The show's idea is barely new - spy stories in cold war Berlin come by the dozen - but with a good cast and an interesting new take it could be right for me.
Unfortunately this show did not deliver.
I have seen the first episode only, but I do not have much hope for the rest of the season.
The good:
It looks good. But even this has some negative implications. The production tries to show cold war Berlin in every detail, eg furniture, clothing etc.
Using native actors eg for the german roles.
Non english speaker do often speak in the native language, with english subtitles. This is a relief from most US-productions is which everybody (but the Klingons) is supposed to speak english, even to other non-english speakers.
The odd:
Soundtrack. Some strange choices - right in the opening scene the soundtrack is oddly unfitting the scene.
Insertion of historical videos. Several times scenes from the archives are used to set the scene in Berlin. Due to other technical standards back then they do look quite different. A choice often used in movie introductions, but spread over the whole episode it is a bit strange.
Cuts. There is a scene where 6 people sit around a table. Cut - there are only 3 left and it seems lots of time has passed. Why? How? What?
Looks. On one hand the production tries hard to be realistic in setting details, but on the other hand the protagonist heads towards a secret meeting in daylight wearing a fashionable suit and sunglasses in East-Berlin's working class district. That scene is laughable and makes no sense at all.
The bad:
Pacing. The story's pacing is uneven and bumpy. It feels strange, like "not finished".
Characters. There is close to no connection to any of the characters, none of the cast is likeable. The protangist remains unsympathetic to a degree that I did not care about him at all. The actors are not really accountable for this, I think it is more bad direction and a bad script.
To sum it up:
The first episode of this show is maybe the strangest episode of all TV shows I've ever seen.
It just feels "off" and it does not get together at all.
Not worth your time, even if you are a fan of spy movies.
Unfortunately this show did not deliver.
I have seen the first episode only, but I do not have much hope for the rest of the season.
The good:
It looks good. But even this has some negative implications. The production tries to show cold war Berlin in every detail, eg furniture, clothing etc.
Using native actors eg for the german roles.
Non english speaker do often speak in the native language, with english subtitles. This is a relief from most US-productions is which everybody (but the Klingons) is supposed to speak english, even to other non-english speakers.
The odd:
Soundtrack. Some strange choices - right in the opening scene the soundtrack is oddly unfitting the scene.
Insertion of historical videos. Several times scenes from the archives are used to set the scene in Berlin. Due to other technical standards back then they do look quite different. A choice often used in movie introductions, but spread over the whole episode it is a bit strange.
Cuts. There is a scene where 6 people sit around a table. Cut - there are only 3 left and it seems lots of time has passed. Why? How? What?
Looks. On one hand the production tries hard to be realistic in setting details, but on the other hand the protagonist heads towards a secret meeting in daylight wearing a fashionable suit and sunglasses in East-Berlin's working class district. That scene is laughable and makes no sense at all.
The bad:
Pacing. The story's pacing is uneven and bumpy. It feels strange, like "not finished".
Characters. There is close to no connection to any of the characters, none of the cast is likeable. The protangist remains unsympathetic to a degree that I did not care about him at all. The actors are not really accountable for this, I think it is more bad direction and a bad script.
To sum it up:
The first episode of this show is maybe the strangest episode of all TV shows I've ever seen.
It just feels "off" and it does not get together at all.
Not worth your time, even if you are a fan of spy movies.