First of all: Gloomy Sunday was not yet written until 1932-33 so that one hurt
And second of all... this show went full 180° from episode one and maybe not in the right direction. What started as an atmospheric sociodrama peeking in every corner from top to bottom disappeared somewhere along the way to write characters into unsolvable scenarios only to solve them in very unbelievable and too imaginatic ways. Sure, it was a stretch for Kardakov to be shot, fallen, poisoned etc and still be alive, but it looks even worse when it happens to the main characters. Maybe at some point they couldn't decide how to deal with Bruno's story or the Edgar's or whether if this is the story of someone running from the horrors of the war. Zu Asche, Zu Staub was echoing really well for a long time during the credits but it definitely faded by the end of this season. Not entirely, but still definitely enough for me to question what the hell happened. Political tensions are palpable, sure, but they felt lost in the grand scheme even with the bombing. To sense and realize how everything turns to ash and dust, to view all of these things happen behind a dream while shit happens outside, I think they got lost too much in the details of the plot to emphasize its impact and the consequences besides a short get-to-know minutes of detailing the plan. It's so weird how I originally thought this show will be about how we slide into fascism, then how glad I was when it didn't, and how I'm sad again that it only wants to talk about it deep between the lines. Zu Asche, Zu Staub was sang by a crossdressing stalinist double agent, and Gloomy Sunday (again, not written until 1933), what became a Hungarian suicide song was sang by the same person in Paris. You see the layers and the mixed metaphores of identities, but somewhere between these two songs heard for the first time I cannot help but feel that someone lost their eye on the ball.
Review by EdrickBlockedParent2023-09-27T22:21:27Z
First of all: Gloomy Sunday was not yet written until 1932-33 so that one hurt
And second of all... this show went full 180° from episode one and maybe not in the right direction. What started as an atmospheric sociodrama peeking in every corner from top to bottom disappeared somewhere along the way to write characters into unsolvable scenarios only to solve them in very unbelievable and too imaginatic ways. Sure, it was a stretch for Kardakov to be shot, fallen, poisoned etc and still be alive, but it looks even worse when it happens to the main characters. Maybe at some point they couldn't decide how to deal with Bruno's story or the Edgar's or whether if this is the story of someone running from the horrors of the war. Zu Asche, Zu Staub was echoing really well for a long time during the credits but it definitely faded by the end of this season. Not entirely, but still definitely enough for me to question what the hell happened. Political tensions are palpable, sure, but they felt lost in the grand scheme even with the bombing. To sense and realize how everything turns to ash and dust, to view all of these things happen behind a dream while shit happens outside, I think they got lost too much in the details of the plot to emphasize its impact and the consequences besides a short get-to-know minutes of detailing the plan. It's so weird how I originally thought this show will be about how we slide into fascism, then how glad I was when it didn't, and how I'm sad again that it only wants to talk about it deep between the lines. Zu Asche, Zu Staub was sang by a crossdressing stalinist double agent, and Gloomy Sunday (again, not written until 1933), what became a Hungarian suicide song was sang by the same person in Paris. You see the layers and the mixed metaphores of identities, but somewhere between these two songs heard for the first time I cannot help but feel that someone lost their eye on the ball.