Elite is the perfect example of a show that has overstayed its welcome. Season 8 proves that the rain started beating on it long ago.
Watching the season makes one yearn for the good old days when there was a balance between the personal arcs, the murder investigation, and social commentary.
In Season 8, we return to a murderous Las Encinas where, surprise, surprise, someone is dead.
The concept of having a character die at the beginning of the season existed on borrowed time since, at some point, one was bound to wonder what Spanish authorities used the taxpayers’ money for.
The show addresses this by saying that the news of the murders never makes news, but who are we kidding? That much police presence year in and year out must raise some eyebrows.
And even then, why would anyone return when they are guaranteed that someone will die come rain on sunshine?
Nevertheless, the concept has always been a pillar of the show. It keeps the viewer glued as the whodunit-esque narrative unfolds.
The effectiveness of having a badass investigator descend on the school cannot be overstated. Yet, in the past few years, the detectives have grown increasingly tired of having to do their job.
This is the first blow dealt to the show. The stakes eroded as the years passed because the transfer students from the public high school were no longer the main focus.
‘Elite’ Undergoes a Cast Overhaul
Cast members do leave shows, and this is to be expected as their world expands.
But the effect cannot be ignored.
Since the first batch of the students graduated from Las Encina and cast members like Aron Piper and Alvaro Rico left, it hasn’t felt the same.
In Elite, the characters are the stars, not the school.
Season 8 finds a nearly different cast. Some had joined over the years, while others were introduced in the final season.
Nuno Gallego and Ane Rot appear in the first episode, which struggles to set up a final season.
With a murder to tackle and new characters to flesh out, it feels half-baked. Who thought it was a good idea to reveal that Joel is the victim in Episode 1 or in the promotional materials, for that matter?
Hector and Emilia take center stage, much to the detriment of the other characters from the previous season.
The show introduces a new arc about the Alumni, one whose results are quite laughable.
Why would alumni members, let alone leaders of the association, look like they just joined high school?
The whole arc feels off because it fails to sell itself. It overshadows others, like Omar’s (Omar Ayuso) mental health or Ivan’s (Andre Lamoglia) grief.
Many other characters are relegated to the background, barely having an impact, and the season would have been just the same if they’d been written out.
The dynamic between the Krawietz siblings doesn’t quite manage to shock as intended.
They go for Theo (Louis Garrel) and Isabelle (Eva Green) in The Dreamers or Cersei (Lena Headey) and Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) in Game of Thrones but fall short.
The Heat Dies Down
Elite always excelled in crafting hot pairings. They sold every ship or character, from the OG ship Omar and Ander to new queer additions like Valerio (Jorge Lopez) and Patrick (Manu Rios).
Season 8 finds Joel and Ivan’s messy relationship, which is made even more complicated by Hector’s proclivities.
While the actors try their level best to give their scenes the best they can (hello Nuno with tongue in every make-out scene), the material just fails them.
Hector comes off as a childish creep, while Ivan continues whining. They both don’t deserve Joel, who shows no growth even after two seasons.
Many of us tuned into the final season to see how it all ended and whether Patrick might return to save us from Ivan’s brooding.
However, the season is less entertaining, with a dull storyline punctuated by regular intervals of gratuitous nudity.
If that’s your thing, you might enjoy it. If not, well, it’s not worth it.
Verdict
Elite should have ended a while back, but neither the writers nor the viewers wanted to let something they’d grown fond of go. Season 8 is too little too late.
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