Netflix's Original Series characters made poor decisions, it was easy to root for many of these problematic characters.
But not every character on Elite was loved by fans. While some characters made fans love to hate them, others made fans more infuriated than excited. Whether it be because they were truly awful, poorly developed, or totally useless, some characters didn't live up to their beloved counterparts.
Updated on October 1st, 2021 by Matthew Rudoy: The fourth season of Elite brought many changes to the popular Netflix series. Main characters since the beginning like Lu and Carla were no longer part of the series, established characters like Rebeka and Cayetana got some much-needed development, and many new characters ed the show. Unfortunately, with the exception of one individual, the new characters were highly unlikable, with many of them lacking the compelling nature of Elite's original cast of characters. While some of the new characters are meant to be unlikable, some of them are also meant to evoke empathy and portray a kind of complexity that fails to resonate with the audience by the end of season 4.
Best: Mencía
Mencía is the only likable member of her family and the only likable new character in season 4. Her family does not respect her and constantly treats her like an outcast and a burden, which motivates her to be rebellious and reckless.
Outside of her family, Mencía builds meaningful relationships with characters like Rebeka, through which Mencía shows a sweet, comionate, sensitive, and intellectual side of her that her family does not recognize or appreciate. Not only is Mencía mistreated by her family, but she is also threatened, blackmailed, and assaulted by the horrible Armando. Mencía is a misunderstood and mistreated character who deserves better.
Worst: Patrick
Patrick's main purpose is to sow discord in Ander and Omar's relationship and drive a wedge between them. He is happy to try and destroy one of the show's best couples. During this, Patrick sexually assaults both Ander and Omar, which makes him an unredeemable character.
Other than being a selfish character who has no moral boundaries and will go to any lengths to get what he wants, Patrick has no personality. When the show tries to show that he is vulnerable and compensating for unresolved issues, fans can't feel any empathy for him due to his reprehensible nature.
Best: Rebeka
Rebeka is one of Elite's most comionate, mature, loyal, and sensitive characters. She genuinely cares about the people she is in relationships with and will do anything to protect or help them. She sticks by her mother, Samuel, and Mencia as they struggle with issues like prison, accusations of murder, and blackmail, even as others turn their backs on these characters.
Rebeka does not suffer fools, though, and will not stay in a toxic relationship and when her loved ones actively choose to deceive and hurt her. When she discovers that her mother lied to her about no longer dealing drugs and Samuel lied to her about planting a recording device inside of her home for the cops, she ends her romantic relationship with Samuel and gets away from her mother. Rebeka knows how to stand up for herself and is the only one who sees Mencia for who she is and who unconditionally loves and helps her.
Worst: Ari
While her brother Patrick exists to sow discord between Ander and Omar, Ari exists to create drama in Samuel and Guzmán's friendship. After three seasons of Samuel and Guzmán overcoming their many differences and becoming friends, Ari quickly ruins this development and makes them hate each other again. Ari is far more selfish and unlikable than the characters Samuel and Guzmán dated in the past, which makes it all the stranger to see them throwing everything away to win her affection and be with her.
Ari's harsh and disapproving treatment of her sister Mencía and how Ari manipulates her father's favoritism doesn't do her any favors either. The show tries to get the audience to empathize with Ari by showing that she feels like she sacrifices her own desires to be the perfect and obedient child who keeps her family together. The many advantages Ari receives from this role and her arrogant, unapologetic nature makes it hard to feel bad for her, though.
Worst: Teo
To be fair, no one is supposed to like Teo. He is one of the main antagonists of the show, serving as a formidable villain through all three seasons of Elite. Still, the hatred of this character runs deep. He paralyzes Christian which results in his departure from the show, upsetting many fans.
Fans felt bad for Carla when Teo forced her into a relationship with Yeray, effectively pimping out his daughter for his own benefit. This was one of the most hated plot lines of the show and fans attributed some of the disappointment about that plotline to Teo.
Best: Omar
Omar is a delightful character. He is thoughtful, conflicted, ionate, kindhearted, and reliable. Omar's storyline mainly revolves around his struggle with his identity.
As a young Muslim gay man, he struggles to balance his personal values with the expectations of his family. Watching Omar bloom and come out of his shell is a delight for fans, who were rooting for him to break free.
Worst: Cayetana
Cayetana's character had potential, but she fell flat. While many unlikeable characters had some redeeming qualities, Cayetana had difficulty earning empathy from fans. Cayetana's poor decisions and actions are to blame for most of her struggles, and yet this character refuses to recognize the role she has played in her own destruction.
Cayetana is incredibly selfish and rarely shows remorse. She treats her mother terribly and her relationships with some of the other characters, namely her relationship with Polo, feel fake and forced. For these reasons and many more, Cayetana was not enjoyed by fans.
Best: Nadia
Nadia is incredibly intelligent. At the beginning of the series, she also happens to be extremely sheltered and naive. Still, Nadia has a strong sense of self and several core values. Though she grows and adapts throughout the series, she always remains true to herself.
Nadia protects those that she cares about while also holding them able. Though she may initially be judgemental, Nadia is a great listener. With time, she often reflects and begins to understand the perspective of her peers. Her willingness to speak up when necessary and her ability to change made Nadia a fan-favorite character.
Worst: Samuel
Samuel is the main character of Elite and the first character fans meet. While fans were initially drawn to Samuel and felt bad for him, they quickly grew annoyed with his character.
Samuel's development was inconsistent. His motivations changed rapidly without reason, seemingly just to advance the story. He was also involved in several cringy scenes and many of his relationships felt ingenuine.
Best: Valerio
Valerio is a problematic favorite. This character is pure chaos. He makes many reckless decisions that negatively impact himself and others. Still, fans can't help but feel bad for him. It is clear that Valerio is extremely broken.
Fans can empathize with his feelings of isolation and self-loathing. And though he causes a lot of pain, he also seems to appreciate and ire the uniqueness in others, making it easy to appreciate and ire him for his individuality.
