A psychological character sketch of ‘THE PROFESSOR’ (money heist)
Netflix just revealed that almost 44 million viewers have seen their Spanish thriller series ‘La Casa de Papel’ in the year 2019, which makes it one of the most-watched series in the history of television. There are numerous factors that helped the series achieve this feat like the direction, script, cast, even the general theme that it represents. However, as far as I am concerned, the most enticing part was the kind of complexity and sophistication that each character holds- which is as realistic as it gets. Unlike most other shows in T.V, money heist is a collection of real-life characters (needn’t necessarily be relatable to all) with characteristics of their own. It is true that it is not without flaws- certain characters reflect similar traits, which could possibly be a direct reflection of the director’s personality. However, this article here attempts to draw up a brief psychological sketch of one of the fan favourites from the show- ‘the professor’, played by Alvaro Morte (hopefully, without many spoilers).
The first thing that we notice in ‘the professor’ is, like anyone else, his physical appearance. His eyes are gentle, soft beard, tailored suit and a classic spectacle- all in all- a well-groomed nerd (at least that was what the director went for). The first psychological aspect that the character establishes is his intelligence- that he can come up with strategies and plans that others seldom see. He formulates his plans purely on the basis of his analysis of the situation. However, he lacks emotional intelligence. Throughout the series, we see that he struggles to understand what others feel (whereas he is a pro when it comes to understanding what others think). As we follow this character, we get to know more about the complexity of his psyche. He is a classic introvert in some aspects as he doesn’t talk much and avoid eye contact, but still showcase exemplary leadership skills (it is possible for introverts to have leadership qualities, but it is not common). He seems to have a philosophy of life or morality principle that guides him. We all have this sense of morality within us, which might not be always equivalent to social norms that we are familiar with. But, at least at times, we choose to ignore them. However, the professor appears to stick with this morality, no matter what.
Certain physical demeanours of the professor also add to the complexity of the character, like when he pushes his glasses or the way he adopts origami, when on the phone. These subtle nuances are showcased when he is anxious or tense, which might not be evident from his facial expressions. In general, the professor is a calm, disciplined and contained personality. If we observe closely, we can see that he almost always closes his body with his hands. He tries to hide his emotions with this mask- and succeeds to some extent as well.
The professor is a complete slave to his habits and routines. The way he eats, the way he sleeps, the way he trains, everything points to his adherence to his routines. His determination and consistency are also products of strictly following these personal habits. Sometimes, he shows characteristics of an OCD patient, repeating things several times to ensure perfection or arranging things in order like it’s a machine. However, it would be unfair to label him as a whole into a personality disorder. Instead, the title of ‘perfectionist’ suits him better. He always has a plan for everything, and he makes sure that he follows the plan.
Money heist is one of the very few shows with such well-developed characters. Apart from ‘the professor’, Tokyo, Berlin, Raquel, Nairobi, all have personalities of their own. However, it is difficult to paint a picture of any character without spilling off some spoilers, and I’d hate to spoil such a wonderful show for you. So that’s all for now…
Bella Ciao…
