Review: 'Babylon Berlin - Season 1 and 2' a Complex, Timely Release

Set in 1929 Berlin, with the Weimar Republic waning and Hitler soon to emerge, "Babylon Berlin" takes on politics, class, sexual mores, and international relations, to state a few of its heady themes.

The series has become quite the international sensation, and has been a binge-favorite on Netflix here in the U.S.

The plot is quite elaborate, and there are enough characters to fill a Dickens novel. The main focus is on a young police inspector from Cologne, Gereon Rath (the strangely sexy and captivating Volker Bruch), who has come to Berlin to work on the vice squad, but who is really there for another, more secretive reason. Rath suffers from WWI PTSD, where his entire body shakes – an affliction he must keep from his fellow workers.

The other main protagonist is Charlotte Ritter (in a star-making turn by Liv Lisa Fries), who is an ambitious homicide department stenographer by day and a sometimes-cabaret club prostitute by night, trying to make enough money to feed her impoverished extended family, but also ambitious enough to work towards being accepted into the all-male homicide dept.

There are many other fascinating characters, most prominent among them a pro-Stalinist double agent who deceives her Trotskyite lover and moonlights as a cross-dressing nightclub singer Svetlana (a beguiling Severija Janusauskaite). Or is she? Janusauskaite sings the hypnotic song "Zu Asche, Zu Staub" ("To Ashes, to Dust") in Season One, which is also used in the closing credits.

Created by Tom Tykwer ("Run, Lola, Run"), Hendrik Handloegten, and Achim von Borries, each season is comprised of 8 episodes, each running approximately 45 minutes. The episodes are in German with English subtitles. The action and dialogue are often quite fast-paced, meaning keeping up can be a bit maddening – but that's what the rewind button is for.

The show does go a long way in examining just how horridly the German people were treated after the first world war, and what led to them being lured in by the Nazi party and their promise for Aryan betterment. (Any parallels with these Trumpian times are purely obvious and scary). Nazis are deliberately not seen until late in Season Two.

The first season is a lot of setup for a second season that ratchets up the stakes and is jam packed with twists and turns, so by the time we get to the penultimate episode we are left breathless – especially during a particular underwater sequence. The finale does not disappoint, and makes anticipation for Season 3 palpable.

My main disappointment with the series, so far, is the lack of LGBTQ representation. Everyone who has read about the Weimar epoch knows that it was a time when queer people thrived, yet, besides fleeting glimpses here and there and in the clubs, we are not presented with any significant characters that are queer. This is pretty unconscionable, and a gross misstep.

There is also a bit too much focus on a subplot involving gold on a train, a story thread that continues for 16 episodes without any great payoff – yet.

I loved the bizarre and infectious dance moments and wanted more. As anachronistic as they felt, they work wonderfully well.

As much as one senses the Berlin of Marlene Dietrich (briefly featured in a clip from "The Blue Angel"), as well as a Christopher Isherwood sensibility, the series leans a bit too heavily on an action-adventure side and not enough on the artistic and sexual elements. I hope that changes in Season 3.

The Blu-ray looks fantastic. Kudos to Kino Lorber for a spot-on transfer capturing the swirling visuals nicely. The audio is commendable as well.

Special features include a negligible Behind the Scenes clip, trailers, and a terrific 46-minute Making Of documentary that covers most aspects of the series and boasts fab interviews with the leads.

"Babylon Berlin" proves to be more than just dazzle, it's also a fascinating character study, as well as a glimpse into a rageful society ready to rupture.

"Babylon Berlin Seasons 1 & 2" is available now on Blu-ray.