Berlin · Season 1 · Netflix
Berlin Season 1
Berlin Season 1 is a ONE-TIME WATCH, BollyMeter 6.8/10. 8 episodes on Netflix from 29 December 2023.
Updated
What BollyAI Thinks
Season 1, subtitled The Jewels of Paris, plays as a watchable but not essential spinoff. Álex Pina extracts Berlin from the Money Heist timeline and places him in a pre-Mint caper in Paris, using an ensemble structure that takes most of the eight episodes to fully cohere. Pedro Alonso's Berlin remains one of Spanish television's most theatrical creations - all operatic ego and genuine menace - and the Paris setting is gorgeous. The series still takes time to build the structural tension that makes Money Heist compulsive. Its flashback-within-flashback architecture often confuses more than it reveals.
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The Room
“Berlin coasts on Pedro Alonso's considerable charisma without quite finding the narrative engine that powered Money Heist.”
Rotten Tomatoes (critics consensus)
Standout Episodes
The hours worth arguing about - premieres, finales, and the turning points. BollyAI reads the room episode by episode.
- E1Night of the Lemons7.6
A deliberate opener that turns Berlin into an argument, though its personal witness needs sharper emotional weight.
The moment: Berlin's first monologue to his assembled crew - Pedro Alonso reminding the audience exactly why this character earned a spinoff.
Full review of E1 → - E2A Tiger Never Changes Its Stripes7.6
A reflective hour where Berlin's buildings testify louder than its narration, even when the pacing turns too museum-still.
Full review of E2 → - E3Full House of Embryos7.3
A measured Berlin chapter that turns blocked movement into its strongest image, even when the history outruns the human drama.
The moment: The ensemble's first full operational briefing - the show finding the playful register that Money Heist's mid-seasons relied on.
Full review of E3 → - E4The Salamander Effect7.4
A tense bridge episode with a fierce central contradiction, slightly blunted by frantic dialogue that rarely lets dread breathe.
Full review of E4 → - E5A Love Story7.3
Lolle's dream gets redirected into work, snacks, and an orange peel, giving the hour sharp chaos with rushed emotional fallout.
Full review of E5 → - E6The Energy of Love7.1
A frantic ring chase works because pressure stays practical, though the Taj Mahal fantasy needs more room.
The moment: The jewellery vault sequence - the show delivering the heist entertainment it promised at the pitch stage.
Full review of E6 → - E7On the Trail of a Whale6.9
A sharp but thin hour where romantic hunger turns into blunt negotiation, then collapses into clean, believable exhaustion.
Full review of E7 → - E8An Endangered Elephant7.1
A breathless, pointed episode where Lolle and Sebastian turn desire into theatre, while the job thread waits offstage.
The moment: Berlin's closing voiceover - the character's self-mythology given its final expression for the season.
Full review of E8 →