Merlí. Sapere Aude (2019–2021) User Reviews

Breath of Fresh Air

[markchanmusic · 8/10 · 23 December 2022]

< Merlí: Sapere Aude > The series I didn't know I needed till I watched it.

Tired of American attitude, accent and acquisition, British make believe and bluster I clicked on the Spanish - Catalan "Merlí: Sapere Aude" currently showing on Netflix Boy am I glad I did!

We are thrown into the lives of a group of young Spanish, Argentian, French, American students freshly enrolled in a university in Barcelona and their pungent, unforgettable tutors and family.

Parachuting into philosophy and metaphysics, the series somehow NEVER bores, never turns hysterical and always finds a new emotional twist and turn even as it proffers eye candy, heartbreak, coming of age, humour and some magnificent classroom teaching... I am reminded of my time in uni and am made both young and wiser What a pleasure, what a serendipitous gift in the midst of Netflix sameism.

It lures you in, reinvents a tough time, presents an attractive, cleaned up (it is TV yet) version, modern, young, culturally different - an alternative, human and inspiring parallel world.

This alone is worth the 'click' to view both 8 episode seasons.

Carlos Cuevas as Pol Rubio is the centrepiece of this quiet storm, physically perfect with the devilish eyes of a Leonardo Salai and intellect and raw emotion to break your heart.

Maria Pujalte as philosophy professor Maria Bolano is so convincing I want to meet her and attend her classes and laugh, yes laugh along with her acerbic defiance.

I'm glad I'm old enough, young enough to enjoy this.

I'm watching it again as I write this .. Must watch - 2 Thumbs Up 👍👍

Witty and sexy

[Alexanders-2 · 8/10 · 27 December 2022]

I have not seen Merlí, but have no problem getting into this sequel. This is partly due to the really good actors, and partly, of course, to the story, which I was a little skeptical about at first, because lately I find too many Spanish series with pretty boys and naked butts on Netflix. However, that's really only an accessory here, because this series doesn't want to be a telenevola with hot Latinos. The title says it all, dare to be wise - we are dealing with philosophy, or rather with students who study philosophy at the university in Barcelona and struggle with various lecturers, good or bad grades and of course the obligatory love affairs. You quickly realize that Barcelona has more to offer than a few beautiful neighborhoods, and those who want to can work through ethical and philosophical questions, sometimes humorously. A really successful mixture.

Solid Performances reflecting college life at an international university

[gpkkda · 7/10 · 6 March 2022]

This is a 20's something show about life, school, sex, and relationships. While purported to be freshmen, it is clear that many of the 1st year students are likely in their early 20s, some still living at home, others near campus.

The dynamics is centered around love, life, and arousal of a group of philosophy majors. The premise makes for an interesting and broad story as attitudes adjust through the awareness of what they learn. In this youth oriented era, sexuality is loosely defined, breaking down strict barriers between gay and straight. While their are some characters are fall definitely into these roles, the main cast finds the convenience of sex with whomever is closer at the moment of passion, regardless of gender.

The adults play a smaller yet significant role as they deal with the realities of life. As with all people, sometimes the responses are mature and at other times impulsive or conform to long held beliefs. To that end, seeing them as imperfect creates authenticity.

As an American, I do enjoy the European view of Trump, guns, and violence. We so often look at other nations as being dangerous, wreak less, and cesspool of crime, yet ignore the very same, if not larger issues here at home. It is good to look at ourselves through the eyes of others. There is much to learn from the few lines of dialog that addresses Spain's view of the US.

It is interesting that while American TV has all but abolished smoking; as there are proven studies that it has a direct influence on use and acceptance, in Europe it capture as part of the realism of society. I won't deny that I would prefer a smoke-free environment but I am mindful that I am guest invited to watch a show produced outside of my sterile world.

My only complaint with the show is a relatively small scene in the 5th episode. As one of the characters walks through a gay bar, it is seedy, dim, sex is occurring against every bare wall, and drug use is rampant. For a show that tears down stereotypes and provides a refreshing view of human sexuality, that scene fell upon every trope about gay people and what many conservatives believe happens. It was an insult to the LGBT community and I hope the showrunners learn from the error of their ways.

Sans the stumble in episode 5, it is a compelling drama of young people finding their way in life. The fact that many struggle financially also brings greater realism to the characters...a point often missed in US shows. A solid show with much to offer those willing to open their minds and take a meandering but thought provoking ride through the lives of our next generation.

Homage to a drama from Cataluña

[davidmiller_uk · 10/10 · 10 July 2022]

What a beautiful series this has been. I hadn't realised it was a follow-up to an earlier drama, so I shall be searching out the original now. But as for this, I found it to be utterly beguiling. Every character was so believable, with all the frailties and vulnerabilities of youth, but with marvellous performances from 'older' cast members too. It felt effortlessly authentic, a testament to the level of acting, direction and production of all involved. Beautiful and so moving.

Fantastic sequel to the greatest series of all time!

[henryllama · 10/10 · 26 March 2020]

Absolutely loved it...maybe not as much as the original series...but quite good. Focuses on Pol Rubio as he starts his university studies in philosophy. Most action involves the colleagues that Pol meets at the "Uni" (Mineva, Rai, Biel, Oti, Amy, Etienne...) and some of the story involves Bruno Bergeron. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

Exceptional

[JamisonRiverwood · 10/10 · 8 March 2022]

Merli is one of the better LGBTQ series. Wonderful cast of characters and well directed. The philosophical scenes were inspired and the Bolena actress did an excellent job. Occasionally the subtitles seemed to make the dialogue a bit puzzling, sort of jumping the track. The music was amazingly fitting. Would like to know where I might obtain the second season.

Epic series

[jcarlosrapt · 10/10 · 28 February 2022]

Is one of the best series I have ever watched, collected really great actresses and actors. Very diverse, clever made and brilliant stories of their lives. Must watch!

It depends

[richardfurman · 6/10 · 22 May 2022]

Part 1 If you come to this series hoping to see a continuation of Bruno and Pol, you will be disappointed. The writer did a massive disservice to the Bruno character by denying him any real storyline, and essentially reduced him to nothing more than a jealous, insecure, and petty jerk with little depth. He's someone who outs his best friend, hurts and humiliates the guy he loves just to prove a point, and constantly pushes Pol to admit something he doesn't understand about himself and is not ready or able to give. This is the same character who came back from Rome to be with Pol 3 weeks earlier at the end of Merli. It's easy to understand why David Solans walked away from the series when the writer wouldn't change the story. Even worse, the writer completely deletes the character from the second season, and the third that would bring them full circle was canceled. If you are curious what happens to the pair, read "Yo, Pol Rubio." Even despite the hatchet job in SA season 1, all roads still lead to Bruno Bergeron.

Part 2 If you temper your expectations about Bruno & Pol, Sapere Aude is a good series. It's focused on Pol as he starts the journey inspired by Merli, his friend and first mentor. At university, he finds a challenging new mentor in Professor Maria Bolano, along with a new friends, new loves, and new adversity - all that help him to live, learn, love, grow, and understand himself on his path to becoming a new Merli. The show is well acted and directed. I loved the interactions between Rubio and Bolano. Both are human characters struggling trying to find their way or find their way back. His new circle of friends is good, though I would happily devote far less screen time to Biel and Minerva. Oti is a likeable, but odd character who becomes a close friend and confidant for Pol (think Tania/Bruno). Not a huge fan of Rai personally, but I understand his purpose in the story and the lesson he offers Pol.

As I said, Sapere Aude is a good series on its own, but I think Hector could have come up with something far better and on the same caliber as Merli. As it stands, the 2 seasons of Sapere Aude are a half-finished story that leaves key characters and fans hanging after the ending of Merli.

Outstanding... especially season 2.

[jasonjbryan · 10/10 · 11 April 2023]

Having watched season one and enjoyed it, I felt season 2 would be similar. But this is actually outstanding this season. The acting, the storyline, the emotions, several episodes in this season have been incredible. The soundtrack too is very special and especially the closing piece to this episode.

Congratulations to the writers, directors produces etc for telling this emotional story and thanks to Carlos Cuevas for taking this on. One can't quite believe when you enter episode 2 what to expect but its handled with real honesty and beauty. Now one of my favourite all time shows I will recommend on so many levels.

Unfinished Business

[chadryoung · 6/10 · 24 December 2022]

I was wanting to be able to give this a 10 but couldn't. Underdeveloped characters and underdeveloped story lines. Mostly in Season 2. Why introduce Pol's health issue if you're not going to go further into what it's like for someone to test positive and what they go through after? Why introduce Axel if you're not going to develop his and Pol's relationship? I wanted more of both. To not have Axel at the end was a bad writing decision. Both storylines could have been tied to his studies. Pol's behavior when it came to anything outside of school was that of an immature child.

Maybe it's a cultural thing, but are Spanish people this rude and disrespectful? Victoria was the worst. She was mean for sport. Gloria wasn't much better the way she treated Pol's father. They way they speak to each other was awful. And it kept happening over and over. Total turnoff.

Loved it! Sexy, funny and interesting.

[arivera-58437 · 8/10 · 9 March 2023]

This show came up on my Netflix recommendations and I'm glad I gave it a chance. Interesting, different, funny and sexy. You will fall in love with Barcelona and Carlos Cuevas character Pol. Although is a spinoff you don't have to watch the original show to enjoy it but after I watched the original, some things made more sense, especially in the beginning. The first season has some filler characters and storylines that felt unnecessary but they were gone by season 2. So the story focuses more on Pol and that makes the final season better. Overall a very enjoyable show with some clever writing and quirky characters.

Good series, but what happened to Bruno???

[jethsia · 6/10 · 18 March 2024]

I wanted to give this series 10 stars because I am so invested in it. It is beautiful and I still encourage people to watch it. It involved multiple themes, like philosophy, LGBT, the stigma around HIV/AIDS, the class divide, different relationship or social dynamics, and more.

BUT, there is a massive problem with how the writers and directors developed Bruno's character. The least you can do for a character that needs to leave a show is to give viewers some explanation of how that character left. Bruno suddenly vanishing away without any clear explanation is already problematic enough. Pol, the Venezuelan guy, and all the other characters forgetting him and acting like he never existed just makes it so much worse. If I recall correctly, he wasn't mentioned even for a single bit in Season 2.

It fails to connect in many ways

[hltvcomar · 5/10 · 29 November 2021]

Merlí was simply one of the greatest series ever made. Besides the grandiosity of Merlí, the rest of the cast was outstanding, and the script made them flow naturally between each other. The story was believable, emotional, deep and it's all about character development.

Merlí. Sapere Aude fails in all this. It seems to be a gathering of non-believable characters put together to spin around Paul. It just doesn't connect with anything. None of the characters connect the viewer.

Where is the connection to Merlí? The series is set 3 weeks after the Merlí story ends, and it's like that universe ceased to exist. Besides from Bruno and Calduch, which make shallow appearances. Where is Tania? Where is Bruno's sister? Where is Ivan? These people can't just disappear from one day to the next, specially when the story's main character had such strong connections with them.

The script fails to achieve a new story and tries too much to separate itself from Merlí. It just doesn't work. It's disappointing to see how the same script writer can make something so beautiful as Merlí and fall down into something that no depth at all.

I'd much rather see a Merlí Prequel than a Paul sequel written like this.

Brilliant!

[mmillington554 · 10/10 · 14 April 2023]

An exceptionally well written, acted, and directed series. A group of first year philosophy students come to terms with both student life and their own sexual identities as the series develops. It manages to get over some very complex philosophical concepts with relative ease, relating them to the thoughts and actions of the characters, demonstrating that philosophy has practical applications and is not all esoteric. The characters are well developed over the course of the two series, dealing with the inequalities of existence, the hard knocks of life, as well as the highs. The sex scenes were convincingly erotic. Carlos Cuevas does a brilliant job as the lead.

So enchanting

[toshea-51086 · 10/10 · 11 January 2024]

When characters develop like beautiful flowers right before your eyes you know you have both a great script & director. Everyone in this great story, flaws & all, are mesmerizing. The acting is flawless. You find yourself really caring about their lives & outcomes. One of my favorite finds on Netflix. The story centers on Pol & Bruno from the earlier story of Merlí. Pol is in university trying to find his feet & at a loss because of Merlí's passing. Pol & Bruno commiserate over Merlí & remain friends although Bruno is still in love with Pol. The characters are beautifully developed & continue to grow under the tuteledge of their pholosophy professor played by the marvelous Maria Pujalte with a stand out performance.

What a huge disappointment

[ojaim · 4/10 · 22 March 2022]

Not only do you completely reduce the son of Merli to an almost meaningless side character but you don't even mention him in the second season? Though I don't know what's worse... him leaving and never being mention again or him staying and being a side character and third wheel between Pol and his new love interest again. Consider the plot of season 2 is almost the same as season 1.

Script alternates between boring philosophical discussions and Sex!

[qui_j · 5/10 · 2 March 2022]

Merli was a good series. It had substance. This sequel lacks that substance and depth. It's more of a cross between "L'Auberge Francaise" and "Elite". The script simply alternates boring philosophical discussions, a few anti-American digs, and sex of all varieties. So, not a winner at all!

Season 2: This continues in the same vein as Season 1, but deals with a particular illness for which Barcelona serves as the epicenter in Spain. The characters do not seem to have become more mature, and the pattern of inserting scenes which have little relevance to the main story, continues. The same boring philosophical discussions continue, adding little to the series. It's interesting to see how university education there appears to be very flexible with students being able to drop in and out of classes as it suits them.

spectare non aude...

[hakra1 · 3/10 · 26 March 2023]

Merli is a great series and Carlos Cueva, who acted kind of second lead next to Merli, deserved a spin off for his great performance.

Unfortunately this spin off is quite bad.

While Merli was about philosophy, psychology daily life troubles and full of great actings, Sapere Aude (by the way a ridiculous and boastful title for a series that has nothing to know or think about) has nothing of it, but only shows the homosexual relations of Pol.

With the exception of the alcoholic university teacher there is mostly nothing else happening around, all the side characters are shallow, not developed and spin in an unbelievable way around the too main character Pol. It's disappointing to see how the same script writer can make something so beautiful as Merlí and fall down into something that has no depth at all but is only about a lot of male nude butts.

As almost nothing happend and some actings are quite painfull (so the contraty of the original season were everything and everybody worked together in a round and believable way) I didnt watch season 2.

Too superficial

[aspropoupoulos · 1/10 · 10 July 2022]

I recently watched heartstopper. I have to say that even the main characters are school students, the series is much more mature and targeted to adults than this one. The superficiality of the main characters combined with the Spanish culture is just something I can not relate to at all. I was once a college student, but still why can I not relate?... Nevermind.