Maribel Verdú is in Elite. It is a phrase that possibly no one expected to say or write. But the thing is that, between Netflix, Carlos Montero and Jaime Vaca, they convinced the actress to play one of the mothers of Las Encinas, the elitist center that revolutionized the audiovisual panorama in 2018, in the seventh season. It did so both for its success on the platform, following in the footsteps of La casa de papel in the mission of popularizing Spanish fiction, and for the content, a hybrid between teenage drama and thriller with an evident festive, morbid spirit and without pretensions of educate the young.
Her role is Carmen, the mother of Chloe (Mirela Balić), a student who arrives with a scandal on her shoulders: the leak of a sex video of hers that, contrary to what might be expected, has no problem circulating among her friends. companions. She seems to be from the school of Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton: an intimate archive can always be an opportunity. And unlike other forgettable Elite parents, Verdú's character has his own agenda, which is soon revealed to the viewer (and, along the way, he plays a scene where he proves that he can still wear a schoolgirl uniform).
The signing of Élite, for the record, not only draws attention because she is one of the most respected actresses in the history of Spanish cinema, with two Goya awards on the shelf, but also because of the moment in which she enters the erotic imagination. holiday: one during low hours. And, even though the beginnings of regeneration of the cast with Manu Ríos, Carla Díaz and Martina Cariddi combined with veteran actors was already the shadow of what Élite had been, at this moment the decline of the drama is even more noticeable. Of course, first let's say what the new episodes are about.
Omar Ayuso returns. He resumes the character of Omar after disappearing after the death of Samuel (Itzan Escamilla) which, as we discover, left him scarred, traumatized and medicated. If we are honest, anyone would be like this after living in that homicidal and discriminatory climate, adding that he has a distant relationship with his family because he is homosexual. And with what excuse does he return to Las Encinas? Thanks to a paid internship that is taken as a way to overcome trauma, help students who may suffer from the pressure of the center and also to supervise her boyfriend, Joel (Fernando Líndez), a humble boy who receives the opportunity to study. over there.
Among the plots, we also have Sara (Carmen Arrufat) cornered in an abusive relationship with Raúl (Álex Pastrana) after having accidentally run over Iván (André Lamoglia) in the previous season. Iván, who also lost his father due to homophobia in the world of football (a plot carried out with the subtlety of a clown up to his eyebrows of ecstasy), finds hope in the least expected way.
Isadora (Valentina Zenere) and Dídac (Álvaro de Juana), after overcoming the latter's involuntary involvement in the DJ's sexual assault, cannot rest assured: they are affected by their families' businesses. And Nico (Ander Puig), after accepting himself as he is with the help of Sonia (Nadia Al Saidi), now has his cousin Eric (Gleb Abrosimov) installed at home, a boy with recurring problems with the police for his ideas. anti-system policies that interest Rocío (Ana Bokesa).
It is ironic that, after having been accused on so many occasions of being a harmful and toxic series for young people, Elite is now guided by a moral compass that allows it to interact with the topics of conversation in society (something we already talked about with the previous season). They talk about the sexualization of minors, the squatter movement and abuse among adolescents, elements that are so interesting to dissect. The problem is that, while before Elite was addictive and had characters that attracted the viewer to their emotions, conflicts and relationships, now we find soulless clichés.
One sees the artificial provocation and a forced plot map (and some hookless interpretations) where a story was previously lived, at least in the three episodes provided to the media.
