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Babylon Berlin - General Discussion

Meredith Quill

By Meredith Quill
in Babylon Berlin

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TimWil

TimWil

Wow, Stella, I loved that, thanks for posting.

 

Season 3 can't come soon enough. I visited Germany (and Cologne) for the first time this past May and had to head over to Gereonstrasse to check it out. Hah, it was nothing remarkable. I'll be in Berlin for two days just before Christmas and am hoping to at least spot Liv Lisa Fries or Volker Bruch in the U-Bahn, though! 

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Stella

Stella

8 hours ago, TimWil said:

I'll be in Berlin for two days just before Christmas and am hoping to at least spot Liv Lisa Fries or Volker Bruch in the U-Bahn, though! 

Sounds great.

Are they or will they be filming soon, do you know? Or are you just being facetious? ?

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Tardislass

Tardislass

Sadly, the third series isn't a patch on the first two. The character Bruno is sorely missed as a gray character-there seems to be a more black/white divide. Gereon seems to do not so much detecting as being indirectly pushed into different scenes. Finally, the fifth episode is where the show lost me as being a realistic portrayal of Weimar Germany. There is a ritual performed that is so OTT laughable that it could be in a James Bond movie. Only Charlotte and the Greta saga is keeping me watching at this point. The Benda family is also missed. 

Hopefully the last half of the series will get better. 

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Door County Cherry

Door County Cherry

I'm still processing the third season.  I really enjoyed it, though probably not as much as the first season story.  (I know the first batch of episodes is two seasons but it tells one story and I remember liking 9-16 more than 1-8.)

This was billed as the most expensive German TV show ever and you could really see that money in the first season.  I think the budget was probably pulled back this season and it felt like it.  ADR was spotty and it felt like I was sometimes watching  a TV show dubbed in German.  If I'm going to have that weir dissonance, I would just watch it dubbed in English.

It was missing the kind of musical force of the first two seasons and there were not enough Ritter and Rath scenes.  Their scene in the 9th episode this season was phenomenal, though.  

But I don't know if the change in tone is due to the change in tone of the show or if it's connected with the change in time period as we moved closer to the stock market crash.  

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AllAboutMBTV

AllAboutMBTV

I've been watching one episode a day of S3 and finished it yesterday. While I think this season teetered on Flying Off the Rails (the whole film studio/Phantom plot, while fantastic to look at, belonged in a different show, I think, but the identity of the Phantom was a totally unexpected surprise of a callback), I still looked forward to my daily episode, just for the production design alone. (I did miss Moka Efti, though.) And Graf singing to his lover at his birthday party while his boss accompanied him on the accordion and Charlotte and Gereon necked in the hall dinged my hard little heart (see also: Greta).

I kinda wish the season hadn't been a flashback from the market crash as it took away some of the power of the last scenes (which from our history books we knew was going to happen anyway). At least evil Wendt got screwed a bit. I still don't know what Helga sees in Nyssen (or why the Coincidence Fairy kept having Charlotte see Helga around Berlin, he said vaguely so as not to spoil much). Toni! What is *wrong* with you?

I assume/hope/pray there's going to be a fourth season, otherwise they wouldn't have (sorta) introduced Charlotte's unknown brother, a handsome athlete. Also, where is that traaaaaaaaiin!?!? More, bitte!

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Stella

Stella

2 hours ago, AllAboutMBTV said:

And Graf singing to his lover at his birthday party while his boss accompanied him on the accordion and Charlotte and Gereon necked in the hall dinged my hard little heart (see also: Greta).

Oh yeah - such a lovely scene all around.

When Graf first mentioned he had a secret crush I thought it was going to be Gereon so I was pleasantly surprised. Also, I should have trusted the show to not be that kind of predictable.

Greta's story was done amazingly well. 😢

2 hours ago, AllAboutMBTV said:

I still don't know what Helga sees in Nyssen (or why the Coincidence Fairy kept having Charlotte see Helga around Berlin,'

Well Helga wants a man to be really into her and Nyssen certainly is that. And she likes nice things and Nyssen can provide for her like a boss, especially now. So it's weird from our modern perspective  but I do think understandable for a single woman in that era. I mean she is limited by the times she's living in although I guess she could go back to nursing.

And yes, Charlotte has an uncanny ability to find out the most private details of Helga's life. And I'm sure it will be brought up next season. Which I believe was confirmed when they announced for season 3 that there would be a 4th. Of course in the current world situation it could be a while before we get it.

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Milburn Stone

Milburn Stone

On 3/17/2020 at 5:02 PM, Stella said:

And yes, Charlotte has an uncanny ability to find out the most private details of Helga's life. And I'm sure it will be brought up next season. Which I believe was confirmed when they announced for season 3 that there would be a 4th. Of course in the current world situation it could be a while before we get it.

I didn't know a season 4 had been announced when I watched the season 3 finale tonight, but I felt at episode's end that there just had to be one. It's not like the ending of season 3 was unsatisfying, just that it didn't feel like...an ending.

Hopefully we'll all still be alive when 4 airs.

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Paloma

Paloma

On 6/3/2018 at 11:18 PM, KaleyFirefly said:

I enjoyed this series a lot and I hope there will be more episodes. The only thing that confused me were:

1. Was that really Gereon's brother at the end, and why did he abandon his wife & son if he'd survived the war?

2. Why did the Armenian want the train of gold? It was obvious what the other factions' motives were, but I was not sure of his motive.

3. Why did the Armenian subtly threaten Charlotte's little sister even after Charlotte had given him all the info he'd asked for?

I've finished Season 3 and still am not sure whether the doctor is Gereon's brother--I've seen good arguments on both sides but lean toward believing that he is not his brother and is just manipulating Gereon, though not sure for what purpose.

I assume the Armenian wanted the train of gold for financial gain (to increase his personal and business wealth) and power, but maybe there was another motive that I missed.

I assume that the Armenian subtly threatened Toni in case he needed to use Charlotte again, or maybe just in case she gave him the wrong information. 

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Milburn Stone

Milburn Stone

(edited)
2 hours ago, Paloma said:

I've finished Season 3 and still am not sure whether the doctor is Gereon's brother--I've seen good arguments on both sides but lean toward believing that he is not his brother and is just manipulating Gereon, though not sure for what purpose.

I assume the Armenian wanted the train of gold for financial gain (to increase his personal and business wealth) and power, but maybe there was another motive that I missed.

I assume that the Armenian subtly threatened Toni in case he needed to use Charlotte again, or maybe just in case she gave him the wrong information. 

For me, your paragraphs 2 and 3 line up with what I thought exactly, but as for paragraph 1, "my story" is that he is Gereon's brother, and was so ashamed of his deformity that he couldn't bear to burden his wife and son with living with someone so hideous. Perhaps it also left him so mentally twisted that he wanted to see from afar whether she would take up with Gereon. (He probably always knew the two were in love, and probably ascribed this motive to Gereon being willing to let him die on the battlefield. Multiplying his bitterness.)

Edited by Milburn Stone
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Paloma

Paloma

7 minutes ago, Milburn Stone said:

(He probably always knew the two were in love, and probably ascribed this motive to Gereon being willing to let him die on the battlefield. Multiplying his bitterness.)

That makes sense and moves me closer to the belief that they are really brothers.

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Stella

Stella

(edited)
Quote

 

ON 6/17/2020 AT 6:56 AM,  PALOMA SAID:

I've finished Season 3 and still am not sure whether the doctor is Gereon's brother--I've seen good arguments on both sides but lean toward believing that he is not his brother and is just manipulating Gereon, though not sure for what purpose.

I've seen the arguments sway back and forth as well. But to me there is really no good explanation as to why the doctor would have any interest in Gereon whatsoever if Gereon is not his brother.

The thing is there is nothing to explain Anno's intense interest in Gereon other than they're being brothers. Not only is Anno treating Gereon's PTSD but he is having The Armenian protect Gereon. Besides Gereon and The Armenian, all of the patients we see seem to be pretty hard luck individuals, mostly institutionalized (at least I think they are). Yet Gereon is a seemingly successful detective. His treatment is not explained at first but we know someone has prescribed the medications for him and also that "The Priest" provided updates to his prescriptions, as well as kept a close eye on Gereon. I'm pretty sure The Armenian could care less for Gereon. His people are protecting Gereon for Anno.

Why? No idea really. Some of the theories upthread seem reasonable.

The Anno story hasn't been well defined at all that's for sure. Hopefully another season will bring some clarity.

Edited by Stella
Quoted incorrectly.
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Roseanna

Roseanna

On 3/1/2020 at 6:18 PM, Tardislass said:

Finally, the fifth episode is where the show lost me as being a realistic portrayal of Weimar Germany. There is a ritual performed that is so OTT laughable that it could be in a James Bond movie.

The series is meant to be "a realistic portrayal of Weimar Germany" as little as Westerners are realistic portrayals of the West. The series uses the formula of the hard boiled detective stories, but its style is melodrama borrowed from the German movies at that time.

However, the ritual isn't entirely unrealistic.  When people lost their belief in the traditional religion, esoteric cults were popular. Signs can be seen in the art of that time to those who can recognize them. 

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Dianaofthehunt

Dianaofthehunt

How did this happen?
I took a chance on a boxed set of Seasons 1 through 4 (yes, 4) on eBay.
I tested all DVDs out upon arrival; they all play perfectly, in German with English subtitles, and it should be.
Considering Netflix hasn’t condescended to release Season 4 to us U.S. peasants yet, how is it that I’m holding the Season 4 discs in my sweaty mitts?
 

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Milburn Stone

Milburn Stone

This news is making me realize that I may never have seen Seasons 3 and 4! I think I may not have been aware that they existed. Am going to have to go back to S3 and see if any of it looks familiar. 

I kind of hope I haven't seen them because that will mean I have two whole seasons to "enjoy"--if that's the right word.

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