Money Heist season 5, episode 6 recap – “Escape Valve”

This recap of Netflix’s Money Heist season 5, episode 6, “Escape Valve,” contains spoilers. 

Read the recap of the previous episode.

When Netflix released only the first five episodes, we can all admit that we were pulling our hair out after episode 5. We are now on the final-ever episodes. Hold on to your seat, folks; it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

Money Heist season 5, episode 6 recap

Episode 6 opens with the deceased Tokyo narrating (I’m still very upset about this) — she talks about how gold is a curse while the characters grieve over her death. Meanwhile, The Professor is struggling with grief and has locked himself in the bathroom. Sagasta wants to continue his mission in the bank despite many injured and dead on his team, but Tamayo advises against it. He wants an air evacuation. Sagasta ignores his orders. With The Professor distracted, Sierra takes advantage and tries to escape. The Professor is suddenly alert, and he goes after her, leaving Benjamin in charge.

Episode 6 moves five years earlier where the heist plans on the Spanish bank started. Berlin finds a pump machine that can move tonnes of gold in Norway. It’s a massive pump, and they need to find a way to obtain it. They successfully negotiate a way to steal it. In the present day, the heist team wants to carry on with their plan while The Professor goes after Sierra.

Lisbon wants to negotiate with authorities, but an emotional Rio has other ideas — he wants violence. He feels this has all happened because they didn’t have the balls to kill people when they should have. Lisbon disarms him, stating that he’d still be rotting in Algeria if she had it her way. It’s interesting how grief plays a significant part in episode 6 — none of the characters have time, and you can feel it.

Professor chases Sierra in a car, and he rings her; he explains she will go to prison if she is caught. Sierra plays on his grief and blames recent deaths on him. Marseille manages to cut Sierra off, but she swerves and shoots his tires. With the rain hailing down, The Professor finds Sierra’s car and approaches a farm with a gun — he can hear the baby crying. It turns into a face-off, similar to a western. The Professor tells Sierra that she can’t live in a hole all her life. The Professor tries to shoot her in the leg, but she had already emptied his clips before she left his hiding spot. She’s one step ahead of him in this wild game of chess.

With Sagasta and his crew still in the bank, Palermo, Lisbon, confront them. It turns into a negotiation, and Sagasta wants a surgeon to help one of his wounded squad members. The surgeons arrive to help Sagasta’s squad member. Palmero commands the surgery. They also use this opportunity to get Helsinki help as well.

Lisbon shares a live feed to the world about how seven people have died, including Tokyo — she talks about Tokyo and how this mission was for love. She talks about braving the impossible, and that’s what Tokyo did. It’s an emotional tribute, which frustrates Tamayo. Rio asks all supporters outside the bank to leave, but they chant, “we’re not leaving.” It’s a chant filled with emotions — the crowds standing in the pouring rain. Tamayo believes this is emotional manipulation.

With emotions still high, Denver speaks to Manila, and with their assumed romantic feelings, they kiss passionately, but this soon ends as they are needed. Later on, Stockholm talks to Denver and tells him she has no doubts — she loves him. Denver reciprocates, and the couple has sex. It seems that as we approach the second half of season 5, Denver and Stockholm are at serious risk of separating for good. I’m sure Stockholm will not react to Denver kissing Manila kindly.

The ending

The battle between Sierra and The Professor continues as episode 6 ends.

Sierra has tied up The Professor and puts him in the trunk of her car. When Tamayo gets home, he finds Sierra with his wife under hostage. She tells him that The Professor is under her custody. She wants all lies about her retracted and for him to resign. If not, she will switch sides.

Meanwhile, The Professor has managed to escape the trunk of the car, but he’s still struggling as his hands are tied. Knowing he’s at Tamayo’s place, he sneaks into another apartment to evade the police. Tamayo’s wife pressed the panic button.

Sierra finds The Professor, but she has no choice but to work with him as the police swarm the apartment blocks. What a start to volume 2.

Additional points

• Helsinki’s still struggling with his wounds, and he learns of the bad news — Tokyo is dead. He tells Stockholm that it could have been worse, and many more could have died.
• Tamayo believes they should use the dead to get sympathy from the public.