Deutschland 83, Season 1, Episode 6, “Brandy Station”
Written by Ralph Martin and Anna Winger
Directed by Samira Radsi
Airs Wednesdays at 11pm (ET) on SundanceTV
After focusing almost entirely on Martin—and the enormously appealing Jonas Nay—in its earliest episodes, Deutschland 83 has slowly widened its frame to include a larger mix of characters. Last week’s “Cold Fire,” while still centering on Martin’s return back to the West, spent considerable time exploring the stories of Alexander, Annett, and even Ursula Edel. Now comes “Brandy Station,” which brings Alexander to the forefront and feels like the first true ensemble episode of the series.
But first there is Martin. Still recovering from his kidney surgery, he receives a visit from Annett, whom he now knows is pregnant with his child. Any hope viewers had of a heartfelt reunion between the two young lovers is quickly squelched. Martin wants to remain in East Germany and be a good father, while Annett reveals Lebensborn-levels of state devotion and pushes him to go back West. This leads to an effective discussion between eager father-to-be Martin and absent father Walter, who talks Martin into returning West by claiming a U.S. nuclear attack is imminent. Sylvester Groth is particularly good in this scene, letting a moment of wistfulness wash over his features when remembering his kids before steeling over and reeling Martin in. The moment makes Walter’s self-serving manipulations of intelligence reports later in the episode all the more chilling. As for Martin, he may have bitten Walter’s hook, but from the look on his face, it appears he also may have found some motivations of his own for going back West. A purposeful and planning Martin could make for some must-see viewing in the last two episodes of the season.
Of course, Martin and Walter’s talk on father-child relationships dovetails nicely into the current Edel family crisis. Back at the military base, things are quickly unraveling for General Edel, as a West German military intelligence agent pops up to ask questions about Alexander, which leads to Edel figuring out—in another disturbingly violent confrontation—that Ursula has been lying about Alexander’s “contagious virus.” It feels a bit unbelievable that Edel could spend a week at his house without noticing his son was missing, but it underscores how estranged the pair were from each other even before the big family fight two episodes ago.
Alexander has been a restless, impulsive presence all season, rebelling, searching and sulking his way from one place to the next. It looked like he may have found a home with East German intelligence last week, but in “Brandy Station,” Lenora scoffs that he became useless to her the moment he used the front door. This off-screen rejection sets up Alexander’s rogue assault on a brothel, with the intent of forcing General Jackson to admit to the world that the U.S. plans to nuke Europe. The standoff is absolutely nail-biting because, with none of the series’ great manipulators pulling the strings, the situation is completely unpredictable. Finally given some meaty material, Ludwig Trepte doesn’t disappoint. His scenes vibrate with an edgy conviction that believably gives way to comedic frustration as Alexander tries to get a half-naked Jackson to read a political message from cue cards. Meanwhile, the cutaways to Lenora listening to the exchange, courtesy of a Stasi bug, provide a wonderful juxtaposition with Alexander’s scenes at the brothel. As overmatched Alex haplessly wanders into Dog Day Afternoon-territory, cool, collected Lenora works to clean up the mess with an almost amused detachment. One gets the feeling that this is highlight of her week. In any case, it’s the highlight of Maria Schrader’s work on the series thus far.
In another important development, Alexander’s misadventure forces Lenora to deploy Martin and Karl Kramer to haul his wayward ass back home. However, Kramer is gunned down, meaning that Martin is now Lenora’s only asset left at the military base. It remains to be seen how much of an asset Martin still is, though. When—in a moment that recalls a high-stakes version of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off—Martin delivers Alex home just in time to meet with the intelligence spook, General Edel looks like he might be piecing things together.
“Brandy Station” is the best episode of the season to date, featuring a taut, smart script that allows the show’s stellar cast to really shine. While Deustschland 83‘s first half was good, its second half is flirting with being great. Hopefully, that trend will continue over the last two episodes.
Other Deutsch Details
– All the previous mentions of AIDS finally get a payoff as Tobias learns his part-time lover Felix is symptomatic. Is Alexander’s fake “contagious” illness a heartbreaking foreshadow of things to come?
– The Crazy Renate watch continues. After all the incriminating things Martin has said and done over the series, will it be his first mistake that ultimately does him in? The writers have admirably tied up several disparate plot points the last two weeks, so it’s possible Renate is standing by with a cocktail in one hand and a big payoff in the other.
– With Annett’s determination to view the world through state-colored glasses, blandly cultish Yvonne suddenly seems like a winner. That she’s ditching the commune to go on tour with a rock band helps.
-’80s retro songs featured this week include Grace Jones’ “Libertango” and Fischer-Z’s “Berlin.”