[Editor's note: The following contains spoilers for Netflix’s Elite and Elite Short Stories.]Netflix’s Elite is a Spanish-language production designed to get you hot under the collar. The show may not be prestige television, but it has never not been compelling. The gorgeous cast of characters are perennially involved in high drama at home and at their illustrious school, Las Encinas. There’s romance, betrayal and murder. The first three seasons focused on a core group of students, most of whom graduated by the Season 3 finale.
Season 4 picks up a few months after the events of the previous season, with returning cast members Itzan Escamilla (Samuel “Samu” Garcia Domínguez), Miguel Bernardeau (Guzmán Nunier Osuna), Omar Ayuso (Omar Shanaa), Arón Piper (Ander Muñoz), Claudia Salas (Rebeka “Rebe” Parrilla de Bormujo Ávalos), and Georgina Amorós (Cayetana “Caye” Grajera Pando) joined by the ‘New Order’ Carla Díaz, Martina Cariddi and Manu Ríos as the Blanco Commerford siblings, Ari, Mencía and Patrick, respectively, along with Pol Granch as Phillippe von Triesenberg.
Much like other shows set in high school, viewers tend to become attached to the original characters, and when they age out, the creators have their work cut out for them introducing new characters. How did Season 4 of Elite fare with its new cast and new storyline? Let’s take a look at what worked and what didn’t in the latest season of this Netflix series.
Worked: Commentary on Class
Elite started off as a commentary on the class divide in Las Encinas, the ‘elite’ school of the title. The events of the show kicked off when three working-class students were accepted into the private school but weren’t welcome by the wealthy students. Over the first three seasons, the dynamics between the characters changed.
Season 4 revisits the initial premise of Elite, with the super-wealthy Blanco family being condescending towards the other characters. Their father, Benjamín (Diego Martín), takes over as director of the school and on his first day fires the sitting principal (Ander’s mother), and makes Samu and Omar ‘earn’ their scholarship despite Samu being a good student and Omar deserving his place after giving up a year to care for his boyfriend, Ander. Benjamín also disallows Mencía from dating Rebe because of her mother’s past arrest.
Among the Blanco children, Ari is unashamed to show her prejudice against those not in her social standing. She belittles Caye, who works as the school janitor to put herself through college, and only sides with Caye when she shows some ‘self-respect’. Ari also refuses to acknowledge her feelings for Samu, instead flaunting her relationship with Guzmán who is of a higher status. Guzmán is no better, reminding Samu of his brother’s brush with the law and often putting Caye in her place.
Omar and Samu are the only two main characters who also have after-school jobs at Club Del Lago, and serve at the ball and the Amber Lucid party. The show isn’t hesitant to show how Omar and Samu have to keep swallowing their pride when they have to serve their own friends, especially when those friends go out of their way to belittle or humiliate them for having to work.
And, of course, there’s a literal prince in the mix, who adds a new layer to the class dynamics. If the Blanco kids believe themselves to be a cut above the rest, they’re nothing compared to royalty. There’s a memorable scene when the boys’ shower is cleared to make way for Phillippe. The rest of the students pile into Patrick because his father kicked them out of the showers but Patrick has to remind them that he is in the same boat as the rest of his fellows. Later, the tables are turned when the Blanco kids reveal they know a secret about Phillippe, and arm twist him to get them tickets to an exclusive party. Las Encinas as a microcosm for class conflict really works, and it’s a conversation that will resonate with viewers across the globe.
Didn’t Work: The Murder Mystery
The murder mysteries on Elite are as important as the romances and melodrama. The first season kept viewers guessing and Season 2 built on that. The third season, however, really upped the ante. The writers would have made Agatha Christie proud; but that’s precisely where this latest season fails. The murder mystery is the least compelling aspect of the season.
In the first episode, Ari is seen floating in the sea in the flash-forward scenes, but she’s revealed to be alive by the end of the same episode. Her failing heartbeat is used as a cliff-hanger, but the flash-forward scenes are haphazard snippets of the cast hanging around Ari’s hospital room.
The eventual victim is almost a cop-out – we hated Armando (Andrés Velencoso) on sight, and we’re glad he’s dead, but his appearance at the party was unexpected, as was his fight with Guzmán. Where previous seasons provided snapshots of the flashforward to eventually allow viewers to come to their own conclusions, we were left mostly underwhelmed in this season.
Worked: Caye and Rebe’s Character Journeys
The writing this season was a struggle, and some of the characters paid the price (more on that later). But others flourished. Caye was in her element – such consistency in character is a surprise.
From the time Caye was introduced in Season 2, she’s been a con artist. She pretended to be a wealthy transfer student to fit in with the rest of the Las Encinas crowd and win over her crush, Polo Benavent Villada (Álvaro Rico). Caye does the same thing in Season 4. She is obsessed with Prince Phillippe and dresses in her nicest outfit to greet him. It’s only when Ari cruelly reveals Caye’s status that the bubble bursts. Despite that, when Phillippe evinces interest in Caye, she isn’t easily swayed. Caye calls Phillippe out on his problematic behaviour, even though that will impact her dreams of becoming a designer. During the season finale she seemingly breaks off her relationship with Phillippe after successfully earning her first commission. Caye is a social climber, but she also has self-respect. Now that’s a character arc!
The other character who carried this season was Rebe. Rebe has been an unconventional character from the start – she can be crude and irreverent but is fiercely loyal to her friends and her mother. In this season, especially after Rebe comes out of her shell, she gets to experience her first same-sex relationship. Elite lacked any lesbian representation in its first three seasons, so Rebe and Mencía’s romance is a win for the fans and the characters. Rebe is the knight in a shining sports bra in this season. She roundhouse kicks two predators on separate occasions to save her girlfriend. Rebe also stands by her principals – in Elite Short Stories she promised her mother that they’d never speak again if her mother started dealing drugs again, and that’s exactly what she does. But, since Rebe is young and has lived a sheltered life, she doesn’t plan her getaway well. That’s believable. She doesn’t get into scrapes like Mencía does, because Rebe is willing to ask for help. By the end of the season, Rebe comes into her own as a great friend and girlfriend. Caye and Rebe were the steady pillars that held up the entire season.
Didn’t Work: Inconsistent Characterizations
As mentioned, most of the characters suffered this season. Guzmán goes back to square one – after cementing his long-distance relationship with Nadia (Mina El Hammani), they break up within three episodes of the season. For the rest of the season, he’s mean and condescending, and his relationship with Ari is toxic. He spends more time apologizing for his behavior than actually being in love.
The Blanco family suffered the same fate. Ari is obviously the Lucrecia “Lu” Montesinos Hendrich (Danna Paola) stand-in for this season, but the showrunners weren’t committed to making her the primary school villain. She yo-yos between her feelings for Guzmán and Samu but hurts both. Why are they still fighting over her in the finale, then?
Benjamín confesses to having clawed his way out of poverty, yet he constantly places obstacles in front of Samu and Omar. And he refuses to raise his own daughter, Mencía, leaving Ari to do that. Mencía is supposedly a rebel, but it’s obvious she’s troubled. Yet, no one mentions getting her psychological help.
Patrick and Phillippe’s motivations are all over the place, if either even has any. Who do they want? What do they want? It’s like the creators decided to add new cast members but they didn’t know what to do with them. It’s also high time pop culture stopped treating bad parenting as the reason boys misunderstand consent. Phillippe is a creep who’s learning to be better; the writers shouldn’t have laid the blame on his mother. The only consistent characterization in this season was that everyone forgot how to communicate with each other.
Worked: Hiding the Fact That It Was Shot During the Pandemic
Pandemic? What pandemic? That’s what you’ll be asking yourself when you watch this season. We’re used to most productions from the last year looking leaner than usual, with smaller casts and fewer sets. That’s not the case with Elite Season 4. While the Short Stories had compact casts, the actual season is full of extras and background actors. The gay night scenes in Teatro Tutor, the get togethers at Club Del Lago, Samu’s towel party, the impromptu party at the Blanco residence and the ball at Phillippe’s palace were packed with people. The cast and crew have to be commended for pulling that off successfully during a pandemic.
Elite has always looked beautiful, and this season is no different. The sets were gorgeous, especially the palace. The show doesn’t hold back in showcasing the luxurious lifestyle.
This season’s outfits weren’t the greatest; most of the girls seemed to don a cropped jacket on top of a bikini and called it a day, but there were the occasional standouts, especially several of Ari’s outfits and the clothes at the ball. The boys’ tailored suits, on the other hand, were smashing. Patrick was the only male character who wore some avant-garde clothing, including a kilt combo at the ball. Everyone wore beautiful jewelry as well - Rebe’s dragon earrings were outstanding! One of the storylines is literally about Caye’s aspiring fashion design career, so fashionistas are going to love this season.
Didn’t Work: Exploitative Scenes
This entire season felt overly gratuitous. There were far too many nude scenes and overlong sex scenes, mostly featuring the female cast. The actors may be of age, but the characters are in their teens, and it made for uncomfortable viewing. Elite has never shied away from pushing boundaries; the USP of the show is the steaminess on display. But there’s a time and place for these scenes and this wasn’t it. Why were there that many scenes in the boys’ showers? Who takes so many showers in school unless you’re playing sports?
While we can applaud the show for finally including a lesbian relationship, Rebe and Mencía’s story was sidelined by everything else Mencía was going through. Mencía runs away from home and gets involved with Armando, who basically pays her for sex. Why the creators decided to show us scenes of Mencía and Armando together is beyond comprehension. He’s an adult man preying on a child, there’s nothing sexy about that.
Let’s not even start with Armando’s ‘friend’ who decides to use Mencía’s services. That entire scene felt exploitative and gross. While we know that young children can fall prey to such predators, Mencía getting into and then staying in those relationships made little sense. She has a support group; she has Rebe. Mencía should never have been in the situations she was in if it wasn’t for lazy, trope-y writing.
Worked: The Importance of Friendship
Most of the characters in Elite are unlikeable. But, they make for engaging entertainment, which is why the show has already been renewed for a fifth season. When the show began there was an obvious economic divide among the students, but time and several murders have thawed those barriers.
The raison d'être of teen dramas is the nostalgia of youthful friendships. When Season 4 concentrated on the established or burgeoning friendships, the show was captivating. The sit-in by the students protesting the unfair treatment of Samu and Omar was a highlight of the season, and it took place in the first episode. The way Samu bats for Rebe is heartwarming – he’d broken her heart and Rebe refuses to let anyone in even though she’s obviously falling for Mencía. Samu makes certain Rebe and Mencía get to spend time with each other, and by the season finale they not only end up together, but Rebe saves Mencía.
Guzmán and Samu had formed an unlikely bond during Season 3 and we see sparks of that friendship in this season. They support each other and refuse to hurt each other’s feelings. Guzmán is incensed when Ari uses personal information that Guzmán had shared with her against Samu, when in the past he would have applauded her. And during the finale, Samu and Rebe are by Guzmán’s side, protecting him following the murder of Armando.
Samu is a wonderful friend throughout this season. At one point, he’s housing Rebe and Mencía, both of whom have run away from home, and he’s coaxing Omar and Ander out of their mutual heartbreak. The season was stronger when it focused on the strong friendships of the characters.
Didn’t Work: The Love Triangles
The romantic intrigue of this show is one of its highlights. You never know who’s going to fall for whom and how that will impact their social standing. Elite has successfully implemented love triangles and threesomes before, but this season tries and fails to capitalize on the trope. The two love triangles this season focus on Ari/ Guzmán/ Samu and Patrick/ Omar / Ander. Neither of them makes any sense.
Guzmán is still in a relationship with Nadia when he’s suddenly interested in Ari. Samu is still heartbroken over Carla Roson Caleruega (Ester Expósito) when Ari catches his eye. Ari is abrasive with both of them, yet they still keep coming back. Ari humiliates Samu in front of the entire school using information shared by Guzmán, and even that doesn’t deter them. Ari cheats on Guzmán with Samu but won’t reveal she’s with Samu either. There’s no reason for this indecision other than filling time by the writers. At one point, Ari reveals that she loves them both, which seemed like an opportunity for the three of them to start a polyamorous relationship, which is another Elite staple. But the writers don’t go through with it. Thankfully, by the finale, Guzmán leaves for a backpacking trip, and it seems like Ari and Samu will be openly together. There was no need to drag that arc out for eight episodes.
The other triangle is somehow even worse. Ander meets Patrick and is immediately smitten by him. That’s understandable as Patrick has been cast and written to be alluring. But the writers can’t decide whether Patrick is a manipulative cad driving a wedge between Omar and Ander, or he’s a young man desperate for love. Patrick has no personality other than being an object, of desire or hate. The writers can’t even decide if Patrick likes Ander or Omar or both or neither or the other way around. Yes, this triangle is that confusing.
Patrick starts off by manipulating Ander to meet up in exchange for the test answers that will save Omar’s scholarship. Later, he explains to Omar that he’s looking for a soulmate, but then immediately agrees to a threesome. Suddenly Omar is looking at Patrick like he’s his soulmate, but nothing comes off that. Ander carries on a clandestine relationship with Patrick, but to him there are no strings attached. Does Patrick know that? He obviously doesn’t, because in the end, Patrick’s the one who's alone and with a broken heart, while Omar and Ander profess undying love for each other, yet again. What was the point of this entire ménage à trois? The whole thing was more infuriating than compelling, because none of these three characters would communicate anything to each other. Just sit down and talk already!
Season 4 of Elite felt like it was fighting itself to be both a story about friendships forged by fire and racy romances that tear people apart. The final product was overly dramatic but poorly executed. Yes, it looked fantastic, but it felt underbaked. After three solid seasons, this new instalment did a disservice to the characters, a few of whom are not returning, thus leaving them with unfulfilled arcs and disappointed viewers.