The events of Berlin season 1 take place a long time before Sergio Marquina, aka The Professor, called his half-brother, Berlin, to be a part of the Royal Mint heist. The Netflix series takes us back to the golden era when Berlin operated in full swing and was working with different people and different gangs to rob auction houses and the nation’s best jewelry stores. Berlin rarely targeted banks, as he believed that gems and expensive artifacts provided an easier way to launder money. There were characters introduced in season 1, whom we saw playing a crucial role and many times at the helm of affairs in Alex Pina’s blockbuster drama series, Money Heist, which dropped its first season in 2017. Through Berlin series, we understood the motives of the titular character and why he behaved the way he did in Money Heist. So, let’s find out how the events and characters in the prequel series are correlated to those of the Money Heist.
Spoiler Alert
When did Raquel and Alicia come to know about Berlin?
The characters Raquell Murillo and Deputy Inspector Europol Spain, Alice Sierra, were introduced in Berlin series. Together with French inspector Marie Lavelle from the organized crime division, the two women started investigating the Vienot auction house robbery. This was the first time Raquell was probably looped in a case where Berlin was involved, and later, as we all know, together with Alicia Sierra, she handled the Royal Mint case, too. The common thing between the colleagues was that in the future, they both became defectors, stopped working for the government, and joined the Professor’s team, though in different capacities. Raquell fell in love with the Professor, and Alicia had a change of heart when the Professor came to her help, despite the fact that she treated him in the worst possible manner when he was in her custody. Both Raquell and Alicia had very distinct ways of doing things, and since back then, they were the best in the business which is why they were given the case that stunned the French authorities. It is fascinating how Alicia came to the conclusion that Roi and Cameron did not take part in the racing competition because they wanted to create a diversion, but it was a careless mistake on their part that exposed their tracks. When things got even more convoluted, and they were not able to find any breakthrough, another brilliant mind, Raquell, was added to the team, and though they were not able to catch Berlin and Damian, it wouldn’t be long before they got the better of him.
Where was the Professor during the Vienot Auction House robbery?
Berlin, at the beginning of the series, referred to the Professor during one of the conversations he was having with his teammates. He told them that he knew of a man who had been preparing for a heist for years, and he was a pro at what he did. So, around this time, it could be said that the Professor was still in the planning phase of the Royal Mint robbery, and he hadn’t reached the execution stage as of then. It would be safe to assume that the Professor hadn’t recruited people, and he was creating the blueprint for what he knew would become one of the greatest robberies of all time. The way Berlin spoke about his brother told us how much respect he had for him, and probably, in the subsequent seasons (if there are any), we would get to see them collaborating in some manner or maybe taking each other’s help. Berlin always knew that his brother had his back and even if they were not in touch on a regular basis, if and when the need arose, he would be standing alongside him whenever he needed him.
Why did Berlin stop believing in love?
Berlin Season 1 serves as a prequel to Money Heist and takes us to what the protagonist called his golden days, before he came to know about his illness and before he was left in an agonizing state after his wife fell in love with his son from another wife. At the beginning of the series, we saw that Berlin got divorced from his third wife, and once again, all his attempts to spend his life with that one person went to waste. Berlin gave it his all in the relationship, but somehow, he ended up on the wrong side of things. In Money Heist, during one of the conversations with the Professor, we got an idea that Berlin was not very lucky when it came to relationships, and he had grown to dislike the emotion called love so much that whenever he saw a couple, he discouraged them and told them that it was all a sham. Obviously, after realizing that Tatiana was having an affair with his own son, he just felt disgusted and couldn’t control his rage. The tragedy probably marked the point where Berlin just stopped looking for life, but before that, his experiences hadn’t been very good.
In this series, we saw that he fell in love with the wife of Monsieur Polignac. Camille’s marital status was not the only obstacle, as Monsieur Polignac was the director of the auction house that Berlin and his gang were going to rob. The problem with Berlin was that he made all sorts of wrong choices, and he let his obsession with the person influence his own judgments. In this series, too, we saw that Berlin knew that Camille was married and that any sort of association with her could create problems in his mission, but still, he broke his own rules and went after, whom he believed to be his soul mate, putting all his energy and effort into it. Camille also believed that she fell in love with Berlin, but later, when she saw that even after her husband came to know about her affair, he didn’t lose his temper but rather told her that he would walk away if that’s what she wanted, the woman had a change of heart and decided that she couldn’t leave her husband. I perceived Camille to be very fickle-minded, and one event or one conversation could change her thinking and decisions entirely.
After Monsieur Polignac was put behind bars, Berlin realized that he had won sympathy votes. That was when, to once again show Camille how giving and generous he was, he decided to pay for her lawyer’s fee. In the end, Camille didn’t really betray him, but they both realized that they were not meant to be together. At that juncture, Berlin was not really done with love, but the fatigue had started kicking in after three failed marriages and one emotionally draining relationship, which he felt would convert into something substantial in the future.
