Merlí. Sapere Aude

< Merlí: Sapere Aude > The series I didn't know I needed till I watched it.

Tired of American attitude, accent and acquisition, British make believe and bluster I clicked on the Spanish - Catalan "Merlí: Sapere Aude" currently showing on Netflix Boy am I glad I did!

We are thrown into the lives of a group of young Spanish, Argentian, French, American students freshly enrolled in a university in Barcelona and their pungent, unforgettable tutors and family.

Parachuting into philosophy and metaphysics, the series somehow NEVER bores, never turns hysterical and always finds a new emotional twist and turn even as it proffers eye candy, heartbreak, coming of age, humour and some magnificent classroom teaching... I am reminded of my time in uni and am made both young and wiser What a pleasure, what a serendipitous gift in the midst of Netflix sameism.

It lures you in, reinvents a tough time, presents an attractive, cleaned up (it is TV yet) version, modern, young, culturally different - an alternative, human and inspiring parallel world.

This alone is worth the 'click' to view both 8 episode seasons.

Carlos Cuevas as Pol Rubio is the centrepiece of this quiet storm, physically perfect with the devilish eyes of a Leonardo Salai and intellect and raw emotion to break your heart.

Maria Pujalte as philosophy professor Maria Bolano is so convincing I want to meet her and attend her classes and laugh, yes laugh along with her acerbic defiance.

I'm glad I'm old enough, young enough to enjoy this.

I'm watching it again as I write this .. Must watch - 2 Thumbs Up 👍👍

Absolutely loved it...maybe not as much as the original series...but quite good. Focuses on Pol Rubio as he starts his university studies in philosophy. Most action involves the colleagues that Pol meets at the "Uni" (Mineva, Rai, Biel, Oti, Amy, Etienne...) and some of the story involves Bruno Bergeron. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

This show came up on my Netflix recommendations and I'm glad I gave it a chance. Interesting, different, funny and sexy. You will fall in love with Barcelona and Carlos Cuevas character Pol. Although is a spinoff you don't have to watch the original show to enjoy it but after I watched the original, some things made more sense, especially in the beginning. The first season has some filler characters and storylines that felt unnecessary but they were gone by season 2. So the story focuses more on Pol and that makes the final season better. Overall a very enjoyable show with some clever writing and quirky characters.

Merlí was simply one of the greatest series ever made. Besides the grandiosity of Merlí, the rest of the cast was outstanding, and the script made them flow naturally between each other. The story was believable, emotional, deep and it's all about character development.

Merlí. Sapere Aude fails in all this. It seems to be a gathering of non-believable characters put together to spin around Paul. It just doesn't connect with anything. None of the characters connect the viewer.

Where is the connection to Merlí? The series is set 3 weeks after the Merlí story ends, and it's like that universe ceased to exist. Besides from Bruno and Calduch, which make shallow appearances. Where is Tania? Where is Bruno's sister? Where is Ivan? These people can't just disappear from one day to the next, specially when the story's main character had such strong connections with them.

The script fails to achieve a new story and tries too much to separate itself from Merlí. It just doesn't work. It's disappointing to see how the same script writer can make something so beautiful as Merlí and fall down into something that no depth at all.

I'd much rather see a Merlí Prequel than a Paul sequel written like this.

Having watched season one and enjoyed it, I felt season 2 would be similar. But this is actually outstanding this season. The acting, the storyline, the emotions, several episodes in this season have been incredible. The soundtrack too is very special and especially the closing piece to this episode.

Congratulations to the writers, directors produces etc for telling this emotional story and thanks to Carlos Cuevas for taking this on. One can't quite believe when you enter episode 2 what to expect but its handled with real honesty and beauty. Now one of my favourite all time shows I will recommend on so many levels.