The most expensive series in German history justifies its budget with intricate plotting, dazzling sets, and expertly choreographed crowd sequences. Director and co-creator Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run) and collaborators pull out all the stops to recreate novelist Volker Kutscher's eight-volume take on Weimar-era Berlin. Hitler merits mention as a minor figure, but the politics in play are already fascistic in nature, much like Prohibition-era America in which law-breaking ran as rampant among the cops as the criminals. Two central figures anchor the sprawling cast, starting with Cologne-born Gereon Rath (Volker Bruch, Generation War), a morphine-addicted member of the vice squad, driven largely by the desire to destroy the negatives of an incriminating film involving a powerful relative. His female counterpart, Charlotte Ritter (Liv Lisa Fries), who shares a crowded flat with her extended family, comes from humbler origins.
By day, she reports to the same police headquarters as Rath, serving as a steno-typist role in the homicide unit. By night, she lives the life of a jazz-age flapper, wearing borrowed finery, dancing at the Moka Efti cabaret, and supplying sexual favors to supplement her overstretched income. Shared interests bring her in contact with Rath, who becomes a fast friend, though his shady partner, Bruno (Peter Kurth), becomes an enemy when he blackmails her in a bid to limit Rath's investigative powers. Other characters include Russian violinist Kardakov (Ivan Shvedoff), an ardent anti-Stalinist, and his partner, Svetlana (Severija Janusauskaite), a gold-obsessed drag performer whose greed will mark her associates for death.
As these two seasons play out, most everyone crosses paths. When Rath rents Kardakov's old room, he starts to put the pieces together, roping Lotte in to solve the mystery of the musician's disappearance. It's valuable experience for Lotte, who aims to be a detective. Another case will come her way when she runs into Greta (Leonie Benesch), a friend who has fallen on hard times. Through Lotte, Greta will find employment with a powerful Jewish figure only to fall prey to unscrupulous opportunists. All the while, the city's left-wing faction increasingly finds themselves at odds with a police force that will stop at nothing to quell uprisings and eliminate key figures. If the show proves hard to follow at first, the elements snap into place quickly enough. For all the beauty of the period outfits--those hats!--and snazzy interiors, the brutality can be equally baroque, making for a challenging watch at times. Hence, the occasional dance sequence provides a breather when things get too intense.
There are no weak links among the cast, not least in Bruch and Fries who meet every challenge the writers throw at them. Through Netflix, Babylon Berlin has captivated international audiences, influencing Sky Atlantic's decision to renew it for two more seasons. This box set comes complete with a detailed look at the show's elaborate production, including the disclosure that face powder is verboten, contributing to the look of a populace on edge at every level. Highly recommended.