Money Heist spoilers ahead.
Tokyo's dramatic and unexpected death at the end of Money Heist's season five, part one left viewers with their jaws wide open. The intense moment at the peak of the action saw Tokyo, played by Úrsula Corberó, sustain multiple gunshot wounds as she struggled to block heavily armed police – whose primary aim was to shut down their heist operation.
Being caught up in the shock of the situation, one of the many explosive turning points in the overall series, it may be easy to overlook its significance. But this final act made clear that Tokyo was ultimately failed as a character, and killing her off completely proved that.
Taking a look back to where it all started in the first season, episode one, we were introduced to the mysterious Tokyo as the narrator of the story. She was a woman who made bad choices in life, was on the run and looking to start afresh. Enter The Professor, who offered her a deal she couldn't refuse.
There was an element of vulnerability in Tokyo as she tried desperately to make contact with her family. This set-up gave the impression that this part of her life would be explored at some point – yet the show failed to ever do so. It was a creative decision from the show's team, who instead shifted focus on to the other characters.
She was portrayed as the hot mess of the group, displaying toxic traits like reckless and impulsive behaviour, acting largely on emotions over logic. Over time, Tokyo didn’t evolve like the others.
In season two, this was highlighted when she purposely sabotaged the heist that took many years of hard work and planning. She left the Royal Mint of Spain, after angering and challenging Berlin by putting the heist at risk when she started a mutiny.
The heist team knew the risks involved, but even though they all, at some point, had their fair share of low moments, it was Tokyo who was consistently painted as the fragile one who could break any second. This tragic portrayal was disappointing given the nature of Tokyo as the main protagonist.
Over the seasons, there was clear character development for everyone else apart from Tokyo. We see Denver go from being unapologetically selfish to being wholeheartedly committed to Stockholm and her newborn child, and The Professor becoming more than just the 'mastermind' behind the heist, with a caring side too. But Tokyo remained the same.
Shining the spotlight on Tokyo's relationship with Rio, viewers could easily see how unhealthy it was. Rio fell for Tokyo hard, and she would sometimes return the same feelings, to then ruin it completely by being distant from him. She would break things off, reminding him it would never work because of their obvious age difference, and not feeling good enough for him.
It became hard to distinguish whether Tokyo was the focal point of the show or not, even though she was placed as the female lead and ‘storyteller' by creator Álex Pina. On social media, conversations around The Professor and Berlin were far greater than those around Tokyo. This is because Berlin had played such a big role in season two, including overseeing the heist operation.
In the creation of the show, Pina made a choice to challenge the typical genre convention, telling Spanish site La Voz de Asturias: "It is a genre that has always been masculine and that we have transferred a feminine look to it with a narrator like Tokyo, with very strong female characters in all the legs of the series, and then we go to a fierce pace in which there is no downtime."
Though this is true, there was little accomplished through this 'female perspective' as Tokyo did not offer much to the story itself, which she narrated sparingly.
The series instead concentrated largely on Tokyo's sexuality, as she's seen semi-nude in scenes, with her appearance changing drastically over time from her short hair to her bold lipstick. Nairobi, the other leading female of the show, stays the same throughout.
It's hard to ignore her image, which can lead to questions as to why it was chosen for her to act and look this way, particularly given the show's less-than-romantic genre. It begs the question: Was there a point to her needing to be sexy and alluring?
In the series finale of the show, Tokyo was featured briefly as a flashback, when she offered words of encouragement to the Professor, explaining to him that he was the hope for the group. Yet for some reason, you can't help wonder, why couldn't that be her? Yes, she'd bravely sacrificed herself for her friends, but what if she was the one the group looked to instead?
The last few episodes saw the heist team put their plan into action as they began extracting gold out of the Bank of Spain. Under attack, the team still grief-stricken from Tokyo's sudden death, try to work as fast as they can.
But then Tokyo is largely forgotten by the group as their minds focus on other things. All except Rio and The Professor, who mention her name more than a few times. Even her death is put aside.
Although the story was finely constructed, highly explosive, and one that many will continue to watch long after its conclusion, Money Heist disappointingly failed in one aspect by sidelining one of the show's most important characters.
Money Heist (La Casa de Papel) is now available in full to watch worldwide on Netflix. Tickets for immersive production Money Heist: The Experience are available for London, Paris, Ciudad de México, Miami and, from December 9, New York City.
