The series ‘Merlí. Sapere Aude’ follows Pol, who is challenged and attracted by new friends and an intimidating professor when he enrolls in university to pursue a philosophy degree. It is now streaming on Netflix.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Summary
Pol Rubio looks for work in a variety of locations and drops off his resume at the market. On his way out, he runs across his father, Alfonso, and his schoolteacher, Gloria. There, the teacher hands him an essay that he wrote as a child. Pol meets the ghost of Merli at one of the subway stops and chats to him about his future. He enrolls in the University of Barcelona to pursue a degree in philosophy.
Biel and Oti, Pol’s new friends, are introduced to him. He goes to the library with Biel and meets Minerva, an Argentine student. Bruno, on the other hand, frequents the café with his university friends, Angel and Sara. Pol plans to return his wallet to Rai, a new university colleague who had left it.
Oti goes to visit Minerva, whom she summons from a window in her flat that faces the Augustus Temple. When Pol and his father discuss moving in with Gloria, they get into a fight. Bruno and Pol go for a stroll, and Pol expresses his desire to be Merli and bathe naked on a beach.
Bruno and his buddies are walking down the street until they come to a halt in front of the museum, where Bruno shows them Pol’s photograph.
Biel pays a visit to Minerva’s residence and calls her from the Augustus Temple. Minerva, on the other hand, is not present. She is employed as a waitress. She meets Rai there. Minerva quits her work since her boss isn’t paying her, and she and Rai dash through the city’s streets.
Bolano and his daughter go grocery shopping near her home. They eat supper together at home, and after her daughter has left, she phones her to see if she has made it to the bus.
Pol accepts to live with Gloria after consulting with his father. The next day, Pol and his father go to Gloria’s house and shift. Bolano is working on her folder exercise with Pol, who is late to class.
Bruno pays a visit to the auditorium with La Calduch, Bruno’s grandma, and Merli’s mother, to whom they will present a reward. In their apartment, La Calduch and Bruno discuss Merli’s tombstone and epitaph. Meanwhile, at the beach, Minerva meets an Argentine buddy named Jorge. They have dinner together in his place after that.
When Pol arrives, Bruno is at the restaurant, talking with his buddies. Bruno leaves with Pol after ringing the doorbell. They were both eating ice cream while wandering around the streets, but they got into a quarrel. Pol writes on Merli’s tombstone in the parking lot.
Minerva hosts a party on her roof. She tosses the keys at Biel through the Temple of Augustus’ window. Meanwhile, Rai and Pol bring Biel’s coffin through the streets to Minerva’s apartment for the party, with which they will create a joke.
Bruno and his grandmother, La Calduch, prepare to receive an award for her professional career as an actor in the University Auditorium.
Minerva and Rai are playing tennis as Henry is watching. He works as a servant for her mother. He informs them that she will be selling her home in Calella. Vicky, Rai’s mother, Rai’s aunt Esther, and Rai’s pals all hang out in the locker rooms. Vicky and Rai talk about selling the house there.
On a rainy day, Pol walks out of class and stops to buy cigarettes. There, he meets Bolano, who is inebriated and drives her home in a taxi that they hail from the pub.
Because Bruno has told Pol’s father that they are more than friends, Bruno and Pol fight on the street. Bruno and his buddies discuss their disagreement with Pol. Later, Angel plays in a homosexual pub, where he is seen by Bruno, his friends, and Pol.
Biel and Minerva sit on the stairwell and converse. He massages her back, and she tells him that Red Velvet is her favorite cake. Biel later visits a pastry store and purchases Red Velvet pastry for Minerva.
With Vicky’s two friends, Esther and Rai’s mother play tennis. Because Esther has a connection with Rai, the two sisters clash there. From the club pool, Henry phones Rai to explain the situation. Later, at the auction house, both sisters talk.
Later, Rai announces that he is going to throw a party at his house.
If you have any doubts from the ending, here’s a full breakdown.
Merlí. Sapere Aude ending explained in detail:
Rai’s party
Pol, all changed, suited on a train goes to Rai’s party at his house. At the party, he clears up his relationship with Bruno and his intention, during the night at party. Bruno gets offended and goes away from him.
Henry talks to Minerva from the Temple of Augustus to convince her to go to the party. He tells her there’s a gift for her. He tells her about it which makes her upset and she goes to the party and declines the gift. However, she kisses Rai saying she will just have a drink. Biel is upset about the way Rai being a rich lad gets his way with Minerva.
In the bathroom, Oti’s boyfriend finds her in a bathing robe and she tells him that she wants to bathe as a rich person but really, she was cheating on him with the American flatmate of Minerva.
Minerva accepts the gift but as a loan. Rai and Minerva hook up as Pol sees them. Pol and Bruno fight and Bruno hits Pol. Pol tells him that he is not in love with him.
Pol decides to leave the party but is confronted with Rai who insists that the best part of the party is due. Anybody can win a vintage motorbike but the person needs to find the letter M in the swimming pool and that too naked, which Pol wins by cheating and the help of Rai. Pol and Angel take a motorcycle ride through the streets of the city.
Denial
Meanwhile, Bolano is in the hospital after cutting herself on glass. She is kept in the psych ward for observation. She argues with her best student and now, a fellow professor with her in university about alcoholism.
Bolano returns to the university and accuses her colleague of stealing her job. Pol and his friends return to university to find out some other professor is going to teach them. However, Bolano shows up and gets her class back.
Later, Pol goes to meet Bolano at the greenhouse as he is concerned about her and that everyone has started talking about it. She tells him that she is not his Merli, which Pol disagrees with. She realises her denial state and goes to her friend for comfort.
Family, friends and mentor
Pol and Rai go swimming and afterwards have a conversation about their friendship, which leads to a kiss. When Pol gets home, his father inquires about the location of the motorcycle, and the two engage in a friendly debate about sexuality.
To get back to class, Pol parks his motorcycle in front of the University building. As he travels down the corridor, he crosses the path with his new mentor, Bolano, and he is having a good time with his pals.
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