Text Review of Casa de Papel: Season 1

I am choosing my Text Review to cover something that has several interesting elements to analyze. La Casa de Papel, specifically the first season is something that brings up analysis of world literature in the context of Spanish-speaking cast and Spanish culture as the setting of the show for the most part takes place in Spain. In the first season, we can see that there is a conflict forming in the criminals who take a government facility hostage as well as law enforcement. This is a classic cops vs robbers identities which tends to focus on the fact that cops are noble, and robbers never win. What is unique is how the perspective of the show focuses on the robbers and their struggle to work together in a noble effort of making a living and being successful at what they attempted to do. In the beginning, they are othered as media and law enforcement focuses on the cruelty and danger of the situation not focusing on the fact that the Professor and those involved do not want to hurt anyone at all. These constant encounters cause public disdain until we understand more and more how cruel the law enforcement is when dealing with the hostage situation. Injustices are seen in this show more so as affecting the robbers as they are humanized and not othered to the audience throughout the show. This power dynamic also develops as members throughout the group reveal themselves through the show and what they truly believe. It is not just a battle between good and evil but rather between themselves as they have a plan to work towards but cannot stay on track due to the stress. Even as they are mostly of the same culture, there is a large discrepancy between the different classes shown in how they treat different people from the law enforcement side. Even homosexuality plays a part in the power dynamic and unfair treatment of some of the robbers as things intensify. The first season displays a more human development of characters in high intensity situations and uniquely with the perspective of the robbers in the show as they battle those who are considered to be othering them. Because of the different culture displayed, some things might seem out of the norm to everyone in the class, but what remains constant is the shifting dynamics and what can be analyzed from the course such as othering of each group by media or even single story flaws from law enforcement to even concepts of intersectionality within the criminal group themselves as they identify with different sexual orientations, ethnicities, and even genders.

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