Streaming series review - Babylon Berlin: Seasons 2 & 3

Babylon Berlin: Seasons Two and Three *** (out of 5) As promised in last month’s review of Season One (hyperlink after this paragraph to save you scrolling time), May bestows upon us the bounty of Seasons Two and Three, in which Germany’s political and economic upheavals deepen. These two seasons remain in 1929, bringing us up to the global you-know-what that led to the Great Depression. The train with its mysterious, hazardous contents remains in play among several factions with assorted motives.

https://patch.com/missouri/clayton-richmondheights/streaming-series-review-babylon-berlin-season-one

Both seasons are longer - 10 and 12 episodes, respectively, which may not have been a plus. The pace seems slower than before, with less overt action per hour. The suspense and looming aura of menace, however, are ramped up and broadened, with more characters bringing more subplots and social issues into the picture. Rath is still our beleaguered hero; Charlotte’s role is significantly increased as she works her way into the police force despite overwhelming sexism within and beyond the department. She may be the smartest person in most rooms, but none of the guys other than Rath can even recognize that, much less appreciate it. One downside is that the Mata Hari-esque “Countess” (Severija Janusauskaite), who lit up the screen with her vamping villainess in Season One gets very little face time in these rounds. More steak; less sizzle.

Political maneuvering and corruption are emphasized much more, which would be fascinating in a totally fictional setting, but feel more disturbing since we all know which way the historical winds are about to blow. References to Hitler and The Party progress, and the repugnant tactics of those dark forces seem likely to reflect that reality. Gottfried Wendt (Benno Furmann) smugly exudes Machiavellian evil as Rath’s new boss. The deranged son of a wealthy industrialist, Alfred Nyssen (Lars Eidinger), tries to earn his nasty mother’s respect with his foresight about The Crash to come, but nobody’s listening, since he’s never contributed anything useful up to that point.

Helga (Hannah Herzsprung), the widow of Rath’s brother and his secret inamorata, who was barely involved before, becomes a major figure in these seasons, not only complicating Rath’s life, but winding up in the middle of other plotlines. A string of murders impeding a movie financed by a couple of gangsters is central to all the proceedings, with political, social and financial implications swelling the ranks of the suspect pool.

Production values and performances remain first-rate all around. Season Three ends with plenty of unfinished business, but Season Four is slated to begin here next month. As a caveat, I’m not sure how far into the 1930s the series will run. But as it progresses, the current rise of right-wing parties around the globe might make this less entertaining and more alarming than it would have seemed a decade ago. Adjust your viewing decisions accordingly.

(Babylon Berlin: Seasons Two and Three, mostly in German with subtitles, stream on MHzChoice as of 5/28/24)