DEFCON 1 is literally and metaphorically reached in Deutschland 83’s season finale for better and for worse. “Able Archer” suffers from the problem many dramas set against historical events face: The audience already knows the outcome.
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 truly ensemble episode of the series.
However the opening of “Cold Fire” doesn’t afford Martin that glossy cover: he’s just rolling around in bed with Yvonne, and it’s a little off-putting. But everyone grieves in their own way. According to Yvonne, Martin’s way is to get wasted and tell a bunch of Osho followers that he’s a spy, which she doesn’t believe. “I am a spy,” he deadpans before rolling on top of her and telling her not to spill his secret. “If you do, I’ll have to kill you.”
Things just got serious on Deutschland 83. Deadly serious. If Martin–or viewers–had any doubts as to the stakes involved in his accidental spy career, “Northern Wedding” dispells them with taut, gutting efficiency. As the series hits the mid-point of its 8-episode run, nearly every relationship on the show was brought to head and the fallout leaves literal and emotional casualties everywhere.
Throughout its first two episodes, Deutschland 83 introduced its characters, plots and politics with such blithe adventure and fun that it was easy to miss that all the pieces were being placed on chess board.
After Deutschland 83’s pilot, “Quantum Jump”, seemed to set the series up as a stylish, welterweight version of The Americans, its second episode,”Brave Guy,” establishes the show as something lighter still. And that’s not a bad thing at all.
Now comes SundanceTV’s new eight-part espionage series Deutschland 83. Not only is it the first German-language TV show ever broadcast in the United States, it focuses on a relatively unexplored area of Cold War history: the East and West German experience leading up to the fall of the Berlin Wall.