Berlin, the brand-new spin-off in the Money Heist universe, is out on the platform for people to enjoy and savor over the New Year’s weekend. The spin-off is based on the most beloved character from the original show. The highlight of the original show was the team looting the press that prints the local currency of Spain. Keeping that premise in mind, years before Berlin joined the Professor, the man was known to have a team and carried out a heist robbing the jewels of the royals from across Europe.
Spoilers Ahead
Why Did Berlin Steal The Chalice?
The setup of the heist begins with Berlin and his team of five robbing an antique-looking chalice from a rich man’s house. All Berlin does is walk out of this palatial mansion with the chalice while not harming anyone. This sets the heist in motion, as the chalice plays a crucial role in carrying out their robbery. As the team reaches Paris for preparation and planning, they are joined by a new member, Cameron, who happens to be good with motorcycles, which would be crucial for getaways. Berlin reveals his plan step by step, and the team will have to obey his orders. All six posed as archaeologists and hoodwinked the glory-seeking pastor of the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Pres, who was lured into the idea of excavating a tunnel beneath it. Berlin and his team convinced the pastor, claiming the presence of another ancient church underground.
The idea was to plant the chalice and make it look like a discovery that would confirm the presence of a church underneath. The pastor was enamored by the thought of having made a discovery that would strengthen his position in the clergy. There is a legacy he would leave behind, and he willingly asks them to further excavate in the hope of discovering more artifacts.
Was Excavating The Tunnel A Success?
The pastor’s order would allow Berlin and his team to build a tunnel that would take them to the underground Veinot Auction House, which shelters the royal jewels from across Europe, just days before a silent auction. Berlin reveals his plan to steal these jewels worth 44 million euros. The biggest obstacle is security, both physical and digital. This is where Keila, as the tech whizz, understands what needs to be done. Before that, Berlin and his team set up shop right across the street from the apartment of the supervisor who oversees the underground auction house. They enter his home during an odd hour and place cameras across the flat to gain access to intel on the scheduled movement of the jewel. The date of the robbery is set to be a day before the auction.
What Was Berlin’s And Damian’s Plan Of Action?
To get the work on the robbery started, all of them must find a brick wall that would confirm the presence of Veinot Auction House. On breaking the wall, they could come across other large blocks of bricks that would be removed using a remote-controlled rover. The CCTV at that moment was under the control of the auction house, and two guards oversaw the safeguarding. Bruce was sent as an obnoxious pizza delivery guy and engaged the only two guards for three minutes, the time required for Keila to hack into the CCTV of the auction house. As Keila and Damian walked into the antechamber with their hazmat suits, helmets, and gloves, Keila quickly placed a device inside the mains that could give her access to what they were all waiting for. Their mission was completed within the time given to them. This would help them get to their target, which was placed behind a large steel door.
Berlin admits to not having hired professional thieves because he wanted only one brain to plan the heist and avoid any ego clash. Keila plans to hack into the CCTV system and play the recorded footage of the empty vault and antechamber to security when the team is in the building, while she plans to switch it to live feed whenever Francois Polignac is in the building. The only way to get through the steel door to access the vault would be to slice open the door like bread and lift the slab as if a garage door were being opened. As Berlin explains, slowly the plan comes to fruition, and the team is inching closer to their target.
Was The Robbery A Success?
Nothing ends up going as per the plan, no matter how watertight Berlin’s preparations were. The day of the robbery is changed to two days before the auction because all the jewelry will be out for appraisal and photoshoot, which will not give the team enough time to rob with precision. A little change in plans was not expected, but Berlin decided to come back only after settling matters with Camille, the wife of Francois Polignac.
The plan to steal the jewels is put into motion as discussed, but this time Damian is livid in Berlin for disappearing for two days straight, insinuating the man was sleeping with the enemy. As they steal all the jewels from the vault as per the plan, a rage-filled Damian gets physical with Berlin, which creates a minor commotion. The guard ensured there was no one in the vault, as per the recorded footage screened by Keila, but the team exited the vault with the loot. Damian announces that he has only four hours to leave the place as before. Berlin wanted to create the illusion that no evidence was found of a break-in so that the police would not treat them as suspects. As Damian and the three of them seal the entry, he also creates a diversion that causes an electric outage that would fry every wire in the building. This would leave no footage of them leaving the antechamber.
Berlin and Roi, on the other hand, plant DNA that could incriminate Francois. Berlin places a single diamond from the necklace they stole as evidence that will mislead the police. Berlin and Damian’s plan worked so far; the crime was almost perfect, and they made sure it remained that way.
What Happens After The Robbery?
Once news of the robbery broke out, as expected, the evidence took the law enforcement authorities to Francois’ home, and he was arrested. All of them were expected to leave Paris discreetly in pairs without drawing any attention to themselves. Cameron and Roi, in a bid to celebrate their heist, stole a car. Cameron also reveals having gotten hold of the red diamond necklace from the loot and experiencing the jewelry before parting with it the next day. They have an eventful night as they get into a car race. Cameron has vivid flashbacks during the race which show her having a meltdown. Roi ends up losing the race because of it, and they give up the vehicles for the winners to claim. Roi and Cameron spent the night at the hangar near an airstrip, only for them to discover the next day that they left the red diamond necklace in the car they gave away.
As Cameron, Roi, Keila, and Bruce leave the hotel without creating any noise, they all carry equal shares of jewelry with them and plan to meet on the other side of the French border. The French police would not have any jurisdiction once they crossed. Damian, Roi, and Cameron were traveling as a bereaved family when the checking at the borders and the city of Paris intensified. The family was a suspect, but Cameron created a diversion by breaking down over her mother’s ashes. They lived near the border, a place meant for parking caravans. Police apprehended a racing car during their check and found the red diamond necklace. Using the sketch described by the race winner and the DNA found on the jewelry, the police narrow down the culprit. The sketch was corroborated by border security, who identified Cameron as a thief.
Keila and Bruce take shelter in a hospital after the former is bitten by a snake. The pair are helped by a police officer who finds a magazine of the gun in Bruce’s possession. Bruce holds them and the hospital hostage to remove a fully recovered Keila and move ahead as per the plan shared by Berlin. Cameron and Roi barely escaped the police onslaught and crossed the French border. Damian was back in Paris to confront Berlin’s situation with Camille. The duo had no time left to argue over Camille, who had almost leaked partial information about Berlin. As the hotel staff mentioned a group of six living in the hotel for two weeks, this confirms the suspicions of the French police, who were inches away from getting hold of the mastermind. Berlin and Damian destroy all the equipment in their room before escaping using the tunnel they created. They face many obstacles to reaching the border. Berlin and Damian finally make use of bicycles to safely cross the border and meet the entire team at the place they discussed.
