Deutschland 83 - General Discussion

[Miles]

God damn Loch Ness monster!

Wondering why the guy in the HVA is supressing part of the dossier and so doing tries to provoke a nuclear war. He better have damn good reasons that include a death wish.

Edited October 22, 2018 by Miles

[Miles]

Seeing the historical footage on TV spliced in just highlights how very few people on this show have time period apropriate hair styles. "The americans" did a lot better with this, if you exclude Kerri Russel.

On 30.7.2015 at 10:39 AM, albaniantv said:

Another odd or out of character behavior was how hostile Martin's mother seemed to be to having the Stasi administrator (her former prof) to lunch--was that supposed to signal us that he is Martin's father? 

I don't think he's Stasi. The Stasi was the internal covert agency of the DDR. He should be HVA. And yes, I think he's Martins father.

 

On 30.7.2015 at 11:12 PM, Ruby25 said:

It's kind of hard to see what the possible set-up would be for a second season at this point, if everyone knows Martin is the mole now. Unless he somehow becomes a double agent or something.

I mean they were stretching it anyway. That nobody missed the real Moritz for this long seems a bit far fetched.

 

On 30.7.2015 at 9:26 AM, gpgurl50 said:

Things are getting tense!  I love it.  I don't know what outcome Martin was realistically expecting.  I guess he wasn't really thinking.

If our home country is about to be wiped out by a nuclear attack, wouldn't you try anything to prevent that, even if the odds are increadibly bad?

Edited October 22, 2018 by Miles

[Miles]

This really lacked explaination as to why Martin's father wanted to turn the whole of germany into glass. Or are we to believe that he really was that dumb?

I hope Alex isn't dead. Guess I'm not going to bed anytime soon. Will have to watch the next episode first.

[John Potts]

On ‎20‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 3:29 AM, Miles said:

I think that is a big misread of the situation. He isn't a villian, he's just somebody trying to keep his country save and make a better life for his family. He isn't like Philip and Elisabeth killing people left and right.

He is deceiving everyone around him with the ultimate aim of bringing down the West German State. I'm not denying he's doing it for the right reasons, but that sounds pretty villainous to me (and yes, I would say the same about the Jenningses, or James Bond when he acts against foreign governments).

[revbfc]

I’m so happy we’re finally getting season 2 this week, but I wish the listings weren’t still calling the show “Deutschland 83.”  

[Miles]

So Martin's father had no other motivation than being a complete dumbass for almost turning europe into glass. The writing on this show sometimes... Also he just got demoted for omitting crucial details from reports and thus almost causing WW3? Wow, the soviets are really forgiving these days.

I'm afraid that we might never find out what happened to Alex and his family. The story might just not go there this season, or ever again. I hope it does. Last seasons vliffhanger would be a horrible thing to end on.

It will take a while for me to get used to Anke Engelke as a hard hitting numbers-woman who wants to recapitalize the DDR, seeing that she is usually in comedic roles, being one of the best comedians out there.

The capetown escapades weren't that great. Still love the characters. but the story is a bit lackluster.

Edited October 22, 2018 by Miles

[Miles]

Nice to see Alex back. Still hope we'll find out what that gun shot was all about.

[Miles]

Why can't any TV writers give the poor gays a break? First they all get the god damn loch ness monster and then they get blown up by terrorists.

[wanderingstar]

I adore Alex, and his portrayer, Ludwig Trepte. He looks great this season!

Martin is always getting himself into quasi-romantic scrapes. Like my sister says Martin IS the honey trap.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

One thing I have NOT missed about this show is their tendency to use white subtitles over white or light colored backgrounds.

Part of me was thinking Martin, you dumbass, don't believe anything that your aunt promises you! But the other part of me knew he couldn't resist the temptation of being able to see Max.

So that book is the 80s German version of 50 Shades of Grey?

[revbfc]

I really like how they mapped out the ideological dissonance, and moral ambiguities all the players are engaging in.  

[burghgal]

I really liked having Alex back and am curious where they go with the character/story..

 

  I am not sure about the rest of what I have seen so far.  I like that they are in Southern Africa as in 1986 it was a source of so much conflict in the West/world and one I like to learn about.  I think they are trying to make Aunt Lenore out to be the "sexy ingénue" which, while the actress is  good, it doesn't fully fit her character -- she should be more of the plotter/planner she was  in the first season - its more fitting.   I like the Berlin scenes a little better right now, and wish I could get more into the African conflict/storyline, but I can't.

[wanderingstar]

Damn, Lenora is COLD! She just left Martin bleeding on the side of the road in Angola. That's your FAMILY! *smh*

Great episode! All the action in the refiinery in Angola was great. And that tableau of the soldiers and Gary grabbing for the money, then shooting each other over it - don't know if I have ever seen anything like that on TV before. 

Also loved learning that Alex is in med school. But wow - finding out his father was shot when Alex tried to shoot himself...just did not see that coming.

I'm loving this season so far!

Edited November 3, 2018 by Gillian Rosh

[wanderingstar]

I love how much this show continues to surprise me. I didn't think we'd see Roberto again, but kudos to his resourcefulness in following Lenora all the way to that hotel.

Martin's storyline was a bit confusing in this ep, but Jonas Nay has really nailed how much Martin has changed over the previous three years. 

This Gary Banks character is going to be like Rasputin, isn't he?

Edited November 4, 2018 by Gillian Rosh

[Maire]

Loving the action but I’m also confused. Why is Martin so valuable? And why does the dentist want Martin and Leonora? 

[wanderingstar]

8 hours ago, Maire said:

Loving the action but I’m also confused. Why is Martin so valuable? And why does the dentist want Martin and Leonora? 

Martin is valuable because several major intelligence agencies (CIA, MI-6) wanted him captured after he revealed the Able Archer exercise at the end of season 1. That's why his father had him hidden away in Angola.

Edited November 4, 2018 by Gillian Rosh

[Maire]

Quote

Martin is valuable because several major intelligence agencies (CIA, MI-6) wanted him captured after he revealed the Able Archer exercise at the end of season 1. That's why his father had him hidden away in Angola.

Thank you Gillian. I thought I was missing something beyond that.

[babyPhat279]

On 10/28/2018 at 4:53 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

One thing I have NOT missed about this show is their tendency to use white subtitles over white or light colored backgrounds.

OMG this is so annoying. I also don't really like the rollout of this season. Fridays and Saturdays at midnight? And I watch using the SundanceTV app which only keeps each ep up for a couple of weeks so I can't binge it. If they were going to make this difficult, why bother paying for the rights anyway?

[TimWil]

I realize Walter's actions in S1 were incredibly stupid but I think the actor who plays him is great. I'm also enjoying Walter's Operation Love Boat scheme. So Germany had its own version of the Love Boat series? Was it a fantasy type drama series like the one on ABC here or a docu soap type of show? They haven't made that clear.

Anett climbing up the East German bureaucratic hierarchy seems to me to be patently ridiculous but maybe that's just me. The show does seem to have fun with the concept, though, by having her sometimes sport a Gidget-y pony tail sharply aided by the characterization of the highly capable actress who plays her.

Was it thrown out in S1 that Max might have actually been fathered by Thomas and not Martin? Or was Thomas just an amour of Anett's in S1? Damn, there was too much time between seasons.

Love seeing the terrific actress who played the landlady in Babylon Berlin pop up in this as the uncorruptible doctor. At first I wondered how the hell she'd be able to get out of East Germany but then remembered her brother is Thomas so she'll find a way to do it for her and her family, after all.

The little boy who plays Roberto is wonderful. I was highly suspect of this aspect of the storyline but he has brung it and then some.

Edited November 9, 2018 by TimWil

[paulvdb]

27 minutes ago, TimWil said:

So Germany had its own version of the Love Boat series? Was it a fantasy type drama series like the one on ABC here or a docu soap type of show? They haven't made that clear.

Das Traumschiff is a drama series like Love Boat. According to the German Wikipedia page for the series Love Boat was one of the inspirations for the series. It seems to still be airing two or three new episodes per year.

32 minutes ago, TimWil said:

Was it thrown out in S1 that Max might have actually been fathered by Thomas and not Martin? Or was Thomas just an amour of Anett's in S1? Damn, there was too much time between seasons.

Martin's mother asked Annett about it in an episode in the first season. Annett answered that Martin was the father.

[TimWil]

And in tonight’s episode it was confirmed by Thomas that Anett was already pregnant when they met.

[Yeah No]

Best episode so far this season.  What didn't it have?

[TimWil]

7 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Best episode so far this season.  What didn't it have?

It didn’t have Lenora, dammit!

Edited November 11, 2018 by TimWil

[Yeah No]

22 minutes ago, TimWil said:

It didn’t have Lenora, dammit!

Ack, you're right.  Well it had almost everything!

[revbfc]

Question:

Why would a person from the DDR be referring to their hometown as “Chemnitz,” when it was called “Karl Marx Stadt” at the time?

[Yeah No]

I've never seen a toilet used as a phone before.  That was a new one on me.  With all these episodes being shown so close together I'm having a hard time keeping up.  Thank goodness for Comcast's "On Demand" because I can see them in HD even though the Sundance Channel isn't broadcast in HD on Comcast. 

[revbfc]

I really love how this season ended.  With the DDR so mired in shady dealings that compromised their lofty ideals, Martin making the tough choice to stay and be a father (as opposed to absconding to the West with Max) was an amazing act of defiance.  He stuck it to his dad, to Lenora, the Stasi, his baby-mama, and is still standing.  No small feat for anyone living in his country.

I do feel bad for Brigitte Winkelmann, though.  She got everything she wanted BUT Martin.  Their reunion in ‘89 should be interesting.

[Yeah No]

16 hours ago, revbfc said:

I do feel bad for Brigitte Winkelmann, though.  She got everything she wanted BUT Martin.  Their reunion in ‘89 should be interesting.

I hope we don't have to wait another 3 years to see that.....

[SlovakPrincess]

Thank you, Hulu, for introducing me to this show now that The Americans is over!  (Ok, I'm like 3 years behind, but it's new to me because I was clueless before).

Anyway.  I'm relying entirely on the subtitles, but I quickly got used to them.  

Not sure how I feel about Lenora.  I understand she believes in her cause and thinks that the West is going to annihilate East Germany if she doesn't do her part to stop it , and she also thinks this will get her sister a kidney transplant ... but she just straight up kidnapped her nephew and could get him killed!   If he gets killed on this very dangerous mission, I doubt her sister is going to care so much about getting that new kidney, she probably would've rather spent more time with her son.

I like Martin.  He's handling the situation as well as can be expected, I guess, although trying to call Annet ... hoo boy.  If they didn't need him so badly, the East German spies would have killed him ASAP after learning about that little stunt.    

[wanderingstar]

Just finished season 2 ("Deutschland 86"), and I LOVED it. Just a few of my random thoughts on this season:

• Martin opting to stay in the East and get to know his son, Max makes sense. But it irks me to see Annett prosper in any way.
• I'm so glad Martin helped to reunite Tina and her daughters. Fritzi Haberlandt did such a great job as Tina. She was one of my MVPs of this season. 
• Loved Comrade Hartmann and his poet's soul. His reaction to Rocky Horror Picture Show was priceless.
• While Annett continues to annoy me, I was glad to see the show lean in to her evilness. Can't wait to see how she takes the wall coming down in 1989.
• There wasn't enough Alex this season, but what I did see of him, I really enjoyed. Ludwig Trepte is just so good in this role. He was great playing Alex as the naif in season 1, and he was even better portraying the more grown up Alex this season. I wish Alex and Tim could have been happy together.
• Lenora and Frau Netz coming face to face in that interrogation room was delicious.
• Speaking of Frau Netz, who knew she contained such multitudes!
• I didn't really get into the Brigitte character, or her relationship with Martin. She felt more like a plot device than a real character. Loved the actress, though.
• Good on Rose for taking out Gary. I was dreading where he would turn up next.
• Rose was also one of my favorite additions this season. Love love love Florence Kasumba.
• Tischbier remains as shady as ever, and I love it! 

Finally, I feel like Jonas Nay really came into this own this season. He had to carry so much of the show, and he did a superb job.

I hope the wait for Deutschland 89 isn't too long.

[AllyB]

On 12/31/2018 at 7:54 PM, Gillian Rosh said:

• Loved Comrade Hartmann and his poet's soul. His reaction to Rocky Horror Picture Show was priceless.

On a quirkiness level Comrade Hartman was my most MVP this season. I loved him in the penultimate episode as he was freaking out about the radiation levels being too high while everyone else gaslighted him.  He knew his scientific instruments were telling him something was very, very clearly wrong, he knew by history that the accident he could see the evidence of could be covered up, meanwhile everyone else was seeing nothing out if the ordinary and acting like he is mad. The poor man was cracking up. And then the subtle flip, when the Russians admitted the truth about Chernobyl, to Walter asking him about the safety of the refreshments he was about to serve. It was excellent and it made my blood run cold to watch. I have vague memories of the time and my parents being worried, especially about my newborn brother and how best to feed him when the radioactive cloud came over us in Ireland.

[Yeah No]

I just wanted to share the news that there will be a third season of this show, entitled "Deutschland 89", which will follow Martin's experience after the fall of the Berlin wall.  That should be interesting!

https://www.bustle.com/p/deutschland-86-will-return-for-season-3-to-take-audiences-even-farther-behind-the-iron-curtain-13150120

[TimWil]

A few nights ago I happened to catch Jonas Nay on the German channel ARD in a three hour television film where he played a butcher who emigrates to North Dakota in 1919. Of course he was adorable in it.

[paulvdb]

AMC Networks Announces Fall and Winter 2020-21 Premiere Dates for New and Returning Original Series and Specials
 

Quote

 

Deutschland 89

Premieres Thursday, October 29 at 11:00pm ET/ 10c

When the "anti-fascist" Berlin Wall falls on November 9th, 1989, superspy Martin Rauch (Jonas Nay) gets involved and must deal with the consequences. The peaceful revolution has thrown his world into turmoil. He and his fellow agents at the HVA (East German Foreign Intelligence) are reeling. Their government has collapsed, their organization is in chaos and their futures are uncertain, at best. How to play the next hand? Join Big Brother at the KGB? Go West and work for an enemy agency? Use international contacts to begin a new career? Or run off to paradise with hoarded gold? Our heroes need to reinvent themselves in the face of a new world order.

 

TVDB lists September 25 as the premiere date on Amazon in Germany.

[Irlandesa]

Oh wow. This feels faster but I guess it has been two years.

Last time, it aired in Germany a week before it aired on Sundance in the US so if the pattern holds, we might get it around that time as well.

[paulvdb]

As I mentioned in my post, it premieres on September 25 on Amazon in Germany, so a month before the US premiere on October 29.

[Irlandesa]

9 minutes ago, paulvdb said:

As I mentioned in my post, it premieres on September 25 on Amazon in Germany, so a month before the US premiere on October 29.

You act like you expect me to fully read posts here?  😉

[Yeah No]

I hope we get another reminder closer to the date or my DVR "remembers" that this is the same show it was set to record when it was Deutschland something else!  I'll probably find it on "On Demand" anyway.  Great news amid worries of other shows not coming back because of the pandemic.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Just a reminder that Deutschland 89 is available in Germany now!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I finally started watching S2 and so far my nitpick is that Push It by Salt-N-Pepa wasn't released until 1988 (and S2 takes place in 1986). I know that on a show where Martin just happened to get involved with another spy and then end up in Libya, this is probably minor in comparison but still.

[Yeah No]

20 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I finally started watching S2 and so far my nitpick is that Push It by Salt-N-Pepa wasn't released until 1988 (and S2 takes place in 1986). I know that on a show where Martin just happened to get involved with another spy and then end up in Libya, this is probably minor in comparison but still.

I actually questioned that myself when I first saw this episode and looked up the song.  It was originally released as a "b" side to another single in 1987 before being released as an "a" side in 1988, but 1987's still later than 1986.

I'm going to have to go back and revisit Season 2 anyway as so much has happened since then that I'll need a refresher.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

21 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I actually questioned that myself when I first saw this episode and looked up the song.  It was originally released as a "b" side to another single in 1987 before being released as an "a" side in 1988, but 1987's still later than 1986.

I'm going to have to go back and revisit Season 2 anyway as so much has happened since then that I'll need a refresher.

Ha, glad it wasn't just me who noticed! The song was used in the first half of the season and it seemed like not very much time had passed (or at any rate, not enough time had passed that the song would have been released).

I actually watched the first episode of S2 when it first came out and then just forgot to finish watching the rest of the season until I saw that S3 had been released. In retrospect, it's not necessarily a bad thing that I'm going to watch S2 and S3 back to back because it will all be fresh in my head!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

OMG Martin on mushrooms is definitely my favorite Martin!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Well, that was a pretty final finale.  I"m putting this under the spoiler cut since it hasn't aired in the USA yet.

Spoiler

 

I know they could probably still continue the show despite killing off multiple in the last two episodes, but I'm happy with Martin and Nicole living a totally uneventful life with Max in Marrakesh (although didn't Martin say earlier this season that he got bored having a normal life with Annett and Max?).

My only fear was that Sabine will still come after Martin's parents once Max, Nicole, and Martin disappear. Annett being killed by Sabine was extremely convenient since that removes Martin's roadblock of "I can't take Max away form his mother" (even though she was clearly fine with taking Max to Russia and leaving Martin behind).

I was fine with the show giving Martin a happy ending but I felt like Nicole was just a convenient plot device. She was willing to shoot someone to save Martin, but when he did the same she was clutching her pearls. It was especially egregious after Martin shot the Romanian guy in the restaurant (Condor?). This man handed Nicole over to a random mercenary to do whatever he wanted with her and he was about to kill Martin, but somehow Martin killing this guy fell on the wrong side of the moral line? Okay, lady.

Brigitte annoyed me in the final episode. She went to all this trouble to save Martin and then she just left him there with Valdez and told him to let Martin go? It would have taken all of five minutes to let Martin go herself and instead she left him with a psycho who was desperate to get himself out of a situation that was going to cost him his career. Great idea, Brigitte!

I was glad that Tina and Ingrid FINALLY learned the truth about Tobias. I did feel sorry for him when he got clonked on the head and left for dead by the prison interrogator. And sheesh, that guy was a total psycho. If I were Tina, I would need to move immediately. Who wants to live in the apartment where you were held hostage and then your captor killed himself? That's too much bad karma for me to be around.

 

 

[Maire]

Since it’s been so long between seasons and I remember nothing I’m going to do a Covid rewatch before starting season 3

[Yeah No]

I was just surfing channels and found episode 5 of Season 3 of "Deutschland 89" airing on Sundance in the U.S.  I noticed that 5 episodes of the season have already aired, and my DVR, which I had set to record, did not pick them up.  Fortunately I'll be able to watch them on "On Demand".

[Irlandesa]

13 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I was just surfing channels and found episode 5 of Season 3 of "Deutschland 89" airing on Sundance in the U.S.  I noticed that 5 episodes of the season have already aired, and my DVR, which I had set to record, did not pick them up.  Fortunately I'll be able to watch them on "On Demand".

Ooh thanks. Because of the name change, my DVR doesn't pick up the show.  I'd watch On Demand anyway because that's the only place I can get the show in HD (the actual channel only offers standard definition) but a recording would have signaled it's back.  It looks like the first episode is ending tonight so I'm going to be able to watch just in time (unless they change the end date which they sometimes do).   Hopefully, for those who miss it, it'll be available on Amazon soon.

 

[Yeah No]

2 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Ooh thanks. Because of the name change, my DVR doesn't pick up the show.  I'd watch On Demand anyway because that's the only place I can get the show in HD (the actual channel only offers standard definition) but a recording would have signaled it's back.  It looks like the first episode is ending tonight so I'm going to be able to watch just in time (unless they change the end date which they sometimes do).   Hopefully, for those who miss it, it'll be available on Amazon soon.

 

Oh no, I just went onto "On Demand" and saw that the first episode is suddenly no longer available.  The others are all available until 11/19 - WTF?  I would have watched it last night if I knew that!

I went to Amazon Prime Video and had a similar issue - Episode 1 was listed (along with the rest) but it wouldn't let me watch it, and said there was some sort of "problem" playing the video.

Then I went to the AMC site - same thing - episode 1 was listed but wouldn't play.

I don't get it.  I set my DVR to record Deutschland 89, not 86.  I know better than that!  And it still didn't record!  I would have noticed it before this if there had been any activity on this thread but there wasn't.  This is very disappointing - I have never missed an episode and it's very hard to figure out what's going on if you miss one.  

Would you or anyone else mind giving me a synopsis of the first episode of Season 3 under a spoiler banner?

Thanks.

[Irlandesa]

On 11/13/2020 at 2:48 AM, Yeah No said:

Would you or anyone else mind giving me a synopsis of the first episode of Season 3 under a spoiler banner?

I don't know that I can do a very good job.  It always feels like there are so many characters that I need a few episodes to figure out what is happening.  I can tell you that something happened at the end of episode one that I thought would happen at the end of the season.

Spoiler

And that's the fall of the Berlin Wall. 

Martin's in Germany. Max's mother is in Russia and is threatening to take Max to Russia.  Max is with Martin now.   Martin meets Max's teacher and fancies her.  All of agencies now want Max to work for them.   And his aunt is still in jail. 

 

[Yeah No]

On 11/16/2020 at 1:39 PM, Irlandesa said:

I don't know that I can do a very good job.  It always feels like there are so many characters that I need a few episodes to figure out what is happening.  I can tell you that something happened at the end of episode one that I thought would happen at the end of the season.

  Reveal spoiler

And that's the fall of the Berlin Wall. 

Martin's in Germany. Max's mother is in Russia and is threatening to take Max to Russia.  Max is with Martin now.   Martin meets Max's teacher and fancies her.  All of agencies now want Max to work for them.   And his aunt is still in jail. 

 

Thanks for nutshelling it for me, it really helped.  I've watched episodes 2 and 3 so far and have really liked them.  The rest I still have time to see on On Demand and recordings.  I hope I get to see episode 1 on some platform some day as I would have liked to see that event happen that we would have thought would happen later.  I actually thought it would happen a few episodes in so they could lead up to it and then show some of the aftermath, but I can see now why they did it this way.  I hate knowing that this season will be the last.