‘Babylon Berlin’ Recap: ‘Season 4, Episodes 1 & 2’

6/26/2024

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Liv Lisa Fries as Charlotte Ritter in Season 4 of ‘Babylon Berlin’. (Photo Courtesy of MHz Choice.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Season Four Premiere of ‘Babylon Berlin’.

One belief that we all hold to in this life, is that evil… is something that strikes out of nowhere in this world. That one day we wake up, and it’s there, staring us in the face and demanding its twisted agenda be carried out by the world. But that is… simply not the case. Evil does not rise overnight; it takes time for it to find root and it takes time for it to come to power. In fact, the conditions have to be just right for evil to begin to move forward, but we simply don’t take the time to examine or think about that. But we should… because that might help us recognize it and stop it before it can take hold.

Of course, one easy way to do that, is to look back at history, since we will find parallels there, and that is why the new season of Babylon Berlin on MHz Choice is of note. Because it has from day one, pondered on the keystone moments that allowed for the Nazi regime to rise to power in Germany to teach us some fine lessons, and well, as we inch closer to the rule of their evil in the series, the brain trust behind this story, decided it was high time to really dive deep into a crucial moment of formation for these monsters. For the season four premiere of the show plunged us into December 31, 1930, a year into the Great Depression… wherein struggles were becoming apparent across the board.

Not to mention, there was a real divide growing in Germany between the have and have nots. For while people searched for help in the streets on New Year’s Eve, the rich were enjoying lavish parties and pondering upon the future, such as going to the Moon through new rocket programs. Offering up a sobering parallel of our world before showcasing… why that matters. Because as both sides were living their lives in vastly different ways, monsters were lurking in the streets. Since the SA, the preamble to the Nazis were spending this New Year’s Eve sowing discontent and violence in the streets. In the name of standing for the public and spreading awareness of whom was behind the collapse of the economy and strife and shockingly, Gereon Rath was with them. A move that left us wondering if Volker had succumbed to the horrors of their thinking.

Which was only reinforced by the fact that he was on the streets in that awful uniform, firing off that gross chant as storefronts burned and anger was fueled. And shock aside, this did help us to learn that part of the game was appearing to be a champion of the people, who would act when no one else would, since that endeared the regime to those who felt they had no voice and that made for a powerful lesson for certain. One that really did inform us that evil knows how to win over trust and use that trust to build into the nightmare it wishes to become. Which was a sobering sequence for certain. One that only offered catharsis by informing us that Rath was doing this as part of a police probe into the SA and their actions, and sadly Rath has a long road ahead in shaking of the stink of this.

Since Charlotte did learn about him being in that uniform, and he of course, had to keep his investigation a secret and speaking of Charlotte… she too had quite the surprise in the new year. In that, her sister, Toni, was involved in a nasty robbery. One that ended in death and eventually saw Toni be brought before the police, in front of Charlotte for that matter, courtesy of crooked cops who were involved in said death. And of course, Charlotte went the extra mile to keep her sister out of jail and keep her future bright, but at an incredible cost. Simply because, she altered evidence to make that happen, and it was noticed. Which led to Charlotte’s stunning dismissal. For it was deemed she could not be trusted as an investigator and indeed, too many ethical lines were crossed. Putting her future in a difficult place amid such tough times.

All of which brought forth, a shocking season four premiere. One that informed us that this will indeed be the show’s boldest and best season to date. Since the characters will indeed be put to the test. For now, Charlotte must navigate unemployment at the worst possible time, and Gereon is in a dangerous, dangerous place. One where he must be mindful and where he must figure out how to bring about trust that is quickly being lost. Plus, we are truly coming to understand how evil rises in our world, and that will be something to watch as well. For while we can combat it in our world through lessons here, these poor folks are on a collision course with the greatest evil the world has ever known, and it will be fascinating and horrifying to see how our heroes deal with the dawning reality that darkness surrounds them. Until next time.

To learn more about Season 4 of ‘Babylon Berlin’ visit our interview with the actor who plays Gereon Rath, Volker Bruch.

Watch ‘Babylon’ Berlin’

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