Merlí (2015)

Merlí, a Catalan production from 2015, is situated on the philosophical and moral plane, presenting a philosophy professor who emulates Aristotle to train modern 'peripatetics' in a high school. The central conflict lies in the tension between Socratic questioning—healthy for awakening wonder and common sense—and a surreptitious moral relativism that permeates the adolescent plots. The series explores ethical dilemmas with dialectical rigor: free will versus determinism, paternal filiation and personal maturation, but often resolves tensions by leaning towards a subjectivist anthropology, where truth is diluted into individual preferences and the natural order is questioned without firm roots. In later seasons, such as 2 and 3, it delves into explorations of sexuality and relationships that normalize youthful promiscuity and polyamorous visions, instrumentalizing compassion to validate choices contrary to the natural law of marriage and chastity. There is no aggressive woke ideological contraband, but moral relativism—labeled as a virtue—closes doors to full human flourishing, reducing Grace and Redemption to mere philosophical narratives without explicit transcendence. The father-son relationship offers glimpses of redemptive filiation, honoring the ecology of bonds, although eclipsed by the ironic cynicism of the protagonist. Anthropologically, it fosters responsibility in some heroic arcs, but the TV-MA tone introduces sexual and linguistic crudeness that strains innocence. Ideal for mature teenagers with parental guidance, it transforms entertainment into dialogue about cardinal virtues, but demands vigilance against the risk of 'men without chests': intellect without virtue.