Before season 4 arrived on Netflix, hit Spanish series Elite dropped four “short stories” for fans to watch – just what are they, and how do they fit into the Las Encinas timeline? Major changes lie ahead for the characters at the center of Elite in season 4. When things last left off, the main cast had finally reached some semblance of peace after covering up the truth behind Polo’s (Álvaro Rico) death.
This left the Elite crew in a unique position. While some characters like Carla (Ester Expósito) and Lu (Danna Paola) won’t be a part of Elite season 4, much of the main cast are hanging around to repeat the year. Samuel (Itzan Escamilla), Guzmán (Miguel Bernardeau), Rebeka (Claudia Salas), Cayetana (Georgina Amorós), Omar (Omar Ayuso), and Ander (Arón Piper) will once again take to the halls of Las Encinas. They’ll be joined by some newcomers with scandalous secrets of their own, and as Elite‘s various trailers have hinted, a new mystery will soon unfold.
Before that, though, fans have the chance to see what came prior to Elite season 4. In June 2021, Netflix released four short stories intended to act as a bridge between Elite seasons 3 and 4. The four stories are broken up into three chapters each, ranging from 9 minutes in length to 16. Fans don’t have to worry about spoilers for season 4; everything takes place in the summer before the new school year, so before season 4 begins. This also means they are set before the final scene of Elite season 3, which saw everyone reuniting at Las Encinas.
The purpose of Elite Short Stories is to squeeze in the plots and character arcs that couldn’t fit into either Elite season 3 or 4. As co-creator Carlos Montero said (via Out), “That’s more or less how the idea of Élite Short Stories came up, we wanted to take the opportunity to explore those stories that we wanted to tell and let the world discover them.” The first of the Elite Short Stories centers on Rebeka, Guzmán, and Cayetana when they gather for a party at Rebeka’s new house and, after accidentally getting high, must contend with a surprise discovery. The second is about Nadia (Mina El Hammani) and Guzmán as they struggle to adjust to a long distance relationship. The third sees Omar and Ander helping the latter’s chemo partner Alexis (Jorge Clemente) get through his own treatments. Finally, the fourth of the Elite Short Stories revisits the fan favorite paring of Samuel and Carla, as Samu makes a last ditch attempt to stop Carla from leaving for London.
Released ahead of Elite season 4 these short stories offer fans something they worried they wouldn’t get in the cases of Nadia and Guzmán or Samuel and Carla: Closure. Since both Nadia and Carla will be absent for Elite season 4, it looked like there would be no further exploration of either relationship. Now, even if things end badly for the pairings, at least they’ll get a definitive end. As for short stories 1 and 3, their events could be referenced in Elite season 4, so it might be a good idea to check them out before binging the new episodes. For once, fans can get a glimpse into the characters’ summer, and it promises to be just as wild and emotional as their school year.
