Rent Babylon Berlin: Series 3 (2020)

Berlin 1929. Police Commissar Gereon Rath investigates - Babylon Berlin: Series 3 review by DR

Volker Kutscher's plot is loosely followed in which the murder of the leading lady in a film studio leads into underworld involvement. Concurrently there are efforts to obtain a reprieve for a flatmate who has been drawn into a politically inspired assassination. The 1929 financial crash, Nationalist plots, and the growing acceptance of the Hitler Youth are woven into the drama. The exotic scenes of the earlier series are developed with even more mysticism and depravity.

Watchable Crime Drama Set in 1929 Berlin - Babylon Berlin: Series 3 review by PV

I enjoyed this despite the flaws - a meandering plot, dragged out perhaps too long; too much wallowing in the theatrics and dancing of the nightlife as with series 1 and 2. Probably being too loyal to the crime novels this is based on maybe?

Not sure it's all quite believable but it's certainly theatrically eye-catching and watchable, with some interesting three-dimensional characters such as the chaotic Jewish journalist and the various underworld characters, and the crime investigators complete with drag queens!

The subtitles are sometimes really bad - obviously written by someone German whose first language is not English, though with translation one is always meant to translate into one's first language. Some really clunky phrases and wrong tenses. One example: "The girl hasn;'t invented the deep dish". WHA? Anyone got any idea what that means> Literal translation from a German idiom, I presume. Very sloppy - get the subtitles checked by a native English speaker maybe?

But then the subtitles are as bad sometimes as the villainous facial scars are good. It's set after WWI but it seems a great many German survivors of that conflict suffered facial scars as there is quite a collection on display here. Also rather Shakespearean, as with Richard III deformity showing his evil, so the baddies here all tend to have scars or birthmarks on their faces. Very 16th Century! Not pc and all the better for it!

SO glad there is no colourblind casting ruining this - (can anyone imagine the rise of the Nazis with BAME actors playing Hitler youth, for example?) - for 1929 Berlin the actors all look the part, even though some actors are familiar (Gereon is played by the main actor from Generation War and the landlady actress (a very good one) was in Deutschland 83/83/89). Good actors though! And the 1929 technology is fascinating - audio and crime investigator stuff, with focus on the 'man machine' and robots etc. This is the age of Fritz Lang's Metropolis.

SO not brilliant but watchable. if you liked this, watch VIENNA BLOOD. Also watch the Liza Minelli musical CABERET maybe or read Christopher Isherwood to get a taste of 1929 Berlin. Crime novels need 3 things - 1) plot as they are by nature focused on that; 2) strong characters; 3) a sense of place in a specific location. All top crime writers achieve this, and this TV series and no doubt the books do too.

Sometimes a bit drawn out and wobbly, but 4 stars.