Conflict, Resolution, and Negotiations
CAS 404
Conflicting Causes: Greed or Justice?
An analysis of Money Heist and Interpersonal Conflict
Conflict is an important narrative to establish in any movie or TV show. Conflict is intended to drive a plot and assume character roles. According to Hocker and Wilmot, conflict is an expressed struggle between at least two interdependent parties who perceive incompatible goals, scarce resources, and interference from others in achieving their goals through verbal or nonverbal communication (3). Communication behavior can generate, escalate, and prevent a conflict. A show that is predominantly surrounded by communicative management of conflict. A play in which the characters and the relationships between them provide most of the heart of the show, la casa de Papel, is filled with many interpersonal conflicts. Money Heist, or La Casa De Papel, is one of Netflix's most popular series. It is a Spanish TV series about a multi-day assault on Madrid's Royal Mint of Spain. The operation is run by Sergio, famously known as, Professor, from an external location and eight robbers inside the Mint. The robbers are battling interpersonal conflict with hostages and the police and intrapersonal conflict within themselves.
Communication is vital in this show, as every move relies on communicating with one another. Once contact is absent, chaos arises. In this show, I would like to concentrate on two interdependent parties: the professor and inspector Raquel Murillo, who oversees the negotiation process with the professor on behalf of the FBI. Sergio, also known as big brother, controlled police cameras, watched eighteen cameras from within the mint and negotiated with police to buy time. The goal for these robbers was to buy time so they could print unmarked euros, approximately 800 million euros per hour, from within the mint. The core values the professor instilled in these robbers during the five months he prepped them was never to allow any relationship to interfere with the heist and no blood to be shed, as they would then be convicted as murderers. The robbers would print unmarked euros and escape underground peacefully, but things don't go according to plan. Romantic relationships were created, and human error was the downfall of the operation. The goal for the detectives is also to buy time, diffuse the situation, and end the heist peacefully.
Inspector Murillo is the most competent and respectful of the FBI agents. Her communication skills with her team are clear and direct. She constantly reiterates how she wants smoother communication and assures that each member has a lot to contribute to this operation. Murillo's close interaction with the professor, both during and outside negotiations, tests her exigency and enjoyment, both of which are at odds with her. The professor and inspector develop a personal relationship when he encounters inspector Murillo at a coffee shop and overhears her conversation...
