English Spanish show ‘Elite’ has hit the screens, and it has emerged to gain an elite status out of the newly added shows. Eight forty-five-minute episodes of highly executed thriller, but are there some familiar clichés?
Like Riverdale, Elite is one of those shows that would grab our attention with the slow-motion scenes. Like Gossip Girl, it’s set in an exclusive private school where everyone is defined by their money, social status and fashion. It also incorporates some of the mystery and vibe of that of Pretty Little Liars. It also shares some similarities with How To Get Away With Murder on the basis of jumping between two timelines to solve the mystery.
All is well in the lives of these rich students until three students, Samuel, Nadia, and Christian from different social backgrounds and from working-class families clash into their world.
Not to give out any spoilers, but to add to the suspense and mystery, the murder of a high-profile student is the premise of the show. The death of the student is revealed in the first episode, then follows the incredible game of finding the killer.
“Any character in the show could have a motive for the murder”
We can see the twists coming, but the twists take place in a very different approach. Any character in the show could have a motive for the murder, and it would be tough to guess.
Some of the things that stand out in this show are the twists and the character development, while some of the common things prevalent are the show sticking to stereotypes, the bad boy falling for the good girl, the queen bee insecure, and more. No one is the hero or the villain in this show. Everyone has their own stories and roles to play.
There is a well-written coming of age romance between two gay boys and what starts as a simple game between Carla and her long-time boyfriend, Polo becomes instantly complicated when they mix it up with Christian. A very complicated love triangle between Samuel, his brother and Guzman’s sister Marina.
The controversy and the mystery of the collapsed roof of the school and the cover-up surrounding it does add to the narrative backbone of the show.
“overall it lacks the narrative punch”
The show does have its setbacks. It has its moments of suspense, but overall it lacks the narrative punch that has the potential of taking the show to its absolute top, and at times, it does get a bit tiring to watch the same high school drama repeat over and over again. As I do not speak Spanish, I felt that I could have gotten more feels if I knew the language better.
Elite loves to explore and question moral ambiguity while other forces such as controlling parents, drug dealers start to pray on younger teens.
“The friendship and family dynamics of the show are very engaging”
The friendship and family dynamics of the show are very engaging and prove to be more worth. Samuel and his brother Nano are always in conflict but are still there for each other. Closeted Tennis player, Ander struggles to come out to his best friend Guzman despite him being so supportive and also his best friend. Guzman’s loyalty and love towards his family and sister is something we do not expect when we see him at first.
By the end, Elite does an excellent job of wrapping things up, clearing up doubts but also leaves its doors open for new mysteries and stories. Elite has already been picked up for a second season which will be out in 2019.
PS: If you don’t understand Spanish, I would highly advise you to watch the show with subtitles.
8.5/10
Roshni Jairaj
Images courtesy of Netflix and Zeta Ficcion via IMDb.
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