BABYLON BERLIN

GERMANY TV SHOW

"History is dark and bloody"

Season: 1-2 (season 3 planned on 2020)

Year: 2017-?

Rating in IMDB: 8.4

Genre: Drama, Noir-Crime, History

Creators: Henk Handloegten, Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries

Main Casts: Volker Bruch (Gereon Roth), Liv Lisa Fries (Charlotte Ritter), Peter Kurth (Bruno Wolter), Matthias Brandt (Benda), Leonie Benesch (Greta Overbeck), Lars Eidinger (Alfred Nyssen)

Babylon Berlin is a second German series that I watched after Dark. I found the premise is intriguing so I decided to watch it. When I watched first-two episodes, my jaw was dropping. I couldn’t guess that this series has incredible detail on its setting and cinematography. The second episode in the first season is just like an art. It was bizarre and glamour yet dark.

The show takes the setting at German after World War I. It focuses on Cologne guy named Roth Gereon. He was a soldier in World War 1, but he experienced a terrifying war. Because of that, he suffered PTSD (Post-Traumatic Self Diagnosis). Then, he becomes the investigator officer in Berlin’s police, along with his colleague, Bruno Walter. On the other side, there is Charlotte Ritter. She is from a poor family, so she worked hard to get a lot of money. She often worked as a typist or part-time officer in the police. These two, Gereon and Charlotte will eventually cooperate to finish the big mystery about the train, gold, and Fourth International.

Gereon had to uncover several mysteries about the secret movement in German in which encourage the betraying movement from German police and military. In that era, some movements had been grown, such as Forth International; the socialist international organization. This heavy story might not people’s favorite. Moreover, this is a sensitive issue. Besides that, this series is still entertaining.

Firstly, the cinematography and detail of the setting are astonishing. It could show the reality of Germany on 29s. It is not surprising because this show is the most expensive TV Show in Germany, right now. The production team worked hard for made this series perfect. The second thing is the plot story isn’t boring that you think. You might think that the story is serious because of the noir-crime genre and the heavy issues they brought. It consolidated with the other genres, for instance, appearing the family drama and bit of romance. Those genres balanced it perfectly and showed in the right timing.

Third, the mysteries keeping you wonder. For example, who is on the good side or the bad side? Or where is the gold hidden? It keeps you guessing until the last episodes. Luckily, the story started from season one ended on season two, so you didn’t feel piqued because of the cliffhanger. The political intrigue is shown in this series too. So, you will intrigue by the mysteries and the political intrigue.

The last, I think I become to understand a bit about Germany history. Before this, I never knew Germany history expect Nazi or World War 2. This series made me know so much about the history and the real condition that German experienced after World War 1. The character is captivating enough to make us supported them throughout the series. The Gereon character is well-enough becoming a human, the grey area that you are a human with natural confusing sides; good and bad sides. Charlotte's character is smart and she becomes the trusted person with the potency to develop more. The other character was acted perfectly till I as viewers often felt resentful to some characters.

I don’t want to spill all plot stories. Although it might not be liked by many viewers because of the heavy plot, it is captivating and thrilling. It mixed well the story about the hidden gold and the politic agenda. The mysteries could surprise you more and more. The relationship between some main characters, especially between Roth and Bruno, or Roth and Charlotte, and the other characters made this series more engaging. Also, the cinematography and the detailed property or background is perfect enough. Sometimes, I just enjoyed the night pub performance; it's too weird and poetic. If you like history and noir-crime mystery, you certainly should watch it. Warning! This series has several nudity scenes. My favorite scenes [SPOILER]: