Television: Babylon Berlin

I recently watched first two seasons of ‘Babylon Berlin’, a German TV Series, on Tata Sky. I read that its third season was aired only this year in 2020 and perhaps that’s the reason it was not hosted on Tata Sky yet. The TV series is based on novels by German author Volker Kutscher. Its language is German, but I made it out based on the English subtitles.

I found this TV series way better than any Hollywood crime-thriller and different in many ways. This is the first time I watched a German program and was highly impressed by their quality of work. Perhaps television industry in Germany is very advanced. The background sound was effective and raised goosebumps at many places. Although at many places it was similar to some World War theme movies I have seen. The story is of 1920s and the scale at which it has been picturized is massive. Be it the riots scene, or war scenes, or scenes of some police chase or a train fight, everything looks very natural.

The main character is of Police Inspector Gereon Rath (played by Volker Bruch). He is not a flawless character and there is no attempt to hide his flaws too. That makes him appear vulnerable and real. His role reminded me of Sherlock Holmes at many places. The next big character is of Charlotte Ritter (played by Liv Lisa Fries), a poor girl who wants to join the Police. Liv has played this role so brilliantly; hats off to her. Detective Chief Inspector Bruno Wolter (played by Peter Kurth) is a corrupt police officer and I hated him watching what all he did all through the story. Then there is Councillor August Benda (played by Matthias Brandt), a character I loved immensely.

At one place near later part of season 2, there is a small story which I would like to share.

Greta Overbeck is a childhood friend of Charlotte and like her, she is also very poor. She is looking for a job and standing on the side of a street with a placard. Charlotte sees her and immediately takes her out for lunch. (In this respect, perhaps the poor people are different from the rich, because if a rich person would have seen his or her childhood friend jobless and homeless, one would have perhaps avoided the friend instead of trying to help). So, Charlotte tries to find some jobs for Greta and in the end she comes to know that Councillor Benda and his wife are looking for a house maid and hence she recommends Greta and Greta gets the job. Greta is very happy and grateful to find a place of work and she works with full sincerity. Mr. Benda and his family are also very kind to her.

After some time when everything is fine with her, Greta starts going out during her free time and interacts with some boys who become her friend. One boy especially likes her and both enjoy roaming around together whenever she has off time. The boy is a Communist and Communists were trying to topple the national democratic government. After becoming friends, he and his friends play a trick on Greta.

One day, they inform Greta that the police have killed Greta’s boyfriend and Councillor Benda had given that order to kill him. Greta believes in the story and becomes furious. Then one boy asks for her help in assassinating Councillor Benda and she agrees. While Mr. Benda is out of home, she opens the door of the house, the boy enters and plants a bomb below the desk where Mr. Benda used to work. Then the boy goes away and asks Greta to switch on the bomb when Mr. Benda comes and move out of town.

That day, Mr. Benda’s wife and kids had plans to travel to somewhere. Before leaving, Mr. Benda’s baby daughter sees Greta sad and gives her doll to her so that she could remember her. Greta is touched and starts feeling guilty about her plan to kill the baby girl’s father. Greta was the baby girl’s nanny and hence used to love her. But despite feeling guilty, she carries out her plan, because of the pressure to execute the plan which was already made. Mr. Benda’s wife and kids leave the house. And just before Mr. Benda was to reach home in the evening, Greta switches on the bomb and goes to the railway station to catch a train to get out of town.

But at the railway station, she spots her boyfriend; this time in some other disguise. She goes to him and asks how he is still alive. The boy refuses to identify her! When she challenges him, he throws her away and she is hurt. She realizes that she was cheated by her boyfriend who was a fraud and she had carried out plan to kill her master (Mr. Benda) as per his communist party’s plans. She rushes towards Mr. Benda’s house in order to save him from the bomb.

In the meanwhile, Mr. Benda’s wife and kids had to cancel their trip and returned home because Mr. Benda’s son was not feeling well. Mr. Benda had returned home too and went to his study room and worked on his desk. Then his baby daughter came and started playing below the desk. She sees the bomb’s wires and asks her father what it was. Before Mr. Benda could look, there is a big blast and Mr. Benda and his daughter both are killed. Greta had just come near to the house and sees the bomb blast.

Greta is arrested by the police suspecting her role in the blast and goes to jail. But worse, she is under great pain because she had caused the murder of her master and his little girl whom she was supposed to take care of. The little girl’s image comes to her mind and also how Mr. Benda had been so kind to her. She is pained by guilt. At the jail she is also treated harshly by other inmates. Due to her foolishness, she had not only ruined her safe and happy future but she had taken two lives and destroyed the life of Mr. Benda’s wife and son.

This is just one of the touching side-stories in the TV series.

- Rahul Tiwary