite it only devotes real attention and effort to the poorly constructed bits of its fourth season. The disappearance of Armando (Andrés Velencoso) continues to be a central point and. Also, what surrounds the mystery?
For his last chapters, it is evident that Elite she is obsessed with the loneliness of rich children that she shows as an emblem of something more perverse. Is that enough to sustain the story? This time, it is not.