NETFLIX crime show Money Heist returns for season five on September 3, 2021.
The first half of the final season will drop on the streaming service at 8am in the UK. But fans are still baffled as to why the characters are named after cities – so here’s what the showrunners had to say…
Why are the cast of Money Heist named after cities?
In an interview with Lifestyle Magazine, the showrunner Alex Pina revealed that they first decided that they needed to give every character a unique code name and that using cities was just one of several different ideas the writers considered.
Alex explained, “we had a number of ideas, with the names of planets amongst others. Then, one day, someone turned up with a t-shirt bearing the word Tokyo and that’s how it all began.”
Suddenly inspired, Alex ditched the plan to name the characters after planets and began assigning different cities to each of the crooks.
Who came up with the names for the Money Heist cast?
After the crew decided that they wanted to use city names instead of planets, they realized that they needed a way to make it make sense within the plot-line of the show.
Though they briefly considered assigning the characters cities from their countries of origin, they decided it would make more sense to make the names seemingly random.
The writers reasoned that the mastermind behind the operation, The Professor, would randomly assign code-names in the hope of tricking the police into thinking that each one had a meaning behind it – leading law enforcement to waste time analyzing them.
The only exception to this rule is Stockholm, aka Monica, who’s nickname came from speculation that she was suffering from Stockholm syndrome.
How many of the original Money Heist cast have died in the series?
Warning: Spoilers for every season of Money Heist ahead!
2
Nairobi
Nairobi was dramatically shot during season three but eventually nursed back to health throughout series 4.
In a cruel twist, however, she’s then taken prisoner by Gandia, the Bank of Spain’s head of security, who’s looking to take revenge on the squad after being taken hostage in the past.
The embittered Gandia eventually decides to execute Nairobi by shooting her in the head.
Oslo
Serbian immigrant Oslo is killed at the end of season one.
After suffering a brutal head injury, Oslo is killed by his good friend and fellow countryman Helsinki after it’s revealed that he’s been left brain dead.
Moscow
Moscow joined the heist crew straight out of serving a sentence for robbery.
Despite planning to go clean, Moscow agrees to help out after his son, Denver, reveals he’s desperate for cash.
Moscow’s dreams of giving up a life of crime come to nothing in the end, however, as he’s shot dead by police during season two.
Berlin
Berlin is The Professor’s big brother and acted as his second-in-command.
Berlin joins the heist despite suffering from a degenerative disease – and he keeps his condition a secret from the rest of the crew until season two, when he sacrifices himself to give the rest of the crew time to escape from the cops.