BERLIN STATION Review: “The Righteous One”
November 27, 2017

Berlin Station manages to throw out even more surprises in this week’s episode, “The Righteous One.” Just when we think we’ve managed to get all the answers and we’re just watching the fall out of the drama, the show spins us a new twist, and we suddenly discover that there’s still quite a bit we don’t know yet.

The show has done a complete turnaround this season, avoiding all of the fatal flaws of last season by keeping us in line with our spies, rather than ahead of them or behind them, like most of last year’s storyline would have us. Letting us unravel the mystery behind the events happening, at the same time that the spies are uncovering new secrets stemming from those old answers, is a perfect way to structure this show, as it allows us to really feel right along with our lead characters, something that was difficult to do last season.

The main benefit of this is that the situations these characters are in become much more sympathetic. Being a spy working for the CIA in Berlin is not a super relatable job, and it doesn’t involve very relatable actions, so allowing us to put ourselves inside the perspective of these characters as much as possible – including by only revealing new developments as they are found out by our characters – makes every action and decision much easier to understand.

Honestly, I’m watching the decisions play out on these actor’s faces, seeing the silent choices they’re making, and I’m actually rooting for them this season. Even Hector, which is a big deal. And the fact that this season’s issue has gone from bad to worse to extremely complicated only adds to the intrigue the show has to offer. It’s kind of incredible that the show has built a mystery that just seems to get more complicated and tangled up as our characters uncover more answers. That’s not an easy feat to pull off, and Berlin Station is doing it like it was just another day at the office – almost literally.

So, speaking of complicated, tangled webs of mystery, let’s unravel this one a little bit in a quick recap of what’s happened and the implications that has on our characters for future episodes:

First, Katharina Gerhardt is shot and killed at her post-election rally celebrating her win at he polls. She’s shot and killed, but not by Hector. Instead, there’s a second sniper that Hector is able to identify with Daniel and Robert’s help.

As they’re chasing down the hitman and trying to uncover the person who hired him, Valerie is rejoined by BB, who purposefully missed her flight back to America, and the two do some more digging on Katharina’s right hand man, Joseph, and discover that he was the mastermind behind the terror attack the entire time – he was trying to set up Katharina and the white nationalists – Katharina likely had no clue about the plot, which also likely means Joseph was somehow behind her being shot as well.

Meanwhile, Daniel and Robert hunt down the hitman’s “payer” – who kills the hitman, complicating matters (more on that in a minute) – who is a CIA agent, which means the plot to kill Katharina is somehow tied to America now, and also means that Daniel and Robert can’t reveal the truth to the German government, at least not until they themselves get to the bottom of why America has its hands in killing an elected German official.

This matters because Lena has been captured by the police and names Hector, because she thinks Hector is the one who shot Katharina. And now that the real hitman is dead and Daniel and Robert have nothing to show to the Germans to prove Hector’s innocence, Hector is a wanted man by the Germans once again.

So how will this play out for our characters, and what in the world are Americans doing meddling in German affairs? I suppose we’ll just have to keep watching to find out for sure.

Dieses Mal wurde die "Note" vergessen. Mal sehen, ob sie noch kommt.

BERLIN STATION Review: “Winners Right the History Books”
December 4, 2017

The season finale of Berlin Station, “Winners Right the History Books,” comes with a lot of surprises, including the episode ending. I have a lot of thoughts on it.

First, let’s discuss how the season wrapped up – or rather, didn’t wrap up – this season arc. It was a divergence from last season, which tied itself up pretty neatly in a little bow, conflict, solved mystery and all. This season, however, took a different plot route, effectively changing the entire format of the show from relatively isolated season arcs to multiple season arcs.

It’s a bit of a strange move for the show, moving from an isolated story to one that is open-ended and catapults us into the next season of conflict. It’s risky, as viewers expect answers and resolutions where they discover there is none. And it certainly cements the feeling that season two has taken an entirely new direction on the show. Rather than solve the ever-growing case of the far-right terrorist movement involving both CIA and German operatives, the show peels back layers of the story, culminating in Hector being shot – call back to Daniel last season – and the revelation that this movement is probably larger than just the two government operatives.

Despite undermining audience expectations, the show manages to make up for any unresolved dissatisfaction by replacing it with enticing complications that will propel our spies and their stories forward, while they navigate the tightrope this alt-right terrorist cell has left for them to deal with. In other words, even though this finale episode leaves us wanting with a lot of questions that have yet to be answered, it manages to ease our frustration with promises of an intriguing third season to look forward to.

Besides, the show still offers us some conclusions. In fact, it balances the personal conclusions nicely against the open-ended action. For one, Robert finally tells his son what he does for a living – more on that in a second – two, Valerie contends with being used by the man she had actually developed feelings for, three, BB makes her way back into play for the station, four, Frost finds himself back at the station – if not in the way he was hoping or expecting – and finally, five, Hector grapples with his impulsive nature and desire for raw, black and white justice, and agrees to pay his dues.

Okay, let’s take a moment to discuss the absolutely lame side story of Robert and his son. Now, before you start getting angry with me for having no soul and no ability to relate to a father trying to connect with his son, let’s talk about the purpose behind having Robert have a (ex)wife and a son in the first place. Because, if you haven’t noticed, he’s the only spy out of all of them (except Frost, who has a wife he cheated on) who has an immediate family and someone who depends on him. His family operates purely as a character development device to demonstrate the stress that Robert feels on all sides, and to make his character more sympathetic. Particularly when he starts going on his sailor-mouthed tirades against people he thinks are idiots or being unfair or just walking past him down the hall at the wrong time.

Okay, so that last one wasn’t really a thing that’s happened in the show, but still.

And, when you acknowledge the fact that the conflict between Robert and his son never really got more fleshed out or dynamic than his son believing Robert didn’t really work at the office of regional affairs, you have to admit that Robert’s son feels a little flat and engineered solely to occupy C or D story arcs to help episode feel fuller.

So, it shouldn’t be surprising that Robert finally revealing his true occupation to his son is absolutely anticlimactic. For one, he just randomly decides, “Hmm, okay. I guess today of all days is the day to say something.” Who does that? And for another, his son is just like, “Okay, cool, dad. Now I’m going to go get on a plane to fly home.”

Also completely unsurprising is the fact that (SPOILER) Hector lives. Maybe I’ve just seen too many twist endings like this, but honestly, the only thing surprising to me was the funeral scene. I never truly believed they’d kill Hector off. Of course, Daniel also lived after last season’s finale so maybe I was just a bit skeptical because of that. Either way, it was sort of a strange thing to see the show repeat – is this going to become a pattern for every season ending? Will the joke of the show become “Who’s getting shot this finale?” My bet is on Robert for next season.

But, the good news is, I do hope there is another season.

TB-TV-Grade-A-

Season 2, Episode 9 (S02E09)
Berlin Station airs Sundays at 9PM on Epix

08.12.2017 um 06:22 Uhr

Netflix-Geheimtipp: „Berlin Station“, die CIA-Serie, die „Homeland“ in den Schatten stellt, erhält eine dritte Staffel


Berlin wird immer sexier: Die deutsche Hauptstadt gibt nicht nur in historischen Produktionen wie "Babylon Berlin" ein glänzendes Bild ab, sondern wird zunehmend von US-Serien als Lieblingskulisse entdeckt. Ein Jahr nachdem die Blockbuster-Serie "Homeland" eine Staffel nach Berlin verlegt hatte, siedelte Premiumanbieter Epix 2016 mit "Berlin Station" ein ganzes Serienkonzept in der deutschen Hauptstadt an, das offenkundig überzeugt hat. Die zweite Staffel der CIA-Serie, die deutsche Zuschauer bei Netflix sehen können, ging diese Woche zu Ende – Staffel drei wird folgen.

Von Nils Jacobsen


Über mindestens drei Staffeln galt Homeland als Goldstandard der modernen Spionageserie. Ein traumatisierter Kriegsheld kehrt mit einem dunklen Geheimnis nach Hause zurück, eine aufstrebende CIA-Agentin erkennt die Gefahr, während Geheimdienst-Operationen rund um den Erdball vermeintliche Partner zu Feinden werden lassen und vice versa – willkommen in der Welt von „Homeland“.

Doch mit der fünften Staffel der US-Kultserie um die bipolare CIA-Agentin Carrie, die den US-Geheimdienst nach einer gescheiterten Mission verließ, passierte etwa Seltsames: „Homeland“ versuchte sich 2015 neu zu erfinden – in Berlin.

„Homelands“ Berlin-Abenteuer ging schief

Seit den Zeiten des Kalten Krieges ist Berlin der ideale Schauplatz für Agententhriller – von John le Carré bis Norman Mailer haben Spione in der geteilten deutschen Hauptstadt ihre literarische Verewigung gefunden. In der goldenen Ära des Fernsehens, in der episch erzählte Serien längst als neue Romane gelten, hat Berlin in den letzten Jahren nun auch jenseits des Atlantiks neue Zuwendung erfahren.

Die Berliner „Homeland“-Season 2015 markierte erste Mal, dass die vollständige Staffel einer großen US-Serie in Deutschland gedreht wurde. Das Ergebnis war indes bestenfalls grenzwertig und mitunter unfreiwillig komisch.

Den „Homeland“-Macher ist die Stadt und ihr morbider Charme offenkundig bis zum letzten Drehtag fremd geblieben; die Drehorte schien willkürlich ausgesucht, die Distanzen zwischen den verschiedenen Szenen stimmten hinten und vorne nicht, vor allem aber die Besetzung wirkte im europäischen Ausland seltsam deplatziert. Deutsche Charaktere wurde auf unfähige Statistenrollen beschränkt, während Carrie mit dem Fahrrad und ihren deutschen Lover fremdelte, am Ende aber natürlich trotzdem den Hauptbahnhof rettete. Mit anderen Worten: eine großartig verschenkte Chance.

„Berlin Station“ ist die CIA-Serie, die „Homeland“ hätte sein sollen

Dass Berlin offenkundig dennoch einen bleibenden Eindruck im Hollywood hinterlassen hatte, wurde ein Jahr später anhand der Epix-Produktion „Berlin Station“ deutlich, die ebenfalls in Berlin angesiedelt ist – diesmal aber als ganzes Serienkonzept. Es geht dabei um die CIA-Außenstelle in Berlin und deren Wechselbeziehung zum deutschen Geheimdienst in Zeiten von Whistleblowern und der NSA-Affäre. Beide Seiten sind formell Verbündete, doch tatsächlich misstrauen sich die Agenten selbst unter der Bettdecke.

Im vergangenen Herbst debütierte die erste Staffel in den USA beim Pay TV-Sender Epix (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer). Netflix sicherte sich die Rechte für den internationalen Markt und brachte die erste Staffel im Sommer nach Deutschland – pünktlich vor dem Start der zweiten Saison, die Oktober ihre Fortsetzung fand und am Dienstag dieser Woche endete.

„Berlin Station“ ist die CIA-Serie, die „Homeland“ hätte sein sollen: Mit einem dichteren Storytelling, einer mindestens ebenbürtigen Besetzung, einem besseren Gefühl für die richtigen Kulissen der Stadt – und vor allem einem zeitgeistigeren Plot (Executive Producer ist Brad Winters). Im Zentrum steht der CIA-Analyst Daniel Miller, gespielt von Richard Armitage, und sein erfahrener, aber heruntergekommener Kollege Hector DeJean (Rhys Ifans). In weiteren Rollen sind Ashley Judd, Richard Jenkins und Michelle Forbes und Leland Orser zu sehen.

Im Fokus der zweiten Staffel steht die Bundestagswahl und der Aufstieg der rechtspopulistischen Partei PfD, die als Perspektive für Deutschland wenig überraschend Parallelen zur Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) aufkommen lassen soll.

Epix gibt grünes Licht für dritte Staffel

Die beiden wichtigsten Parteifunktionäre werden von bekannten deutschen Schauspielern dargestellt: Natalia Wörner, im wirklich Leben bekanntermaßen mit Bundesjustizminister Heiko Maas liiert, gibt die rechtspopulistische Spitzenkandidaten Katerina Gerhardt, während Heino Ferch ihren politischen Berater spielt.

In den Tagen vor und nach der Wahl überschlagen sich die Ereignisse: Ein terroristischer Anschlag ist geplant – und die Spur scheint über Drahtzieher zur PfD zu führen. CIA und Bundesnachrichtendienst (großartig: Mina Tender als deutsche Agentin Esther Krug) führen ein Katz-und-Maus-Spiel, dessen Ausmaße immer undurchsichtiger werden und schließlich sogar bis nach Südspanien und in norwegische Fjorde führen.

Glücklicherweise enden die Verstrickungen nicht dort: Wie Epix am Mittwoch bekanntgab, geht „Berlin Station“ in die Verlängerung – die dritte Staffel ist bestellt. Der Drehstart soll laut Branchenorgan Deadline im Frühling beginnen, die Ausstrahlung dürfte Ende 2018 oder Anfang 2019 erfolgen. Bis dahin bleiben Fans der Spionageserie die 19 Teile der beiden Staffeln auf Netflix.

Deadline’s Top 10 New TV Shows Of 2017: And No. 1 Is…
by Dominic Patten
December 28, 2017 11:26am


Whether you are caught in a deep chill like most of the country or still enjoying the sometimes surreal nature of a Southern California Christmas, there are just enough days left in 2017 to catch up on some of the sizzling television that premiered over the past 12 months. With that comes the unveiling today of the full list of Deadline’s Top 10 New Shows of the year, after we revealed first five shows Tuesday.

You’ll have to watch the video above to see who made the final cut, but fair to say with a Part 1 of such high caliber, the competition was fierce. If you remember, No. 10-No. 6 on our list featured Netflix’s Dear White People, a tie between the CW’s Riverdale and Netflix’s GLOW, a tie between FX’s Legion and HBO’s Big Little Lies, BET’s The Rundown With Robin Thede, and a matchup between Netflix’s new version of One Day at a Time and HBO’s The Deuce.

Let me set at least one contender straight before you watch the Part 2 video: there is no Twin Peaks. Certainly a cultural event this year, Showtime’s 18-part revival from David Lynch and Mark Frost was a unique experience (to put it mildly), but it was also technically the third season of the Kyle MacLachlan-led series, so no fresh cup of joe there.

With that said, there are some remarkable and too often underappreciated second seasons from 2017 that definitely deserve a shout-out. From Fox’s recently completed The Exorcist, FX’s Better Things, Amazon’s One Mississippi, BBC America’s unfortunately now-canceled Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, HBO’s Insecure, the sadly departed Underground, OWN’s Queen Sugar, Starz’s The Girlfriend Experience and Epix’s excellent and recently renewed Berlin Station, there are some great sophomore efforts that are binge-worthy this year or any year.

So, click on the video above to discover who made our Top 5. If you agree (or disagree) with the selection, drop us a line – you can reach me on Twitter at @DeadlineDominic.

By the way, watch to the very end to see what we’ve got our eyes on for 2018.

“Berlin Station” continues to entertain
By
Shain E. Thomas -
2nd January 2018


For two seasons, the created by Olen Steinhauer Epix original thriller “Berlin Station” has provided its audience with quality drama episode after episode. Originally premiering on 15 Oct. 2017, this second season features nine episodes of compelling viewing.

Having returned for a second bite of the apple, Richard Armitage, Rhys Ifans, Leland Orser, Michelle Forbes, Richard Jenkins, Mina Tander, Keke Palmer, Tamlyn Tomita, Roger Ringrose and John Vaughan all reprised their respective roles from the freshman season.

Fans of the Bruno Heller created Fox series “Gotham” will recognise John Doman. On “Gotham,” Dorman played the crime boss Carmine Falcone.

On the Epix original thriller, the Pennsylvania born Dorman is Richard Hanes. Hanes seems every bit as shady as Dorman’s “Gotham” character.

Talking about engaging characters, Ashley Judd is a welcome addition to the “Berlin Station” cast.

An aspect of both film and television production I look for is which character gets the all-important title line. In respect to shows such as “Berlin Station,” it’s which character gets the episode title as one of their lines. Each title is referenced by a different character in each episode.

In the second season opener, it was Judd’s character BB Yates, that got the line “Everything’s Gonna Be Alt-Right,” the episode title. Yates is Berlin Station’s new CSO (Commanding Station Officer).

The season two finale, “Winners Right the History Books,” was made available to viewers 3 Dec. 2017.

With the quality of both seasons, it should not come as any huge surprise to learn the third season looks like it will begin streaming on Epix sometime in late 2018 or perhaps early 2019.

While many season one cast members reprised their respective characters for the second instalment, Armitage, Forbes, Orser, Jenkins, Ifans and Judd have not yet confirmed they will be returning for the pending third season. The same is true of current showrunner Brad Winters.

REVIEW OVERVIEW

Everything's Gonna Be Alt-Right 4,5
Right Here, Right Now 4
Right to the Heart 5
Do the Right Thing 4,5
Right of Way 4,5
The Right Hook 5
Right and Wrong 4
The Righteous One 4,5
Winners Right the History Books 5

SUMMARY
4.6
OVERALL SCORE