Likewise, Marina finds herself at odds with her economic privilege, embracing the education and opportunities offered to her while rejecting the manicured facade that her family presents. Her HIV+ status, drug taking, relationships with Nano and Samuel, and discovery that her father has embezzled public funds leads her to realize the morally questionable behaviors involved to accumulate money and power.
Even Elite's comic relief mutates throughout its first season, twisting until all humor is wrung out and its characters are left gnarled and bruised. Christian, one of Samuel's friends and another working class newcomer at the exclusive high school, finds himself embroiled in a bizarre sexual farce with existing (and exorbitantly rich) couple Polo and Carla. As things progress, their relationship-which originally plays out like a twisted sex game lifted from Cruel Intentions-takes real shape; before long, the trio become a proper thruple. Other less confident shows might have made an issue over Christian and Polo's sudden same-sex experimentation, but Elite allows for a naturalistic portrayal of sexual fluidity that isn't a plot point, but instead, another facet of these character's development.
Where shows like Gossip Girl and The O.C. often took laissez-faire approaches to how they portrayed sexuality, Elite does just the opposite. The show's sweetest, and perhaps most nuanced plot involves tennis prodigy Ander and Omar, a Muslim drug dealer. Their romance, unlike the heightened melodrama of the other relationships on the show, is grounded and serious. We see the impact that internalized homophobia can have on young men, their fractured relationships with their fathers, the conflict between conservative, familial religious beliefs and sexuality, and, of course, the manifestation and impact of class difference in relationships. But their love is also tender, too, and from the scenes where they're kissing during their first venture to a gay bar to the moment when they're in bed together and first say "I love you," it feels cheek-blushingly intimate as you peek into the quiet privacy of two men exploring and shaping their identities.
At its core, though, Elite is a still a somewhat camp soap opera about the lives of teenagers, and it certainly has fun with it. It's hard not to feel a jolt of glee when future heiress Carla, clearly modeled on telenovelas villains, seduces another boy to help further her personal agenda or to cover up another crime. And the snobbish Lu, while deeply unlikeable, is so ferociously bitchy that her cutting jibes and offensive asides feel ripped straight from the Ryan Murphy playbook. She's also the subject of one of the show's wilder plots, something no good teen drama can do without: incest. When her drug-addled and over-sexed half-brother Valerio rocks up in the second season, their sibling rivalry, played initially for laughs, is a cover for the fact that the pair have definitely been playing the Naked Olympics together. But while, yes, you definitely shouldn't fuck your brother, Elite's sensitivity around sexuality means that you don't cast judgement on the pair. You see how isolated Lu is in her position as the school's Queen Bee, and Valerio, all his arrogance and unbridled hedonism, provides comfort and camaraderie (as well as sexual gratification...) to his lonely sister. Should they be doing it? Probably not, but Elite helps you understand why they might be.
Elite is layered, though, and heightened teenage melodramatics aside, the central simmering mysteries each season do hold up their own when held up against shows like The Sinner or The Killing. And, at only eight episodes a season, there's no space for things to become bloated either (making this the perfect coronavirus self-isolation binge watch, TBH). However, more than that, Elite plays out like a teenage fantasy, filled with the sort of intrigue, sexual gratification, and drama that most of us would have relished during our awkward teenage years. Even better, it does so with a wink, begging you to relinquish control of your seriousness and to let a little silly in. And did I mention that every single member of the cast is so good looking that it might give heart palpitations?
It also looks like this third season is something of a coda. While it has yet to be picked up for a fourth season, rumors are circulating that the show's creators are overhauling the cast for any future outings. It makes sense: as things stand for season three, these characters are on the edge-there's only so much incest, partying, and clandestine romance that one group of people can take. So take this opportunity to catch up and welcome this chaotic set of murderous, super horny group of Spanish teens into your life. I promise it'll help you feel young again.
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