MANILA – Fans have witnessed five incredible seasons of “La Casa De Papel,” otherwise known as “Money Heist,” through the years.

However, the time has come for the popular Netflix series to end.

As seen in the trailer for its final five episodes, the gang is still reeling from the death of Tokyo (Úrsula Corberó), while the enemy still lurks in the Bank of Spain, wounded but as dangerous as ever.

Facing their darkest hour and greatest challenge yet, the gang hatches a bold plan to get the gold out without anyone noticing. Matters become worse, however, when The Professor (Álvaro Morte) makes the biggest mistake of his life.

In a press conference on Tuesday night (Manila time), the cast and creators of “Money Heist” reunited to break down what fans could expect from its final installment, which will be available for streaming on Netflix this week.

Compared to the first volume, creator Esther Martinez Lobato vowed that the remaining episodes will certainly be more emotional.

“We went backwards, forward. We put all of the pieces of the puzzle together. We’d added some emotional parts, somehow the closing of who those characters are and giving the answers to help understand the whole universe of ‘Money Heist,’” she said.

Confessing they had a hard time writing it, creator Alex Pina added the “watershed moment” of Tokyo’s death really changed the show radically.

“It does veer towards the end, the end of the life of the characters who have co-lived with the fans around the world. These last chapters pay homage to all of them. They all find room in this final volume to show a bit of their heart and their soul. They are all super exciting,” he said.

While the last volume is still full of adrenaline rushes with unexpected twists and turns, director Jesus Colmenar think this one has a totally different pace.

“It’s not like a war-like confrontation. It’s a series that’s always in crescendo until the end, until the last episode. But this is a special one and different from what we’ve done.”

When asked why they think their show has gained a lot of following from all over the world, Corberó feels it has something to do with the different elements on the show that are “universal and relatable.”

“I think that’s the key question no one can answer. Each one of us has a different theory or assumption, but I think there’s something going on between the characters, it has a lot to do with family, love, brotherhood, sisterhood,” she said. “Those things go beyond borders.”

Meanwhile, Esther Acedo and Jaime Lorente, who play Stockholm and Denver, respectively, shared that the relationships they have built on the show is something they will absolutely treasure.

“When you are working on something that you are so passionate about that requires so much energy, work and passion, that creates a human bond within the team that is indestructible. In the show and in real life, it is true. We have a bond between us, particularly those of us who have worked closely together. It goes beyond the screen,” Acedo said.

“It is important to go to the beginning and explain how it all started. Everybody is aware of the success it has entailed. We started by having some beer and sharing our dreams. Many people put stakes here. People believed that this was a good product. I think that kind of confidence made us get together,” added Lorente.

Talking about the experience during their last shooting day, Morte said it was very emotional but also a beautiful time to remember.

“In this type of shooting, there are different teams. The day I finished, I actually finished with the same team that was shooting with me the very first day, so it was beautiful. I wasn’t by myself. It was very emotional. I was bawling,” he said.

Although it is hard to say goodbye to something good, Morte believes “the show is coming to an end when it has to come to an end.”

“It’s the perfect time. We cannot squeeze the characters anymore. We’ve taken the best from them and I think it’s a really smart decision to stop here. I also think it’s a way of giving to the fans what they truly deserve. We could have squeezed it a bit more but we would have been running the risk of everything coming to shambles,” he said.

For Morte and everyone else, leaving “Money Heist” while it is at its peak is a present they offer to their fans around the world.

Aside from Morte, Corbero, Lorente and Acebo, “Money Heist” also features Itziar Ituño, Pedro Alonso, Miguel Herrán, Enrique Arce, Darko Peric, Hovik Keuchkerian, Luka Peros, Belén Cuesta, Rodrigo de la Serna and Najwa Nimri, among others.

“Money Heist Part 5: Volume 2” will have a worldwide premiere via Netflix on December 3.