The Spanish teen drama Elite, streaming on Netflix, has always been a rollercoaster of scandal, sex and class struggle, wrapped in the opulent setting of Las Encinas, a school for the rich and the privileged. For seven seasons, the show created by Darío Madrona and Carlos Montero managed to keep us hooked with least-expected plot twists, complex characters and a close look at social issues. But the eighth and final season is anything but the thrilling conclusion you would have wanted.
The driving plot point of Elite Season 8 is the arrival of wealthy siblings Emilia (Ane Rot) and Héctor (Nuno Gallego), who hack into Las Encinas’ network to introduce the seniors to The Alumni, an exclusive, invite-only organisation that promises ‘pleasure, freedom and contacts’.
Chloe (Mirela Balic) and Eric (Gleb Abrosimov) — now a couple — along with Sonia (Nadia Al Saidi), Nico (Ander Puig) and Sara (Carmen Arrufat) listen to the Alumni’s pitch and are keen on joining. Héctor is interested in Joel (Fernando Líndez) — who he is attracted to — joining The Alumni, while Joel is already in a complicated relationship with Iván (André Lamoglia) that is marked by as much conflict as passion.
To decide who will receive her support, Emilia pits Chloe against Isadora (Valentina Zenere). Isadora, whose once-wealthy family is now broke, isn’t about to reveal her financial woes to Emilia or anyone else and is desperate to join The Alumni to improve her stature. As the students try to upend each other in order to earn a spot in The Alumni, a murder completely shakes up the group’s dynamics.
A central theme throughout the previous seasons has been how the school Las Encinas morally corrupts its students by pitting rich students against those who are on scholarships. Elite Season 8 delves into this power play, with both new and returning characters contributing to the murder mystery. However, the show has run so long that few surprises are left.
Elite Season 8 feels like a desperate attempt to recapture the magic of earlier seasons. The new characters lack the depth and complexity of their predecessors, and their storylines are equally shallow. The plot, once an edgy suspense thriller, is now a predictable maze of red herrings and obvious culprits. Season 8 does bring back Nadia (Mina El Hammani) from Season 1. She has some emotional scenes but her track comes across as superfluous to the plot.
