Babylon Berlin
Season 1 (2018) – 8 Episodes approx. 48 minutes each
Season 2 (2019) – 8 Episodes approx. 48 minutes each
Season 3 (2020) – 8 Episodes approx. 48 minutes each
Season 4 (2021) – TBA
5 out of 5 paws
‘Babylon Berlin’ is a German police / political mystery filmed in the tumultuous days in Germany prior to the stock market crash in 1929 that leads up to the rise of National Socialism. The first two seasons are concerned with the contents of a train hijacked enroute from Moscow to Istanbul and sidelined in Berlin– is it filled with illegal poison gas meant for the shadowy German Army units of the Reichswehr? Or does it contain millions of dollars of royalist gold? On the Russian side you have Stalinists and Trotskyites battling it out; on the German you have the Social Democrats and German Communist Party fighting each other. And you also have Gereon Rath – a police inspector from Cologne with his own secrets and agenda; and Charlotte Ritter - a typist, part time prostitute, and wannabe police inspector – who helps Gereon with his investigation. ‘Babylon Berlin’ has it all – sex, murder, theft, political intrigue, Berlin Nightclubs with booze and dancing – in short a snapshot of Berlin of the late ‘20’s and early ‘30’s. It is beautifully filmed and superbly acted and is one of the best Netflix series available right now. Season 3 and Season 4 (hopefully available in March 2021) deal more with the rise of the Nazi party.
Dark
German with English Subtitles
Season 1 (2017) – 10 Episodes approx. 50 minutes each
Season 2 (2019) – 8 Episodes approx. 50 minutes each
Season 3 (2020) – 8 Episodes approx. 50 minutes each
5 out of 5 paws
Dark - TBA
Holiday Secrets
German with English Subtitles
Season 1 (2019) – 3 Episodes approx. 38 minutes each
4 out of 5 paws
In this German drama three generations of a family are getting together over the Christmas holiday season. As everyone is arriving at the seaside family home, Grandmother Eva is found dead in the upstairs bedroom. However, as everyone is panicking and unsure of what to do, Eva comes downstairs – very much alive, but in poor health and displaying signs of dementia. The series deals with a number of issues – dementia, alcoholism, death, murder, terrorism, and the usual family squabbles that arise during holiday weekends. Through a series of flashbacks (to 2005, 1989, and even to 1945) long buried secrets come to light that change the family dynamic and threaten to harm their relationships. Beautifully filmed and well-acted, ‘Holiday Secrets’ covers a lot in its three episodes (altogether less than 2 hours) and can be a little confusing due to the rapid (but well blended) flashbacks, but still well worth watching.
Perfume (Parfum)
German with English Subtitles
Season 1 (2018) – 6 Episodes approx. 50 minutes each
2 out of 5 paws
Perfume is loosely based on a 1985 novel by Patrick Süskind. The first episode opens with a shot of a naked woman descending into a pool late at night. Cut to the next morning when a little boy is shown running across a field, with a strand of red hair in his hand streaming behind him , to the neighbors’ house. The boy, being mute, is unable to explain what happened, but Roman (the husband), fearing the worst, rushes over to the boy’s mother’s house where he finds her (Katharina) dead, shaved, and with large chunks of flesh cut out of her body. The local authorities, unable to handle this type of investigation, call in the federal police to investigate. Nadja, the lead detective, questions Roman and his wife Elena about Katharina – it turns out that Roman was having an affair with her before her death. Apparently Katharina, a struggling singer, had many affairs with dozens of strangers as well. Nadja, figuring that it is a random act by a serial killer, wants to have the details of the funeral released in case the killer shows up. It turns out that Roman and Elena were classmates of Katharina years before at a boarding school. As details of the murder leak out three other classmates show up for the funeral – Moritz, a perfume maker; Daniel, who has nightmares about a boy in school; and Thomas, a sadistic, high-class pimp. All five haven’t been together since an 11-year-old boy disappeared from the school. Roman wants only the group to be at the funeral, but as the first episode ends dozens of other men in vehicles show up – are they Katharina’s former lovers? I’m not a fan of this series – I actually only watched the first episode – I found the acting forced, the cinematography overly stark and dreary (and why was almost every shot done with a yellowish / greenish tinge). Lots of sex and gore (plus the body looked liked they used a second-rate mannequin) – but more boring and distracting than anything else. Lots of flashbacks – made it pretty confusing. I had little interest in watching the rest of the series.
The Empress
German with English Subtitles
Season 1 (2022) – 6 Episodes approx. 45 minutes each
Season 2 (2024) – TBA 6 Episodes approx. 45 minutes each
4 out of 5 paws
The Empress - TBA
The Last Word
German with English Subtitles
Season 1 (2020) – 6 Episodes approx. 45 minutes each
4 out of 5 paws
The Last Word opens with a woman, Karla, and her husband, Stephan, celebrating their 25th anniversary at home with friends and family. Shortly after the party Stephan drops dead from a brain embolism. Karla is devastated; her 15-year-old son, Tonio, is traumatized; her daughter, Judith – back in Berlin after being gone for several years – learns to deal with new responsibilities; Mina, Karla’s mother, is dying from cancer – but probably not for another year. Andi Borowitz – the funeral director initially called to retrieve Stephan’s body and conduct the funeral – has his own problems – his business is going under (no pun intended); his wife wants him to sell; and his 22-year-old stepson, Ronnie, wants to continue in the funeral business. Karla discovers that Stephan has had secrets over the past 5 years – secrets that leave her financially (and emotionally) bereft of funds – she is going to need a job. Karla, after Stephan’s funeral service, decides that she wants to be a eulogist. Andi, being financially desperate, hires Karla. Karla believes that people should get the funeral they deserve – which over the next 5 episodes provides for rather unconventional services. The Last Word deals with how people handle grief – the stages of denial, anger, sorrow, and finally acceptance and closure. The series is often humorous, but also heart wrenching at times; and although the theme has been handled many times (‘Six Feet Under’, ‘After Life’, etc..) still manages to put its’ own spin on dealing with the death of loved ones.