Season 4 of the teen drama Elite will begin streaming later this month, and leading up to its release, Netflix is dropping Elite: Short Stories, a series of shorts that will feature a handful of characters from past seasons and provide viewers with a glimpse into their lives. But for those looking to catch up quickly, here's a quick breakdown of everything to know about the series before new episodes start streaming.
Season 1 of Elite centers around Nadia (Mina El Hammani), Samuel (Itzan Escamilla) and Christian (Miguel Herrán), a group of teenagers from San Esteban, a public high school in Spain. After their school collapses, the trio finds themselves in an entirely new environment -- a posh private school called Las Encinas. Although it's made up almost entirely of the rich and ultra-privileged, nothing is as simple as it seems.
Beginning with a flash-forward, the first installment of the teen drama lays out the framework for the entirety of the season. The additional flash-forwards, shown frequently throughout the series, depict a murder mystery and ongoing investigation, where, at one point or another, nearly every character is questioned by detectives. With the exception of a few, the members of the ensemble cast are portrayed through scenes involving copious amounts of sex, drugs, lies, betrayal and murder.
By the end of the first eight episodes, viewers are privy to the fact that Marina (María Pedraza) was murdered and pregnant with Nano's (Jaime Lorente) child, Nano was arrested for the murder of Marina even though Polo (Álvaro Rico) killed her with a trophy and Polo's girlfriend, Carla (Ester Expósito), is covering for him.
But while the whodunnit aspect of the series is fascinating in its own right, what makes Elite so addicting is the show's ability to develop characters that are just as sympathetic as they are absurdly unrelatable. From unintentional love triangles and coming out stories to an HIV diagnosis and the blackmailing of a teacher, Elite's first season is nothing if not a wild ride.
In the first episode of Season 2, Christian gets hit by a car and winds up in the hospital, which, unfortunately, marks the end of his character. In his absence, however, three new characters are bought in: Rebeka (Claudia Salas), Valerio (Jorge López) and Cayetana (Georgina Amorós). Given that Season 2 picks up directly where Season 1 left off, Polo still hasn't been caught, and as a result, this outing's flash-forward mystery revolves around Samuel's sudden disappearance.
To further add to the drama, Valerio turns out to be Lu's (Danna Paola) half-brother, and the two have been in an incestuous relationship for years. Cayetana is also faking her identity, and Valerio records Nadia having sex with Guzmán (Miguel Bernadeau), and Lu leaks it. By the end of the season, it's shown that Samuel isn't dead or missing but is working with Guzmán to capture Marina's killer. Eventually, Carla confesses that Polo killed Marina, with Polo later shown walking away in handcuffs.
In comparison to the first season, the second outing of Elite feels slightly out of step. The absurdity is there but the cliffhanger ending is more than a bit anti-climactic. That said, there are a few compelling moments, most of which involve Nadia and her brother, Omar (Omar Ayuso), that help make up for the few rough patches.
Season 3 begins with another flash-forward and another dead body. After the deceased is revealed to be Polo, the third installment develops its central mystery -- tracking down the culprit. Throughout the season, Ander (Arón Piper) finds out he has leukemia, another thruple is born (this time between Polo, Cayetana and Valerio), Nadia's new boyfriend, Malick (Leïti Sene), is closeted and hooks up with her brother, Rebeka, Samuel and Valerio are expelled for dealing drugs and Lu is finally revealed Polo's killer.
During a murder pact of sorts, the group of Las Encinas students bands together to protect Lu. They decide to touch the murder weapon to tamper with the evidence and give conflicting eyewitness statements, each accusing a different person of the crime.
In refreshing contrast to the melodramatics of Season 2, Elite's third season ends happily for essentially every character -- well, except for Cayetana, who is the school's new janitor. Lu, Nadia and Malick are off to New York, Guzmán says he'll wait for Nadia, Carla decides to study abroad, Omar and Ander (who is now in remission) get back together and all of the expelled students are allowed to repeat their last year of high school. And to the show's credit, this feel-good ending doesn't come off as lazy writing.
Season 4 is shaping up to have everything Elite is best known for -- lots of sex, drugs, lies and mystery. And judging by the teaser, another murder is also likely to be on the horizon. While several fan-favorites won't be returning, Samuel, Guzmán, Ander, Omar, Cayetana and Rebeka are spending another year at Las Encinas. And at least four new faces will be joining them, meaning the series has a chance to develop fresh stories.
Created by Carlos Montero and Darío Madrona, Elite stars María Pedraza, Itzan Escamilla, Miguel Bernardeau, Miguel Herrán, Jaime Lorente, Álvaro Rico, Arón Piper and Mina El Hammani. The first episode of Elite: Short Stories is available on June 14 and Season 4 starts streaming June 18.
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