Alpha und Omega

So I reviewed the first episode With a solid 8 and I'm going to end it on a solid 9. The slow burn storytelling paid off with this maelstrom of a season.

Dark doesn't hold back on it's shock twists and plot devices. These won't pay off if you're not paying attention and in a way I'm glad it's German and I'm reading the subtitles. It helped me follow the story to an inch as I actually read it along with watching.

The production values here are out this world, especially now, having to dress up the same sets but with the relevant time period, that's the sets, characters, music, well everything! It's still not up there as one of my favourite shows yet, but there's still 2 more seasons to get through.

I fear it's going to get very confusing with character families and remembering who's actually related to who. But I guess that's part of our work as the audience and the team/creator working on the show trusts us as the audience to be smart. Welcome to the future!

Season one of Dark is one of the most well-crafted thing I've ever seen! It's so complex and I can feel the passion behind this show. Everything is worked out into the utmost details and it's mindblowing to watch it all.

Plot: wow, outstanding! Maybe a little slowly, but in general it was extremely good and well managed.

Actors and Actress & Acting: I liked them all. There are some better than others, but in general everyone did a good job. I recommend to watch it in German with English titles because of the poor dubbing, in my opinion.

Soundtrack: perfect for this show, maybe there are some songs that do not fit flawlessly well but it's nothing really bothering.

Visual Effects: amazing.

Conclusion: if you like sci-fi and mystery this is literally a must. Well, I have to see if they will keep this quality also with the two next seasons, but this first one is highly recommended. If you don't like making your brain working in order to follow the story, well, this is not for you. You need to follow and concentrate while watching.

What an episode! Finally we know the identity of the stranger and we had more information about the night Mikkel disappeared. The montage at the end is beautiful.

Since 1985, "Back to The Future" has been the standard of all time-travel film/television. By kind of inventing the formula of "interacting with family members to potentially change the past", that film franchise almost kind of put that topic "off limits" for some time. As such, "Dark" really had a lot of guts to go a similar route, and fortunately it turns out to be one of the most intriguing, well-thought-out series I've ever watched.

It's tough to describe "Dark" (especially without spoilers), so I'm really not going to delve into any of the details here. The closest I can get to describing this show is that it truly is "Back To The Future" mashed up with Steven Spielberg's generational epic miniseries "Taken". This is time-travel and character-driven science fiction at its absolute best.

I will give you the very basic premise of "Dark": In 2019, in the German town of Winden, children start disappearing (and coming back much worse for the wear, if at all). The disappearances seem to follow a similar pattern as happened 33 years ago in 1986. One of the returned missing boys in 2019 is found in 80s garb with a Walkman strapped to his belt. As the tagline of the show intimates, then, the question is not "how" or "why", but "When".

That is just scraping the surface of what this show is really about, as it relies so much on family dynamics to provide the drama (much like BTTF did as well). Because of this, one thing I will "warn" viewers about is to not get too confused by the massive influx of characters in the first few episodes. You WILL be a bit confused until episode 5 or 6, as it is a lot to wrap the brain around even for the most attentive of viewers. I found myself even referring to a chart I found online to keep everything straight in the early goings. The characters will crystalize eventually (as it is imperative to the show's success that they do) if you are paying attention, but just be warned that it will take some time.

Being a German show in origin, there is also a quasi-debate about the best way to watch "Dark" for English viewers. I listened to the English dubbing and had no problems with it (I didn't want my eyes/attention constantly drawn to the subtitles). I've heard others prefer the original German language w/subtitles. Find what is best for your personal tastes, and again know it will take a little time to adapt to it.

For the very, very best film/TV I consume, I often find it difficult to review those media because they are so full of depth and character. "Dark" is, without a doubt, one of those situations for me! Instead of dissecting its every twist and turn here, however, I think in this case I would rather just give it my utmost endorsement and let viewers experience it for themselves. If you are at all a fan of science fiction, fantasy, time-travel, or family-driven drama, you MUST give this one a try. Sometimes, based on the very nature of Netflix itself, programs like this slip through the cracks a bit due to the sheer volume of material on that streaming service. As such, I want to spread the word about "Dark" as much as possible, as it truly is a gem of a show that deserves every eyeball it can get. The show has been renewed for a Second Season already, so that is great news for fans of this very smart, yet still very dramatic, type of TV storytelling.