



As huge "Netflix" fans ( find all our posts here ) we were really looking forward to the first German Original Series. Our national film productions are pretty good at whodunits and historical dramas, but mystery... We had some concerns if "Dark" would be able to compete with great shows like "Stranger Things". This post is part of our segment "Watch.Read.Discuss.", in which we authors discuss the same media. In the past we talked about "The Mist", another "Netflix Original" as well as other tv shows and movies like "Doctor Strange and "Wonder Woman" ( find all posts here ).

The design is pretty cool! Photo: Netflix

"Dark" is set in the small German town Winden, which is surrounded by a thick forest. In 2019 two boys, Erik Obendorf (Paul Radom) and Mikkel Nielsen (Daan Lennard Liebrenz), disappear within a short amount of time. Mikkel's father Ulrich (Oliver Masucci) is a policeman and teams up with his colleague Charlotte Doppler (Karoline Eichhorn) to find his son. It's not the first time that one of his family members is missing. In 1986 his younger brother Mads disappeared too and hasn't been found in the last 33 years. Meanwhile 16-year-old Jonas Kahnwald (Louis Hofmann) finds evidence that there has to be a hole in the space-time continuum somewhere in Winden, which makes time travel possible. And what role does the mysterious and seemingly not aging pastor Noah (Mark Waschke) play?

There are a couple of dozen characters, whose stories are told in three different decades within the series. Consequently there are countless subplots next to the missing kids case - for example the protagonists' personal problems, the vendetta of Mikkel's father and the not very confidence-inspiring nuclear power plant in Winden.



Please note: "Dark" covers a time frame of 66 years, so many roles are played by two or even three different actors. For a better readability we only state the person, who plays a role in the present (2019).









When did you become aware of the series and why did you want to watch it?

Katrin: I first heard about "Dark" in the beginning of this year and I was really curious what the first German series would look like. It's great that "Netflix" thinks internationally and has productions in many different countries, all of them with local actors, directors and crew members. I especially really liked the Brazilian series "3%". So I was really looking forward to the "Dark" premiere.





Laura: Katrin sent me the "Dark" trailer. I was really surprised after watching it. I couldn't believe this series was actually supposed to be a German production, because everything looked very appealing and it's a mystery show. That's why I definitely wanted to watch it, but I was still scared the trailer would be more impressive than the actual program.





Did the show live up to your expectations?

Mikkel has to cope with being alone in year 1986 Photo: Netflix Laura: I purposely kept my expectations low, because I've often been disappointed by TV shows and movies with really cool trailers. Nevertheless I was frustrated how little "Dark" actually appealed to me. I don't think the production was bad, because the design looks really good (except for some scenes with weak special effects). I also thought the time travel storyline was okay. However the plot was incredibly muddled and eventually it became difficult to follow it. In addition there wasn't a single appealing or sweeping character. Five days have passed since I finished the series and in all honesty: I can't remember some of the subplots, because there are so many that don't contribute anything to the story.



Katrin: Plain and simple: NO. Honestly my expectations weren't that high. Since "The OA" I stopped believing "Netflix" only needed a mysterious storyline to create something great. Additionally I really don't like time travel plots, because in 99% of the cases they're total bullshit (Keyword: If you change something in the past, your present will change too - no, of course not, because everything that happens in the past, has already happened in the present, therefore you can't change anything!). Sadly "Dark" didn't even meet my averagely high expectations. Muddled story, loveless characters, a terribly annoying soundtrack and no noticeable soul or lifeblood - I really didn't like the show, even though I really wanted to. I purposely kept my expectations low, because I've often been disappointed by TV shows and movies with really cool trailers. Nevertheless I was frustrated how little "Dark" actually appealed to me. I don't think the production was bad, because the design looks really good (except for some scenes with weak special effects). I also thought the time travel storyline was okay. However the plot was incredibly muddled and eventually it became difficult to follow it. In addition there wasn't a single appealing or sweeping character. Five days have passed since I finished the series and in all honesty: I can't remember some of the subplots, because there are so many that don't contribute anything to the story.Plain and simple: NO. Honestly my expectations weren't that high. Since "The OA" I stopped believing "Netflix" only needed a mysterious storyline to create something great. Additionally I really don't like time travel plots, because in 99% of the cases they're total bullshit (Keyword: If you change something in the past, your present will change too - no, of course not, because everything that happens in the past, has already happened in the present, therefore you can't change anything!). Sadly "Dark" didn't even meet my averagely high expectations. Muddled story, loveless characters, a terribly annoying soundtrack and no noticeable soul or lifeblood - I really didn't like the show, even though I really wanted to.





Is it noticeable that "Dark" is a German production?

Laura: I was surprised that it wasn't. I didn't have the feeling I was watching a German series. It is pretty "neutral" in that regard: Neither the characters nor the locations make it look "German". The fictional place Winden could also be located in another country.



Katrin: First of all I think it's wrong that everyone talks about "the German TV" online. There's such a huge variety of different program formats all of different quality. Therefore it's cheap and not right to paint them all with the same brush. Actually "Dark" could be set basically in any country. There's nothing in the show, that specifically places it in Germany. Without the language aspect it could be set anywhere in the northern hemisphere.





Many viewers complained about the confusing story and the many characters, who are all somehow related and shown in three different decades. Your opinions on that?

That should explain something about time travel Photo: Netflix Laura: I'm not surprised so many people are complaining. Especially in the first three or four episodes it's really difficult to keep track and pay attention at the same time. Our lifesaver were the scenes in which pictures of the characters in different decades were shown. But if a story needs such "tools" it's not really a good sign. Shouldn't the characters be remembered by their personality and storyline? Even with the photos it was still very confusing, because there are so many characters and only a few of them leave an impression.



Katrin: I'm a huge fan of complex stories like "Inception", "Now You See Me", "Who Am I" or "The Prestige", which keep someone thinking even long after the closing credits. Whereas "Dark" isn't intelligently multilayered, just confusing and unnecessarily complicated. The huge amount of characters and the time leaps don't make the story more thrilling. The entire show just seems incredibly cluttered, especially because there are dozens of protagonists, but only a handful is actually relevant to the plot. For instance all of the present's teenagers - except for Jonas - could have been cut without changing the main plot, the disappearance of Mikkel. I'm not surprised so many people are complaining. Especially in the first three or four episodes it's really difficult to keep track and pay attention at the same time. Our lifesaver were the scenes in which pictures of the characters in different decades were shown. But if a story needs such "tools" it's not really a good sign. Shouldn't the characters be remembered by their personality and storyline? Even with the photos it was still very confusing, because there are so many characters and only a few of them leave an impression.I'm a huge fan of complex stories like "Inception", "Now You See Me", "Who Am I" or "The Prestige", which keep someone thinking even long after the closing credits. Whereas "Dark" isn't intelligently multilayered, just confusing and unnecessarily complicated. The huge amount of characters and the time leaps don't make the story more thrilling. The entire show just seems incredibly cluttered, especially because there are dozens of protagonists, but only a handful is actually relevant to the plot. For instance all of the present's teenagers - except for Jonas - could have been cut without changing the main plot, the disappearanceof Mikkel.





Which scene did you like the least?

Laura: Basically every scene in which a character just stands somewhere with a blank or confused look on his face. This happens so often, that it really started to annoy me.



Katrin: Because I thought the entire story was bad, it's hard to name a scene, I particularly didn't like. In my opinion most sequences, in which deep emotions were supposed to be shown, sucked. There are a lot of actors in "Dark" that I've seen and liked in other productions, but somehow everyone here seems bloodless and unfeeling. Anger is the only emotion that comes across. Everything else like joy, sadness or love seems artificial and awkward. I liked the ending least. It's understandable that some questions don't get resolved in case there's going to be a second season. But there should have been at least some answers within ten episodes! The only resolutions, that Mikkel is Jonas' father and the mysterious stranger will be Jonas in the future, were so obvious that I guessed them many episodes earlier. It also really bugged me how no one in Winden recognized the time travelling characters! How did Jonas' mother Hannah (Maja Schöne) miss that her affair's son looks exactly like her husband when he was his age?!?!?!?!?



Basically every scene in which a character just stands somewhere with a blank or confused look on his face. This happens so often, that it really started to annoy me.Because I thought the entire story was bad, it's hard to name a scene, I particularly didn't like. In my opinion most sequences, in which deep emotions were supposed to be shown, sucked. There are a lot of actors in "Dark" that I've seen and liked in other productions, but somehow everyone here seems bloodless and unfeeling. Anger is the only emotion that comes across. Everything else like joy, sadness or love seems artificial and awkward. I liked the ending least. It's understandable that some questions don't get resolved in case there's going to be a second season. But there should have been at least some answers within ten episodes! The only resolutions, that Mikkel is Jonas' father and the mysterious stranger will be Jonas in the future, were so obvious that I guessed them many episodes earlier. It also really bugged me how no one in Winden recognized the time travelling characters! How did Jonas' mother Hannah (Maja Schöne) miss that her affair's son looks exactly like her husband when he was his age?!?!?!?!?

Which scene did you like best?

Katrin: The opening titles look really awesome! Music and imagery fit together perfectly and create way more suspense and gloomy atmosphere than the episodes themselves!





Laura: Yes, the intro looks great! I also liked the scene, in which some kind of time gate is opened: Jonas Kahnwald and Helge Doppler (Hermann Beyer) switch places and thereby also years. That was very well done and also unique, because it's the only time something like this is shown.





What would you have changed about the story?

Three whose names you don't have to remember Photo: Netflix Katrin: I would have tried to put more soul into the plot. Whether chararacters, imagery or story everything seems cold and distanced. TV shows like "Stranger Things" are great, because the protagonists open up to the viewers. The mass of characters and their reticence made me feel like I was watching animals in a zoo instead of being "sucked into" a story. As a creator I would have also reduced the number of characters significantly and cut totally irrelevant subplots like the awkward love story between Magnus Nielsen (Moritz Jahn) and Franziska Doppler (Gina Alice Stiebitz). Then I would have used the saved time to answer at least some of the central questions. I would have tried to put more soul into the plot. Whether chararacters, imagery or story everything seems cold and distanced. TV shows like "Stranger Things" are great, because the protagonists open up to the viewers. The mass of characters and their reticence made me feel like I was watching animals in a zoo instead of being "sucked into" a story. As a creator I would have also reduced the number of characters significantly and cut totally irrelevant subplots like the awkward love story between Magnus Nielsen(Moritz Jahn) and Franziska Doppler (Gina Alice Stiebitz). Then I would have used the saved time to answer at least some of the central questions.





Laura: I agree with Katrin. I would have given the characters more personality. In this way it would have been easier to remember them and made the story more lively. Furthermore I would have provided some rational explanations or rules for time travel and not left everything open.





Last, but not least: What do you expect from a second season?

Katrin: ANSWERS! And the viewers finally learning a bit about the characters!





Laura: I want answers too! I also hope they'll make the characters more interesting and multilayered, so I can root for at least one person.



