Merlí

One of my favorite television shows. Recently, I've been getting into shows from foreign countries. I happened to come upon this on Netflix after watching "Elite" and binged the first season in a weekend.

Merli is philosophy teacher who moves in with his mother and comes to teach at his son's school. There he builds unforgettable connections with the students as well as their parents and staff, beginning to help mend the broken lives and relationships that surround him. He isn't without his faults though; he's brash, brutally honest and a bit of a playboy. And he learns that sometimes just meaning well isn't enough.

This show is full of heartbreaking moments and moments that'll fill you with joy. Unfortunately Netflix only offers the first season and the last two seasons are hard to find on the internet but don't let this dissuade you. This is definitely something to watch if you're in the mood for a feel good show that teaches lessons of life and philosophy. Don't let the subtitles dissuade you either; if you're not a fan of foreign shows, you might miss out on this gem, which would be a travesty in many ways. Merli is worth the watch because it's the sort of show that will resonate it your heart long after you've finished it. Don't miss out on it!

I'd bet that if a commensurate TV series like Merli (Merlin) was in a more familiar European language or an American TV series, it would be a huge hit. It is in Catalan, a language spoken by about 10,000,000 people, most in Barcelona and its surrounding area. The concept is ingenious, but there are lots of ingenious concepts. What makes this a great show is that the realization of the concept is wonderful. Don't take my word for it. The series has already been optioned in the U.S., France, and other countries. A non-conforming high school philosophy teacher (philosophy in high school?) brings classroom learning to life, but also becomes a central agent of change in the lives of his students, their parents, and the other teachers. Life changing is not always positive. Merli is not a do-gooder. He is clever, deceptive, even desperate at times, but he knows who he is, and knows how the world works. The entire cast is terrific. The scripts are so smoothly written that the actors seems to just ease into the action. There is rarely a wrong note in the series. It's nothing like American TV shows about high school students that portray them as brats or goof balls or stereotypes. It's available with English subtitles. If you know a Romance language, you will probably catch some of the dialogue. Catalan seems a mix of Spanish, French and Italian. I am waiting for season two to be available. I binge watched the first season in four days.

Nothing, and I mean nothing, has ever messed me up like this brilliant show did, and the best thing about that is that among all the sad moments, there were a lot of really powerful happy moments that brought forth just as much if not more tears. I can't even begin to describe how important this show is, and I'm not sure if it's even possible to put it properly in words. Throughout the show, we see the evolution of each character, Merlí included, partly thanks to Merlí's amazing advice and their own initiative. The suffering and success faced by these characters is all explainable in some way or form, so When his teachings of philosophy go beyond the classroom and the characters apply these ideas to their own lives and relationships, the beauty of having a teacher who actually cares about connecting with their students in a non-superficial way really hit me. Each character that came and went left their mark, but their loss never felt out of place or useless. This show had me feeling nostalgic for characters and memories I've only been aware of for a few days, had me loving each and every one of the characters because an actual effort was made by the writers and actors to make them understandable, and had me sobbing at how absurdly perfect some moments were. This was beautifully written, beautifully filmed, beautifully acted, and powerful in its subtlety. Watch. This. Show. Watch it, fall in love with it, gain an interest in philosophy, pay attention, and allow yourself to really *think*. 10/10!

I happened to come across this while searching my ROKU for shows. I forget how or why this came across but, I don't know if I can add anything of value, that has not, already been stated. Being, that some, of my ancestors came from Spain and Portugal,I at first, wasn't sure where this was filmed at. At the 10th episode, I figured it out at the end of the shows credits. That prompted me, be inquisitive, to find out more about the Catalan language. I speak English, being in the US, and I do know some German. What confuses me is, there were words that dang near sounded like German. In fact, the use of a German umlaut in the Catalan language confuses me. Is this punctuation correct? I even see not only does a character in the show, have the last name of Grau (grey in German), two the actors also have German last names. Those two being Grösser and Franz. Can anyone explain this being that this part of Spain is in the Eastern section. I do see, when searching the Frence influences as well. My ancestors would have spoken Portuguese and/or proper Spanish. That aside, I think one, pays more attention to foreign TV/shows when it's not a language you understand. Yes, some the English translations/subs are not the best but, the characters do a terrific job with emotions and characters that one can understand. I wish MORE people, would see this show. I wish more people in general would take away these life seasons and take them to heart. You can't watch this show and not get emotional. Europe has always been a head of the US in social "graces". This is a prime example. I don't have to know what the actor/s are always saying, when you can FEEL the emotions. When you've been in similar circumstances as these characters portray, it pulls the heart strings! THIS...IS A MUST SEE show! Thank you to all who make this show what it is!

For such a gem to exists, one expects this quality from the powers of Hollywood or European origins. But for this to come out of a region in the corner of Europe and from dialectical language, not per se a primary color like English, French or Italian is truly fantastic. Its a beautiful language. I found myself glued to the screen. As a well read and also written author in an architectural genre, I am unfortunately not bi lingual, like many Americans. Catalonian culture brings for me the richness of Antonio Gaudi and art nouveau, but a great connection to the arts. The episodes in this series are named after famous philosophers from history but the plots and character development are well thought out. There-in lives a synonymity of philosophizing, the explanations of each icon like Plato and Aristotle, flowing together. Their theories of life meld with complex character development in a low budget production that doesn't feel that way at all or isn't made obvious. Each character seems to be as developed as the TOS Star Trek characters of Roddenberry. The symbolism of the Owl that appears in each episode speaks words of wisdom at the right time in the flow of the themes imagery and music. But the messages about acceptance and the balance of a carefree liberal approach to life compared to the staunch conservative values and boundaries illuminates the important things in life, our own universal loneliness and how each individual is important to the other. It shows us our strengths and weaknesses and how to recognize each. This is very well done. As an architect, photographer painter and author, I think this series promotes art as holistic and a necessary presence to balance the technical qualities of our everyday life. Form follows function and this show dares to mix the sacred with the profane with much tact and subtle nuance. Bravo Peter Lagomarsino, Satellite Beach FL USA