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“Babylon Berlin” Season 4 TV Review

*Liv Lisa Fries as Charlotte Ritter, in the German historical fiction TV series “Babylon Berlin.” Courtesy of MHzChoice*

“Babylon Berlin,” the most expensive series in the history of German television, continues in Season 4 to take us through 1930s Germany, including all its glory juxtaposed with the foreboding of horrors to come. Production quality of the first three seasons is not only maintained but expanded in a number of impressive scenes. Below is the link to last month’s review of the earlier years, bringing you up to speed: https://www.wearemoviegeeks.com/2024/05/babylon-berlin-seasons-2-3-tv-series-review.

Much of the cast returns, with the primary focus remaining on Rath and Charlotte, imposing more dramatic ups and downs on them than before. The action starts on 1930’s New Years Eve and runs through much of 1931. The Nazi honchos are dripping with even more evil – some via political manipulations; others, including many of the cops, acting as thugs who need fear no repercussions; and one doctor whose zealotry and cruel experiments evoke the infamous Dr. Mengele.

A big part of the 12-episode season centers on power struggles within Nazi factions, which have a basis in history although the series is fictional. The SS started as a middle- and upper-class organization loyal to Hitler and playing the long game, mostly scheming to undermine the system behind the scenes. The SA was the working-class alternative, driven by lack of jobs and poverty in the wake of the stock market crash of 1929 and its impact on other economies. They preferred dramatic displays of violence, hoping to delegitimize the government faster than the SS approach.

Once again, bingeing is advisable, since the number of featured characters and plot threads is growing. Charlotte’s sister Toni (Irene Bohm) becomes a major pain in the rear end. Among the newcomers, Hanno Koffler’s Walther Stennnes flaunts his rage and brutality as the head of the SA. Mark Ivanir’s Abe Gold – a mysterious New Yorker returning to Germany to recover a priceless gem stolen from his family by whatever means necessary – brings a different dimension to the series with an excellent low-key determination. In relatively little screen time, he arguably becomes the season’s most interesting figure.

Production values remain first-rate, with a few scenes – notably a dance marathon, cabaret performances and several action sequences – greatly transcending what one expects from small-screen presentations. The use of expanding iris shots after the opening credits further links the series to its era, when that visual device was popular.

The growing overt antisemitism and entrenching of Nazi ideology and advocates that reflect the history we know may be more upsetting than some would wish to experience. With the global rise of various fascist and nationalistic movements, once more stirring bigotries as a path to power, this may be more unnerving that it would have felt a decade ago. The season ends with resolution of many threads but caps with an ominous development setting the table for a fifth season. If you’ve stuck with the first four, you’ll hope for it.

“Babylon Berlin: Season 4,” mostly in German with English subtitles, streams on MHzChoice starting June 25.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

“Bordertown” Season 3 – TV Review

The first two seasons of the moody Finnish police procedural, “Bordertown” were excellent, featuring one of those troubled, eccentric, brilliant police detectives that have been so popular for many years, in many countries.

Here is the link to my laudatory review of Season 2 to bring you up to speed on characters and relevant backstories for this one: www.wearemoviegeeks.com/2024/04/bordertown-season-2-review/.

Unfortunately, Season 3 doesn’t quite live up to the first two. Again it’s 10 episodes, with each featured crime covered in two or three of them, and several subplots carried over from before and recurring throughout this one. Kari’s wife dies in the first, and the way he and daughter Janina deal with their grief is the stuff of which melodramas are made for the whole season. Many clashes and moody musings take up considerably more of the running time than before, and grow rather tedious for those who are watching for the sleuthing.

Brilliant psycho Lasse Maasalo (Sampo Sarkola) energizes many of the episodes with his devious and deadly schemes, showing the quiet cunning of villains like Cristoph Waltz’s Nazi colonel in INGLORIOUS BASTERDS. Former assistant Niko, who’s been promoted to head their Serious Crime Unit, is overwhelmed by the admin duties of the position, especially agonizing over a looming budget cut that could mean the end of its existence. Kari’s other partner, Lena, is still at odds with her less-than-stellar past and with her daughter, Katia, for reasons that become increasingly muddled.

The crime plots are again varied and intriguing, including a couple of serial killers, the patriarch of a feuding family being offed, brutality within the enclave of a demented cult leader and his flock of acolytes, and a poison or pandemic mystery threatening the whole community.

The shift of balance between criminal activity and inner workings of the principals’ minds is what made the same number of episodes seem longer. A couple of writers from the first two seasons were replaced in the third, perhaps by former psych majors feeling compelled to apply their education in this non-clinical arena. The good news is that the season – and presumably the series, since it’s been four years after the last one aired – ends with a reasonable degree of closure on all threads. For those who want more, there was a follow-up TV movie in 2021 with many of the characters returning. It’s on Netflix, but I was even more disappointed by the script for that one. It felt as if they were still pumping a dry well.

“Bordertown: Season 3,” in Finnish with English subtitles, is available streaming starting Tuesday, June 4, on MHzChoice.

RATING: 2 out of 4 stars

“The Art of Crime” Season 6 – TV series review

This light crime series from France, “The Art of Crime,” provides the usual elements of TV mysteries with a painless education in the meanings of classic paintings and personalized art history. Don’t yawn yet. Keep reading a bit further.

The Paris police have a special unit for art-related crimes. Antoine (Nicolas Gob) is assigned to it as a banishment from the serious crime squad he’d thrived on until he pissed off the wrong honcho. His complete lack of knowledge about or interest in this milieu makes the transfer even more punitive. He’s also forced to accept a partnership with a quirky consultant, Florence (Eleonore Bernheim), whose expertise in the Old Masters is essential to catching the offenders. Each case is handled in two 50-minute episodes, so no pressure to binge.

The novelty is that Florence hallucinates conversations with the subject artist of each case in reaching her “aha!” moments of insight into the who and why of all the thefts, forgeries, murders, etc. they handle. Whenever I Googled the artist or painting du jour, the scripts seemed to be on the nose, providing an entertaining and painless path to learning something new. Those already educated in this area may differ on the facts, interpretations and speculations in the scripts, so don’t take my words or theirs as gospel.

As must be the case for all oil-and-water pairings in such fare, the two clash constantly. Antoine seems incapable of absorbing and retaining whatever he needs to learn about the art. He also runs on a default angry setting, due to resentment about how he got there, and some serious daddy issues. Florence is excited about this new use for her knowledge but has a whole different set of issues with her dad, Pierre (Philippe Duclose), who keeps inserting himself into her personal and professional existence, whether wanted or not; usually, the latter. Pierre’s annoying actions in trying to prove himself indispensable make him an unusual asset to the production.

The tension between the two principals leads to an all but inevitable will-they-won’t-they bit of comic relief that runs throughout. Season Six is a pair of two-part episodes, in which the personal dynamic between Antoine and Florence takes some odd turns straddling the fence separating warm humor from silliness. It may be the funniest of the series, while still offering a couple of sufficiently twisty crimes for the suspense factor. The first begins with a dead nude model that requires a deep dive into Monet.

Production values are first-rate, making excellent use of the Louvre and many other Paris landmarks and attractions in each of its stories. The scripts also maintain a nice balance between the sleuthing and personal subplots. The progression of several relationships makes watching them in order advisable.

In the second, a murdered actress posed in a subterranean vampiric tableau triggers Florence’s imaginary chats with Edvard Munch for resolution. The season ends with some lingering questions but fear not. Season Seven has just aired in France, and is sure to follow the first six across the ocean.

“The Art of Crime,” in French with English subtitles, streams on MHzChoice starting May 14.

RATING: 2.5 out of 4 stars

Eléonore Bernheim as Florence and Nicolas Gob as Antoine, in the French TV crime series “The Art of Crime.” Courtesy of MHz Choice

“Roots of Evil” – TV Series Review

*Fahri Yardim as Larssen and Henriette Confurius as Ulrika, in the German crime series “Roots of Evil.” Courtesy of MHzChoice*

German TV gives us this complex crime series, “The Roots of Evil,” (originally “Die Quellen des Bosen”) that straddles more genres than most even attempt. Set in a small community in 1993, it’s a murder mystery involving child abuse, long-buried emotional scars, arcane ritualistic symbols, political machinations (some left over from before The Wall was torn down a few years earlier), supernatural (?) elements, multiple family entanglements, and a large dose of bigotry in a product that blends standard contemporary procedurals with heavy Gothic overtones. The result is a highly bingeable production in six 45-minute episodes.

Ulrika (Henriette Confurius) is the lead detective, working with newly-arrived partner Larssen (Fahri Yardim). While hunting in the forest, Ingrid (Cloe Heinrich), a strange teenager from an even stranger family, finds the body of a young woman meticulously laid out in a tableau of bedding, covered with symbols carved into her skin. This reminds Uli of a case from 20 years earlier that may or may not have actually occurred, involving one of her childhood friends from the nearby orphanage, Christa (Angelina Hantsch). Christa has married a truly loathsome Neo-Nazi petty crook, and has a daughter Sabrina (Sonja Joanne Geller) with whom Uli’s brother Marc (Filip Schnack) is smitten, getting him caught up in the unsavory beliefs and business dealings of her step-dad and his brutish cohorts. Don’t worry. All of that turns out less soapy than how this paragraph reads.

Larssen has his own issues, trying to locate a wife and son who’d left him five years earlier for reasons that slowly unfold. The current case leads to discovery of sex trafficking, with likely connections to whatever happened two decades earlier. Beyond that, the less you know of the plot lines, the more you’ll enjoy the suspenseful proceedings, including a few surprises along the way.

Violence is sparse; displays of the essential gory bits are restrained. No sex or nudity on camera, though sexual activities provide several key plot elements. Many forms of crazy come into play from many characters, and all are well-acted. Casting is solid all around. No one is so glamorous or super-skilled that they undermine the grim, realistic-scale tone of the production. The scripts by two credited writers, based on a story by Ada Fink, maintain several elements of tension while developing a diverse array of believable character arcs.

The package ends with closure on the major issues, succeeding as a self-contained miniseries. There area few minor lingering questions, leaving possibilities to explore in a second season, if enough interest is generated. I’d welcome another round if it is meant to be.

“The Roots of Evil,” in German with English subtitles, streams on MHzChoice starting Apr. 30.

RATING: 2.5 out of 4 stars

*Ulrike (Henriette Confurius) in the German crime series “Roots of Evil.” Courtesy of MHzChoice*

“A Good Family” – TV Series Review

*A Good Family, season 1. Anna (Maria Sid) and Henrik (Samuli Edelmann). Courtesy of MHz Choice*

The title of the six-episode Finnish drama, “A Good Family (Musta valo),” must have been meant ironically, since the leads may try to be one but fall well short of the goal line. Anna (Maria Sid) is a top police detective; hubby Henrik (Samuli Edelmann) is a former crime novelist who turned to teaching aspiring writers. They have two sons – adult Niko (Elias Salonen), who can’t steer clear of the “friends” who’d landed him in jail; and young Mikael (Paavo Usvola), who is adorable between panic attacks. The season covers Niko’s latest misdeed and his parents’ increasingly dubious efforts to protect him in what’s meant to be a thriller.

The handful of credited writers succeed on the suspense part. We really don’t know who will live or die; get caught or go free; or even who will end up with whom. The problem is that it becomes increasingly hard to care. I’ve praised quite a few crime dramas from several Northern European countries, but couldn’t quite get on board with this one.

Anna’s actions become ever harder to justify; Henrik’s seem really clumsy for one whose career has been centered around crimes, albeit fictional. Those of us who’ve even watched a bunch of procedurals would know better ways to cover up and shift blame to shield a loved one than how this guy does it. His writer’s block apparently spills over into their actual life.

I won’t disclose more about the plot. The premise is fine, but the product disappoints. The pace is dreadfully slow and the tone is dour, even compared to other Nordic crime drama series. There’s a ridiculous subplot with a hot coed throwing herself at rotund, middle-aged Henrik, despite knowing he’s married and that the Muse that inspired his career-making novel figuratively skipped town without him several years earlier. As the couple becomes more desperate and the collateral damage they cause piles up, innocent Mikael becomes the only one to solidly root for. Not likely what the producers intended. Or what most viewers would hope for, making this somewhere between miss-able and low priority on your watch list.

“A Good Family,” in Finnish with English subtitles, streams on MHzChoice starting Tuesday, Feb. 27.

RATING: 2 out of 4 stars

A Good Family, season 1, episode 6. Niko (Elias Salonen), Mikael (Paavo Usvola), Henrik (Samuli Edelmann) and Anna (Maria Sid) posing with their family in a party.

“Mr. and Mrs. Smith” – TV series review

*Donald Glover and Maya Erskine, in “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” on Amazon Prime. Courtesy of Amazon Prime.*

Donald Glover is a multi-talented young man. Proof lies in his boatload of awards and nominations for acting, writing, directing, producing and in several aspects of the music biz. Further proof lies in his having enough clout to attract a slew of stars for mostly brief appearances in this eight-episode action comedy. Alas, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” is not his best work as co-writer or co-star.

Glover plays a guy recruited by an unspecified secret agency to pose as half of a normal, bland couple while remaining perpetually on call for any kind of covert op, from protection to swiping documents to whacking designated baddies. The “wife” they picked for him (Maya Erskine) shares all the assignments while helping to maintain their cover. As is par for such courses, they don’t like each other until they do. Throughout the season, they quibble with each other between and during their jobs. He’s more experienced, but she’s smarter. He’s impulsive; she’s methodical. Both chafe at the others’ assertions of leadership in most situations they face.

Not a bad setup, but poorly executed. The scripts aren’t as funny or exciting as they should be. That’s especially disappointing since they decided to reuse the title of a superior 1996 series starring Scott Bakula and Maria Bello, and the zany “Brangelina” (aka Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie) pairing in a 2005 movie. Third time under the banner was not the charm. All ran on similar façade and function dichotomies, though the movie upped the ante a bit with its spin of the spouses not even knowing each other’s secret identity. Those productions set the bar somewhat higher than this could reach. It’s not a remake of either. This incarnation fizzles on its own initiative.

The couple’s repetitious verbal clashes grow tedious. Action sequences are too few and far between, as they build to a fairly bizarre climax. Some of the guest stars pitch in bits of panache – notably Parker Posey, John Turturro and Ron Perlman. Same for either comedian Dave Attell or his clone in an uncredited appearance.

Worst of all, the two stars are seriously miscast. No credible chemistry to match their character arcs. Glover looks great with his shirt off, as he makes a point of proving several times (*author’s confession – I’d be tempted to do the same if my torso even closely resembled his. Alas, my six-pack is thoroughly insulated beneath an ample layer of less screen-worthy covering). On the other hand, there’s no insight into how Erskine looks without hers. The whole thing is quite PG-13 as to sex, language and violence. And unfortunately dull.

“Mr. & Mrs. Smith” is available streaming on Amazon Prime starting Friday, Feb. 2.

RATING: 1 out of 4 stars

“The Bridge” Season 4 – TV series review

Sofia Helin as Saga, in “The Bridge” Season 4. Director: Rumle Hammerich. Photo: Jens Juncker. Produced by Filmlance International AB. Courtesy of MHzChoice

“The Bridge: Season 4” is likely the final chapter in this crime drama from Sweden and Denmark. As before, it’s based on a complex crime scenario at their border affecting both countries, providing another round with a new menace for Saga (Sofia Helin) and Henrik (Thure Lindhardt) to confront. That’s hard to get off the ground, since Saga has been in jail for the eight months since Season 3’s events for allegedly killing her allegedly psycho mother. Since her release occurs in the first episode, it’s no spoiler to inform you that she’s cleared and returned to duty, albeit with some difficulties. Even knowing that, the method of getting there is intriguing enough for a good watch.

For the usual eight episodes, the cop combo and their bi-national team deal with what appears to be a serial killer. That’s in doubt because the manner of dispatching each victim differs (most of them have more of a signature style, at least in the realm of fiction), and there’s no discernible pattern of how they’re targeted. As the season progresses, multiple suspects ebb and flow, along with numerous theories about the killer’s or killers’ motivation. The murders are dramatically staged, but mostly occur off-screen, with the gory details shown rather discreetly to keep the faint of heart from turning away.

Along with the main crime plot, the season delves deeper into the natures, backstories and personal lives of several principals than was the case in the first three seasons. That makes the overall tone even more somber than before. Perhaps that’s due to the influence of the few new writers added to the prior staff. I recommend holding off on this season until you’ve seen the others, due to the considerable carryover in all the character-arc subplots. Bingeing is also preferable because of the large number of players and issues swirling around before anyone figures out which of them are relevant to this killing spree. There are also several surprising developments affecting many of the principals. Here’s the link to my review covering seasons 1-3 to refresh your memory, or provide some insight on what to expect:

“The Bridge: Seasons 2 & 3” TV Series Review

Since Season 4 aired in 2018, it seems likely to be the finale. Without details, I can advise there are no cliffhangers or loose ends detracting from a sense of closure. It was presumably written to end on that laudable note, expecting it to be the last hurrah for this celebrated, oft-imitated series. The characters and their audience deserve no less.

“The Bridge” Season 4, mostly in Danish and Swedish with English subtitles, is available streaming on MHzChoice starting Tuesday, Jan. 30.

RATING: 2.5 out of 4 stars

“Arctic Circle” Season 3 – TV Series Review

*Iina Kuustonen in the Finnish crime TV series “Artic Circle” (Ivalo) Season 3. Photo credit: Mitro Härkönen. Courtesy of Topic*

When I covered the previous two seasons of the Finnish police procedural “Arctic Circle,” I was down on the first for stretching 6-7 episodes worth of a season-long crime story out to 10. I accordingly praised the second for trimming its single mystery to a tight 6 episodes. They’ve kept that in mind (assuredly not due to my opinion; they surely got the same feedback from more influential sources), again presenting a worthy tale with plenty of subplots in the same number of episodes.

Since that previous review was 22 months ago, below is a link my review of the first two for a memory refresher:

Arctic Circle – TV Series Review

As Season 3 opens, we watch the jacking of a sleek experimental car with a handful of killings in the process. Cut to Nina (Iina Kuustonen), who is on the verge of promotion to police chief due to her boss’ imminent retirement. Shortly after this opening crime, and seemingly unrelated, a local pharmacist is found fatally shot in an apparent robbery of his cash and street-valued drugs. Nina senses a connection, but no one up the ladder agrees.

The stolen car belonged to a nearby cutting-edge car manufacturer, Pharada, with a huge test facility with plenty of armed security forces, and political clout to cover up their actions and obstruct any investigations. They can’t let anyone know their electric, self-driving game-changer is missing just before its scheduled roll-out, relying on their own personnel to track it down before a public embarrassment that would cause its stock value to plummet.

Pharada is also planning a major expansion of the premises that will create many jobs but requires approval by the town council. Of course, there’s controversy because of its environmental impact – especially affecting the reindeer that are important to the community. An imminent vote will decide that hot-button issue, generating machinations of all sorts.

Besides the main plot, Nina is having relationship problems, trying to dump her beau Toni (Mikko Mousiainen) because he wants kids and she doesn’t. That’s partly due to the demands of her job, but also influenced by fears that her teenage daughter’s Downs Syndrome will recur in any other progeny. A number of other character arcs and plot-lines are adroitly woven into the main thread, creating a slew of suspense elements. Bingeing is advisable.

Compared to the prior seasons, personal issues take up a higher percentage of the running time even as the action scenes are ramped up. Some of the supporting roles add considerably to the suspense elements and our emotional investments in their characters. Several are from the U.S., so more of the dialog is in English than before. That should appeal to subtitle-averse fans of imported crime dramas. And for those of us who crave closure, the season ends without cliffhangers, so viewers can feel satisfied if it’s not renewed, while leaving the door left ajar for a fourth season.

“Arctic Circle: Season 3,” mostly in Finnish with English subtitles, is available streaming starting Thursday, Jan. 11, on Topic.

RATING: 2.5 out of 4 stars

“The Bridge: Seasons 2 & 3” TV Series Review

Back in 2011, the Scandinavian crime series, “The Bridge,” was not only hugely popular in Europe but spawned quite a few remakes and derivatives on both sides of the Atlantic. The now oft-used premise is that a body is found straddling the national border of a bridge joining Denmark and Sweden, creating jurisdictional confusion. That gets worse when they discover that the top and bottom halves are from two different women. Successor series have been set on the US/Mexico, Singapore/Malaysia, Greece/Turkey and the Russia/Estonia borders. A France/England version used the Chunnel in the same way. That list may be more illustrative than complete, since variations exist under non-bridgey titles. In each, a cop from one side partners with one from the other, despite cultural and personal differences that add tensions and friction to the whodunnit component.

This original paired Sweden’s detective Saga Noren (Sofia Helin) with Denmark’s Martin Rhode (Kim Bodnia). Since all cop duo dramas or comedies must begin with irritating differences, Saga is somewhere on the high-functioning end of The Spectrum – brilliant, hyper-focused, feeling virtually no emotions in her professional or personal lives, and blunt with everyone about what she’s thinking – unable to use normal sensitivities in any conversation. What she thinks will be what she says.

Martin is the grizzled, world-weary Dane who can be soft and supportive when the situation calls for tact. The two don’t particularly like or understand what makes each other tick, but mutual respect evolves during this somber season of shared sleuthing, weaving their way through a maze of political and financial motives and suspects.

Season Two opens 13 months after the first and introduces some new detectives before settling in with the first pair. This year’s plot escalates from the realm of crime to international terrorism. Even so, there’s a significant carryover from Season One affecting roles and actions in the new case. Without providing details, the season ends in a way that might preclude the two sharing any other cases.

Season Three, another 13 months later, pairs Saga with a younger Danish partner, Henrik (Thure Lindhardt) and returns to the more familiar realm of civilian murders, with a serial killer dispatching victims in apparently ritualistic, attention-seeking displays. Really gory, too, with each posed differently. Both seasons are filled, if not overrun, with characters and subplots, giving viewers more of a challenge than average. As usual, I recommend starting from the beginning to understand the carryover elements. Bingeing each season is advisable for keeping their plots and players in mind. As one expects from a Scandinavian drama, the tone is somber – longer on mood than action, and even lower on moments of levity. Both sets do a pretty good job of living up to Season One’s level of quality in scripting, acting and production values. A final fourth season aired abroad and is sure to follow here shortly. Stay tuned , as they say…

“The Bridge: Seasons 2 and 3,” mostly in Swedish and Danish with English subtitles, streams on Topic starting Tuesday, Dec. 26.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

“Deadly Tropics” Season 4 (French) – TV Series Review

Regular readers know how much I’ve enjoyed the first three seasons of ”Deadly Tropics (Tropiques Criminels),” a relatively light-hearted police procedural set in Martinique, starring two attractive, yet totally opposite in every way, detectives and a recurring cast of colleagues, family members and the occasional romantic sidebar.

Here’s a link to my previous reviews for those starting anew with this 4th season, or wanting to refresh their memories:

“Deadly Tropics: Season 3” – TV review

As before, the season is eight hour-long episodes. Other than an opening two-parter, the rest present new crimes for our intrepid duo of Commander Melissa (Sonia Rolland, Captain Gaelle (Beatrice de la Boulaye) and their crew. Their oil-and-water personalities clash before they prove effective, as is customary for the genre. The elegant Melissa is still serious and by-the-book; tomboy Gaelle remains playfully indifferent to procedures while laser-focused on solutions. Respect and friendship have evolved, but friction between them over procedures and attitudes still flares up kind of regularly. And mostly amusingly.

The murders du jour occur in the context of other crimes, ranging from human trafficking and sexual websites, to a ritual serial killer, assorted wackos and illegal MMA fighting. There are more romantic byplay and domestic problems for both stars than before, including a couple of annoyingly surly teenagers (is that a redunmdancy?). Though the stories are stand-alone episodes, they’ll be much better appreciated by seeing the earlier years first, rather than starting with this set. Some prior characters and subplot threads recur.

There’s still levity coming from several sources complementing the dramatic side. There’s not much violence and gore on display – less than many of our prime-time network cop shows. A few aspects of Season 4 made it slightly less enjoyable for me (did I mention the annoying teenagers?), but others may differ. This round ends on a note that compels a fifth season for closure. Deal me in when it arrives.

“Deadly Tropics (Tropiques Criminels): Season 4,” mostly in French with English subtitles, streams on MHz Choice starting Tuesday, Dec. 19.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

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