Witness global narratives unfurl on the television screen this season— ranging from the unexpected plot of ‘Miss Merkel,’ a quirky German series where Angela Merkel delves into small-town crime, to the poignant Israeli series ‘Picture This,’ featuring first-hand accounts of Oct. 7 attack survivors. Katharina Thalbach attires the role of Germany’s ex-chancellor and detective Merkel in ‘Miss Merkel’ on MHz Choice. These select notable shows of the television season take you on a journey from the realm of whimsy to the world of harsh reality.
The atmospheric British police drama ‘The Tower’ strikes tones that blend the somber with the understated, making it reminiscent of ‘Line of Duty’ or possibly a toned-down ‘Unforgotten.’ Sandwiched between these monumental crime dramas, ‘The Tower’ may seem an unassuming contender, yet it carries an allure of its own as a deep, character-driven narrative.
The focal character of ‘The Tower’ is Sarah Collins, brilliantly personified by Gemma Whelan. She plays a diligent detective sergeant based in a diverse, working-class neighborhood in South London. The series derives its title from a residential building featuring in the central plot, where a Muslim girl and a police officer are witnessed falling to their death at the start of season one.
The plot of ‘The Tower’ weaves intricate threads of professional ethics and personal dilemmas, wherein Sarah Collins finds herself in shifting allegiances. Whether it’s a smug inspector, a jittery novice, or a stalwart cop, her interactions and confrontations form the critical narrative.
‘Miss Merkel,’ an innovative German TV drama, flips the concept of retirement as Angela Merkel, post chancellor duties, seeks tranquility in the fictitious town of Klein Freudenstadt, only to find herself embroiled in local murder investigations. Katharina Thalbach brings to life this Merkel—a fascinating blend of East German discipline and audacity, outwitting local law enforcement to unmask killers.
The foundation of ‘Miss Merkel’ is an intriguing twist to the conventional village mystery, though it could also be argued that the direction was lackluster, and even well-crafted comedic lines were delivered with minimal enthusiasm. Yet, Thalbach’s continued quipping on the political sphere and her interactions with Merkel’s peers and successors provide a mood of consistent amusement.
‘Citadel: Diana’ marked the initial launch in a much-anticipated franchise of globe-trotting cloak-and-dagger tales set in various countries. The series is rendered by local studios, building a creative web of future narratives. The first exhibit of the franchise surpasses expectations, its pace and style suppressing any apprehension related to the narrative’s patchwork construction.
Matilda De Angelis rivets attention as she navigates alignment between the competing espionage bodies, Citadel and Manticore. She embodies the stoic agent cast with mighty firearms and a spectrum of miniaturized, almost fantastical surveillance technology—a staple for the modern, nefarious spy thrillers like ‘Citadel: Diana.’
‘Picture This,’ an Israeli series, shares raw narratives from individuals directly impacted by the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. The half-hour episodes feature varying perspectives—from rural farmers and concert attendees to those kidnapped to Gaza and later released, and even first responders. Rendered in animation by Israeli artists, the accounts are gripping.
One will be drawn to the capturing chronicles like that of a teenager held captive for 53 days alongside her pet dog, or of an elderly woman locked inside a secure room of her house for 48 hours while attackers commandeered her home, subsequently leading to a military demolition. The series indeed expertly humanizes these largely untold stories, although the lack of representation from the Gaza border’s opposite side is noteworthy.
‘Doppelgänger: The Double,’ a compelling true-story based mini-series from Poland, deals with threads of life during the waning days of the Iron Curtain. The plot chronicles the intricate lives of two men—a government spy in France and a dockworker supporting the Solidarity movement in Gdansk—each laboring in disparate ways for their country’s future while being entangled in an unforeseen connection.
Interestingly, the spy adeptly assumes the shipyard worker’s identity even with the latter’s family in France during this time before the advent of the internet. Meanwhile, the worker in Poland battles his puzzling inability to receive approvals for overseas travel. Both men deliver impactful performances that resonate with the tragic political and historical backdrop of their times.
The story of ‘Doppelgänger,’ unfolding across four episodes, rightfully earns a Kafkaesque comparison. It’s a conspiracy thriller where the intrigue is lucid from the outset and escalates into a grotesque revelation as the story progresses.