Berlin’s character in Money Heist is one of the most complex in television history. While he would not rank among the best-written grey characters for me, he would definitely be up there.
Berlin, aka Andrés de Fonollosa, first appears in Money Heist season 1, where he is a part of the gang led by the mysterious Professor to rob the Royal Mint of Spain. Inside the Mint, Berlin leads the team of robbers while The Professor instructs them from a secret hideout.
Over the seasons, it is revealed that Berlin and The Professor go back further, as the two are brothers. Berlin is the elder brother of Sergio, a.k .a. The Professor.
He is also the main proponent of the second heist in the series, where the robbers rob the Royal Bank of Spain.
Berlin has become a popular character among fans of the show because of its ambiguous nature. He does some morally ambiguous deeds while also sacrificing a lot for the good of the rest.
All of it makes you wonder if Berlin was truly a good or bad guy. Whether his intentions were always good or if he was a monster underneath. Both sides have arguments, but we’ll try to figure out the answer to this question in this article.
1. Is Berlin a bad guy in Money Heist?
Berlin is a bad guy but a well-written character in Money Heist. He is a charismatic and well-formulated character but a bad person as he has raped, assaulted, and tortured others in the series. He is a narcissist who has few redeeming qualities.
It is difficult to categorize a character as completely evil or good unless we’re discussing Harry and Voldemort here.
When the line between good and bad isn’t so striking, it is unfair to categorize a character as plain good or evil. However, Berlin does some things that cannot be justified under any circumstances.
We must keep in mind that Berlin is a part of a show that portrays the robbers in a humane way. It is a show designed to be from the point of view of the criminals, so we’re considering Berlin to be one of the heroes from that angle.
However, Berlin does many wrong things in the series, proving that he is an awful person, especially to women. For starters, Berlin is a narcissist and hardly ever listens to anyone’s advice, including The Professor.
He also comes across as more ruthless than the rest of the members, which makes him very different from the Professor, who has always been against killing anyone.
In season 1, Berlin asks Denver to kill Monica (who later joins the gang as Stockholm) despite her being pregnant. He had no sympathy for a pregnant hostage who had not done anything more than try to protect herself and her child.
Thankfully, Denver does not go through with it. But the incident shows how ruthless Berlin could be if the need arose. Moreover, Berlin and Tokyo’s conflict in season 2 is one of the most discussed ones in the series.
Tokyo Tortures Berlin | Source: IMDb
Berlin is also heavily criticized for ratting out Tokyo to the police to take revenge for her torturing him. He ties her up and rolls her out of the Mint so the police can catch her.
Yet, none of these incidents make him absolutely irredeemable. What makes people question Berlin’s character the most is his treatment of Ariadna, a young female hostage, in the first 2 seasons.
Berlin rapes her several times and forces her to die with him when he sacrifices himself for the gang. In season 1, Ariadna agrees to have sex with Berlin to survive and not get killed. This counts as rape, as consent for the sake of protecting oneself is not consent.
Berlin not only raped Ariadna, but he also tortured other female hostages and called them to his office to create terror among the hostages. Although he is a well-written character and quite charismatic, he is still horrible. Rape and sexual assault is where we draw the line.
Despite all of it, Berlin is still a fan favorite and one of the most popular characters on television. Wondering why?
2. Why does everyone like Berlin in Money Heist?
Berlin | Source: IMDb
Most Money Heist fans love Berlin as he’s a charismatic, intriguing character with both good and bad in him. He is a well-written character with a great character arc. Moreover, his terminal illness and sacrifice make people sympathize with him.
It is not new for fans to go wild over antagonists or well-written grey characters in popular media. Joker is as popular as Batman. Psychopath characters like Patrick Bateman, Tyler Durden, Travis Bickle, and Michael Corleone are loved by fanatics worldwide.
Berlin is also one such character who appeals to people for the way he’s written. Fans do not necessarily endorse his actions, support him, or consider him a good guy. They only enjoy watching him in the series, like we enjoy watching the deeds of any other criminal in crime drama or thriller shows.
For instance, none of us endorse the actions of Walter White from Breaking Bad. Deep down, we know he needed help and was nothing better than a criminal. The same can be said about Joker from Batman or Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders.
However, without these respective characters, the shows would not have been half as enjoyable as it is. Berlin is not a character to idolize, but he is liked by most because he is interesting to watch.
Berlin also has a brilliant mind, as we see in the flashbacks of seasons 3 and 4. He plans the entire heist of the Royal Bank of Spain with the Professor. Moreover, he has a great presence of mind and ability to deal with crises, which make him more appealing as a character.
All in all, Berlin is a well-written bad person. As long as we enjoy his character’s storyline and don’t endorse his actions, it’s all good.
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3. About Money Heist
Money Heist (Spanish: La casa de papel, meaning “The House of Paper”) is a Spanish heist crime drama television series created by Álex Pina.
The series traces two long-prepared heists led by the Professor (Álvaro Morte), one on the Royal Mint of Spain, and one on the Bank of Spain. The narrative is told in a real-time-like fashion and relies on flashbacks, time-jumps, hidden character motivations, and an unreliable narrator for complexity.
The show focuses on the meticulous plans and the specific contingencies of the Professor who has prepared his group of robbers dressed in red jumpsuits and Dali masks.
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