Elite: The new Spanish series by Netflix.
Who was the murderer?
Fuente
Characters and Relationships
Being a mix between a teen drama and a crime thriller, the series touched on topics like:
• Social classes
This is one of the main topics of the series, showcasing a reality clash between both classes, showing the willingness of some people to surpass poverty and reach positions of power, and the corruption and all secrets that that all those rich families hold.
• Religion
Said topic is carried mainly by three characters: Nadia, Oscar and their father, whose family lives under the belief of Islam. Nadia’s character portrays on how she faces with racism inside the school, while at the same time both teens have to endure the religious oppression coming from their father, which forces both siblings to act on the search of their independence and freedom.
• Drugs
During the series, the use of drugs by young people and adults is showed constantly, while on the other hand also showing drug dealing, not in a hustling gangsta type of way, but as a mean of getting ahead economically.
• Sex and Gender Issues
Another important topic in the series are sex and gender, charged with broad messages that talk about diversity and tolerance that look to break sexual barriers, not only by referencing homosexuality but also bisexuality, polyamory, and LGBT maternity, by having a character like Polo, who has two mothers. Besides, HIV is an issue that is featured and touched on, reflecting the taboo that society has towards this condition.
• Crime
Crime is displayed unscrupulously in both social classes, on one side we have Nano who is a boy from a poor family that recently got out of jail, and in the other we have Mr Ventura Nunier, father to Marina who has been accused with corruption charges. Also during the whole story, we can see things like robbery, blackmailing, and murder, of course.
Opinion
This series has been compared to others like Gossip Girl, Riverdale and 13 Reason Why,, but from my point of view, I seem to notice an influence that precedes most TV series, and by this I mean way back to novels from Agatha Christie. Putting our finger on it, we can see that this is where the fundamentals for crime thrillers are set: going from the act of murder that develops the whole plot, and then we can see how it was done and who did it. At the same time, Agatha’s novels emphasize on the relationships and the intentions that the characters hold towards the victims. Relationships are fully enhanced, instead of the character’s background, which provides a twist when the murderer is unveiled, this is what occurs in Élite.
The series achieves on being an entertaining drama, but suspense in the story could have been better exploited. Compared to a series like La Casa de Papel where the plot focuses on the persecution, In Élite all shots between the police detective and the each student’s interrogation were too brief, and not all manage to clear the story’s narrative, leaving the viewer immerse inside the drama by using these shots more as a feature pursuing to maintain suspense, than as an essential element of the story.
Fuente
Albeit being a drama holding contemporary topics, where not only homosexuality, but also polyamorous relationships can be found too, I consider that the series could’ve provided more in the sense of content when referencing topics like HIV. As a viewer , I hope that in the second season the series takes a deep dive into Marina’s character, who has the power of adding a more socially charged message of tolerance towards HIV in our society. If we get more of Marina’s past as to how she got infected, and her process of being diagnosed and the treatment she went under, the viewer can be moved to raise more awareness about it.
3 potatoes out of 5
Says goodbye,
