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 👍👍

Merli is one of the better LGBTQ series. Wonderful cast of characters and well directed. The philosophical scenes were inspired and the Bolena actress did an excellent job. Occasionally the subtitles seemed to make the dialogue a bit puzzling, sort of jumping the track. The music was amazingly fitting. Would like to know where I might obtain the second season.

What a beautiful series this has been. I hadn't realised it was a follow-up to an earlier drama, so I shall be searching out the original now. But as for this, I found it to be utterly beguiling. Every character was so believable, with all the frailties and vulnerabilities of youth, but with marvellous performances from 'older' cast members too. It felt effortlessly authentic, a testament to the level of acting, direction and production of all involved. Beautiful and so moving.

An exceptionally well written, acted, and directed series. A group of first year philosophy students come to terms with both student life and their own sexual identities as the series develops. It manages to get over some very complex philosophical concepts with relative ease, relating them to the thoughts and actions of the characters, demonstrating that philosophy has practical applications and is not all esoteric. The characters are well developed over the course of the two series, dealing with the inequalities of existence, the hard knocks of life, as well as the highs. The sex scenes were convincingly erotic. Carlos Cuevas does a brilliant job as the lead.

I have not seen Merlí, but have no problem getting into this sequel. This is partly due to the really good actors, and partly, of course, to the story, which I was a little skeptical about at first, because lately I find too many Spanish series with pretty boys and naked butts on Netflix. However, that's really only an accessory here, because this series doesn't want to be a telenevola with hot Latinos. The title says it all, dare to be wise - we are dealing with philosophy, or rather with students who study philosophy at the university in Barcelona and struggle with various lecturers, good or bad grades and of course the obligatory love affairs. You quickly realize that Barcelona has more to offer than a few beautiful neighborhoods, and those who want to can work through ethical and philosophical questions, sometimes humorously. A really successful mixture.