...of Babylon Berlin. It's still very watchable, but the storyline just seems much more about a few murders than about the hotbed of politics around them, which was what made the first two seasons so intriguing. And the crimes themselves (and now the occult connection, not to mention how Rath didn't recognise his brother was his, what?, psychoanalyst/hypnotist?) all seem a tad implausibly theatrical.
Overall, the first two seasons seemed to have a grander scale, both thematically and visually, and a greater sense of realism.
Does anyone disagree?
3 comments:
Sort of. The co-star in season one and villain in season two - whassisname? - gave that season an agreeable shape, but it became too melodramatic/Hollywoodesque in the finale, I think. Season three actually had more time for the politics, I think, though the structure was less satisfying - the villain was unbelievable and seemed to be either written that way because the scriptwriters didn’t know how to end that plot line, or a hastily-concocted replacement for something else that got dropped in the production process.
The other plot lines were more interesting, especially given how they were rooted in history we all know. The mendacious plotting around the collapse of the Weimar economy was an agreeable side plot. And I especially appreciated Twyker’s love of moral complexity - his acceptance that almost all the characters will have dreadful politics, but also could be in some ways very loving. That scene at a Nazi youth camp where a leader resolves a dispute between two kids with a very moving speech about brotherhood and togetherness before concluding with completely racist drivel about the Jewish menace will stick with me for a while.
Plus the costumes, sets, many of the musical set pieces are amazing. The whole show is setting itself up well for future seasons.... I’m looking forward to them.
You have seen more of season 3 than me. We only got to the occult party last night (episode 4, perhaps?)
Oh yeah. Something of an Eyes Wide Shut homage, that. (And timely - I believe the Schnitzler story on which that movie was based was set in early 20th c Vienna.)
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