Summary
There’s civil war outside, and there’s a civil war inside as the heist team has to deal with plenty of intense events as they try to regain control. Season 5 so far is a pleasure.
This recap of Netflix’s Money Heist season 5, episode 2, “Do You Believe in Reincarnation?” contains spoilers.
Read the recap of the previous episode.
Everything felt like doom and gloom in the first episode; Professor is captured, Sierra knows the heist team’s plans. It’s the beginning of the end. But…what some of us may have considered earlier on is that Sierra is a lone wolf — what does that mean for the grand scheme of the story?
Money Heist season 5, episode 2 recap
And so, Lisbon and the team feel the end is nigh, and they get ready to face the army. They prepare the hostages and open the front doors. Lisbon, Tokyo, and Stockholm walk out with the hostages. It’s an incredible moment — they walk out barefoot, hand in hand, with no weapons, and they wave a white flag. The public cheer — this heist has given the country hope. You can feel the anticipation of what’s going to happen next.
But public perception is killing the authorities; Colonel Tamayo is furious and wants to take the three women down. Angel reminds him that it will be madness to do that, and they need to be the “good guys” — he tells him to go out there and give the three women an ultimatum. Tamayo is onboard and readies himself. Meanwhile, it dawns on the Governor (who is one of the hostages outside with the three women) that the army has turned up; the priority is to kill the heist team, but not to rescue the hostages as a priority. This is serious. This is real. Next to him, Arturo is doing his usual plotting — once again, he wants to be the hero.
With a security corridor formed outside the bank for negotiations, Tamayo and Lisbon find space to talk. She shows him video footage of the security guard Gandia and highlights how he urgently needs surgery. The negotiations are tense. And then there’s a lightbulb moment for Lisbon — she realizes that as part of the negotiation, Tamayo did not use the trump card — the Professor. This is the first time she suspects that Professor is not captured officially and Sierra is a lone ranger.
But episode 2 offers plenty of spinning plates. Nothing is ever simple in Money Heist. Inside the bank, Bogota wants to hurt Gandia — he’s heartbroken that this man killed his beloved Nairobi. Palmero explains that revenge is not the solution. Tensions rise; Rio and Denver argue whether to kill Gandia. Leaving the floor open, Gandia and Bogota fight.
With everything on a knife-edge, outside, Berlin tests her suspicions and asks Tamayo if she can send a message to Professor. A foolish Tamayo does not read the moment, and he tells her that she can talk to him herself. Knowing it’s not truly over, Lisbon agrees to release Gandia. When she heads back inside the bank with the hostages, she sees the fight between Bogota and Gandia and panics. As Bogota is about to kill Gandia, Tokyo tells him that Professor is not captured, so there’s still a chance. Bogota cools down, but Tokyo loses it and attacks Gandia herself.
While there’s plenty of confusion and chaos, the heist team is unaware that Arturo and the Governor and stealing weapons. Arturo and a couple of the hostages open fire, and the heist team are in a state of shock — Denver is wounded, and the newly formed faction of hostages flees. Manila and Helsinki are with the other hostages and are alerted.
Money Heist has always questioned the “good versus evil” conundrum, but season 5, episode 2 shows how evil can be highly subjective and transferred. General Sagasta tells Colonel Tamayo that attacking the bank is about occupying territory, so there are bound to be civilian casualties. Tamayo is panicking about the ruthlessness of this military team even though it was his idea. But what I like about this whole ordeal is how the authorities are now truly the “bad guys”. The Professor has successfully changed the perception.
With all this madness brewing in Money Heist season 5, episode 2, it’s easy to forget about the wellbeing of the Professor. As he talks to Sierra, he sees Benjamin and Marseille heading inside on the CCTV, so he decides to talk to distract her. She soon learns he is distracting her, so Professor starts shouting to try and warn Marseille and Benjamin. Sierra injects Professor with a drug that knocks him out. As he falls asleep, Sierra reveals she is no longer with the police. Meanwhile, Marseille and Benjamin look for Professor and are immediately concerned. They find him asleep. Sierra manages to inject Marseille while Benjamin is in the toilet. She quickly finds Benjamin. So far in season 5, Sierra has it all under control.
Back in the bank, it has turned into the heist team versus the rebellious hostages. It no longer feels like a heist. It feels like civil war. The Governor tells Arturo to stop shooting as he’s injured two people already, but Arturo calls it “war.” Arturo struck gold and has found himself in the armory room. Tokyo knows where there is more ammunition and grenades and asks Rio for help.
With plenty happening, Tamayo is losing his mind; he believes gunshots heard inside the bank is another trick. Suarez confronts him, reminding him that there are civilians inside. The irrational Tamayo tells Sagasta to start the assault with his team. Inside the bank, Denver is still wounded, and Stockholm tells him to come back to safety rather than chase down Arturo. As for Arturo, he has other ideas. He grabs grenades from the armory and throws a couple of them down the corridor; Denver, Manila, Berlin, and Palmero have to take cover quickly. Knowing Arturo is leading the attack from the hostage side, Denver becomes revengeful.
Arturo is acting like he’s playing a videogame at this point and starts using a flamethrower, shooting fire down the corridor at Denver and co. Meanwhile, Tokyo and Rio help open a safe together that holds more weapons, and there’s a brief romantic gaze. She tells him that in the bathroom (this feels like ages ago now), she told him to break up with her, but she insists that she’s not leaving this place without him.
With Lisbon aware that the army is about to come in, she tells Bogota to release Gandia; he shoves a Fentanyl grenade on Gandia, secures a mask on the man, and forces him to run outside. With Gandia released, the army aborts their mission. Gandia collapses under the chemicals of the grenade, but he is finally saved. The whole Gandia storyline has been a journey.
The ending
It’s Denver versus Arturo as episode 2 comes to a close; Arturo mocks Denver, repeatedly claiming how he was a better lover for Stockholm and claims she told him how amazing he was in bed. He’s trying to draw Denver out, so he keeps teasing him. Stockholm hears this ordeal on the radio, so she heads into the ventilators. Denver finally loses it and runs around the corner to face Arturo, but he’s faced with a flamethrower. Manila pushes him out of the way and tells him to keep his cool.
Episode 2 ends in dramatic circumstances. Tokyo and Rio manage to get the extra weapons. Arturo tells the Governor that they need to strike. He gets inside a forklift truck, and a couple of hostages place shields up to protect him, and they drive down the corridor. When the shields move apart, Arturo fires a machine gun at Denver and co. It’s an intense situation, but it’s extinguished by Stockholm, who drops behind Arturo from the vents and holds a gun to him. Arturo tries to calm her down. He claims she will not shoot him as he’s her son’s father, and in reality, he is plan B for when this falls apart. Stockholm shoots him twice, and there’s a sudden shock. We never thought Stockholm would shoot anyone. But did she kill him? We’d better binge to the next chapter.
What did you think of Money Heist season 5, episode 2? Comment below.
