Not sure why we persisted with this but really, really glad did we did (and please note the sarcasm in that statement).
Turns out this is a comedy and we just hadn't understood that until now. We hadn't realized that's what was intended until we got well into this second last episode of an agonizingly long series.
From just bad and ridiculous plot with silly writing, this has now descended into the realms of total farce. At several points in this episode, my wife and I were so amazed at what we were seeing that we found ourselves on the verge of laughing.
Only then did it strike us at pretty much the same time. This whole series was intended to be taken as a comedy. Wow. Who knew?
For example, Bruce ends up taking a couple of hostages at gunpoint and just to emphasize the humour of the surreal scene, he has one of them turn on the radio just so they can all join in a group sing along of the Bee Gees "Staying Alive".
Get it? Held at gunpoint? Fearing for their lives. Gee. Subtle. But oh so funny.
Meanwhile, since they have nothing better to do (like escape???), Berlin and Damian crash a wedding banquet at the hotel and break into a song duet thus emphasizing their reconciliation but not much else. Wouldn't have been quite so bad if either could sing well but ... er, no, they can't really sing. But at least it was funny. Well, it must have been as our eyes were watering with the tears it was so ridiculous.
Or maybe they were tears of pain; I'm not sure.
You get the idea.
In a desperate attempt to save the plot, the characters of Raquel and Alicia are introduced as police brought in from Spain to investigate since they would know Spanish criminals better than the French police obviously. Well, of course they would. And naturally, this being a prequel to Money Heist, Alicia and Raquel are best mates back in the old days and that is emphasized of course by the over-the-top friendliness of the two. Oh the irony ... knowing what we know from what eventually happens in Money Heist as we all do. Oh so subtle.
The good news is there's only 1 episode to go and then we can be put out of our misery. The bad news is that we still have to watch it. Groan.