Finally! It's now the time to talk about my favorite show ever, Dark! I will cover S1 & S2 briefly, then move on to S3. Also, this is a no-spoiler zone. I'm not even gonna reveal the main genre of this show, instead use the word "Sci-Fi" throughout. (Even though it is revealed quite early, it makes for a little surprise moment when it happens. Also, I apologize in advance you find this review very vague). This is gonna be a long read. So put on your yellow jackets & let's goooo!
Lot of credit must also be given to the acting. As everyone was given lot of character development in terms of the writing, the actors really brought their A-game collectively. It felt natural, raw & unique. Considering this was my first ever exposure to German acting, it felt different to what I've seen before, & watching it in the original German audio with English subs truly has inspired & motivated me to watch other foreign movies in their original language. Some of them had to portray a wide range of emotions & I really applaud them for that. What I am blown away by is that due to the immaculate writing, how I start to love one character in a season then hating them in another, while it goes from hate to love for some others. Be it Jonas, Martha, Claudia, Ulrich, Egon, Katharina, Hannah or literally anyone else, they were all awesome. Also, can we take a moment to appreciate the brilliant casting in this show? Holy hell! Some of the resemblances of the older, middle & younger versions of some characters are uncanny. I was shocked to discover some of these character versions were actually played by different actors!
Along with all this, you get the perfect blend of various philosophical themes & questions it poses, such as determinism (do humans have free will or is everything predestined), existence of man, the perception he thinks his actions on the world around him & the cause-and-effect chain reaction it creates, the love & hate dynamics between family members etc. I genuinely cared about the Jonas-Martha love story, the various family feuds & other related aspects - definitely providing some good drama. In addition to these, we get an exploration of "Sci-fi" concepts, paradoxes, 33-year lunar-solar cycle etc, various biblical allegories & references to Greek mythology (Ariadne & Theseus being the core ones), all symbolically represented in a subtle manner through clues here & there (which are definitely difficult to spot on 1st viewing) that elevates the show to a whole new level.
The soundtrack played a major part in this series. It was equal parts eerie & ominous, and equal parts mysterious, chilling. This also helped to set the haunting yet captivating atmosphere of the town Winden. Almost all characters have faced some sort of tragedy, some dark times in their past, present or future & this was also encapsulated well due to the characteristics of the town itself. The show makes it pretty clear how messed up of a town Winden would be to live in😂. However, at the same time, the town is exquisitely captured. Thanks to some great cinematography, I've never seen forests look so lush, green & gorgeous.
Alright, I've run out of adjective for this show😂. So intricate, so engrossing, such brilliant writing, directing, acting & casting, that it easily tops my TV series list (the best in the "Sci-Fi" genre & best Netflix original for sure), becoming my favorite show of all time. Goodbye forever, Winden. I'll miss you. I'll miss this show a lot. Dark is without a doubt, a masterpiece. It gets 33/10!
Before we jump in to S3, let's get some things out of the way that apply generally to all 3 seasons. Dark is a story about mysterious, supernatural, strange & crazy events that happen in the small fictional town of Winden, Germany, & how 4 families (Kahnwald, Nielsen, Doppler & Tiedermann) are affected by these events, how their lives intertwine with each other. Whether be it the mesmerizing opening intro (this replaces Daredevil & has now become No.1 for me), beautiful cinematography, top-notch storytelling, acting & directing, Dark excels at pretty much everything & maintains this consistency for all 3 seasons. Director Baran Bo Odar & writer Jantje Friese have created something out of this world, starting off strong right from the pilot episode, never losing track of the plot(s) & direction, and always delivering on perfection. I really love that they had preplanned the whole thing - 3 seasons with 26 episodes, it goes to show how much control they had over their craft to tell their story.
The "Sci-Fi" aspect of this show is some of the best I have ever seen. I'm speechless thinking of how well the show managed to keep track of the story across multiple time periods that spanned almost a century, always keeping the logic intact, you on the edge of your seat & engrossed in this non-linear storytelling, with well-written, deeply explored characters to follow this journey with, altogether with some of the best soundtrack, BGM by Ben Frost, & some excellent choice of songs (Agnes Obel, you rock!). What makes Dark better than other "Sci-Fi" shows out there is the clever way in which it handles the connection between time periods & characters, & how it seamlessly shifts from one period to another. Sometimes it may feel abrupt, leading to more questions & increase of your curiosity surrounding these mysteries, but trust me, the creators will reveal things when they want to reveal. I have seen multiple posts of people writing notes as if they're preparing for exams, to keep track of who's who & what's going on. But if you ask me, all that is a bit of an overhype. If you pay close attention, you will be rewarded abundantly. Obviously, a lot of the clues & foreshadowing are difficult to catch, but hey, that's why this show deserves multiple repeat viewings! Dark handles every characters' arc across multiple periods to perfection, gives every character unimaginably great amounts of screen time, hence every side arc feels relevant & interesting & having overarching connections with the main arc. The show makes great use of montages & split screens to cover lots of important events. Dark also manages to bring you some of the cleverest & best twists & turns that you may never see them coming. This, my friends, is superb television.
The "Sci-Fi" aspect of this show is some of the best I have ever seen. I'm speechless thinking of how well the show managed to keep track of the story across multiple time periods that spanned almost a century, always keeping the logic intact, you on the edge of your seat & engrossed in this non-linear storytelling, with well-written, deeply explored characters to follow this journey with, altogether with some of the best soundtrack, BGM by Ben Frost, & some excellent choice of songs (Agnes Obel, you rock!). What makes Dark better than other "Sci-Fi" shows out there is the clever way in which it handles the connection between time periods & characters, & how it seamlessly shifts from one period to another. Sometimes it may feel abrupt, leading to more questions & increase of your curiosity surrounding these mysteries, but trust me, the creators will reveal things when they want to reveal. I have seen multiple posts of people writing notes as if they're preparing for exams, to keep track of who's who & what's going on. But if you ask me, all that is a bit of an overhype. If you pay close attention, you will be rewarded abundantly. Obviously, a lot of the clues & foreshadowing are difficult to catch, but hey, that's why this show deserves multiple repeat viewings! Dark handles every characters' arc across multiple periods to perfection, gives every character unimaginably great amounts of screen time, hence every side arc feels relevant & interesting & having overarching connections with the main arc. The show makes great use of montages & split screens to cover lots of important events. Dark also manages to bring you some of the cleverest & best twists & turns that you may never see them coming. This, my friends, is superb television.
Lot of credit must also be given to the acting. As everyone was given lot of character development in terms of the writing, the actors really brought their A-game collectively. It felt natural, raw & unique. Considering this was my first ever exposure to German acting, it felt different to what I've seen before, & watching it in the original German audio with English subs truly has inspired & motivated me to watch other foreign movies in their original language. Some of them had to portray a wide range of emotions & I really applaud them for that. What I am blown away by is that due to the immaculate writing, how I start to love one character in a season then hating them in another, while it goes from hate to love for some others. Be it Jonas, Martha, Claudia, Ulrich, Egon, Katharina, Hannah or literally anyone else, they were all awesome. Also, can we take a moment to appreciate the brilliant casting in this show? Holy hell! Some of the resemblances of the older, middle & younger versions of some characters are uncanny. I was shocked to discover some of these character versions were actually played by different actors!
Along with all this, you get the perfect blend of various philosophical themes & questions it poses, such as determinism (do humans have free will or is everything predestined), existence of man, the perception he thinks his actions on the world around him & the cause-and-effect chain reaction it creates, the love & hate dynamics between family members etc. I genuinely cared about the Jonas-Martha love story, the various family feuds & other related aspects - definitely providing some good drama. In addition to these, we get an exploration of "Sci-fi" concepts, paradoxes, 33-year lunar-solar cycle etc, various biblical allegories & references to Greek mythology (Ariadne & Theseus being the core ones), all symbolically represented in a subtle manner through clues here & there (which are definitely difficult to spot on 1st viewing) that elevates the show to a whole new level.
The soundtrack played a major part in this series. It was equal parts eerie & ominous, and equal parts mysterious, chilling. This also helped to set the haunting yet captivating atmosphere of the town Winden. Almost all characters have faced some sort of tragedy, some dark times in their past, present or future & this was also encapsulated well due to the characteristics of the town itself. The show makes it pretty clear how messed up of a town Winden would be to live in😂. However, at the same time, the town is exquisitely captured. Thanks to some great cinematography, I've never seen forests look so lush, green & gorgeous.
Season 1: S1 has the perfect slow burn that unravels the plot slowly, hooking you in right from the start. Lot of scenes may seem filler, but there are no filler scenes in Dark. Everything is important. Everything is interconnected. Simple dialogues like Ulrich saying "There was a long line at the bakery" but actually lying about his relationship have a role later on. We get a good introduction to the town of Winden, continuously wonderment on what's happening in this town, what Sic Mundus is all about etc. Characters like Charlotte, The Stranger & Noah were truly badass ones with such layers of characteristics in them. Favorite episode was E8, where many crazy things happened. I really loved the build up towards the end of S1, overall being very enjoyable. 9/10
Season 2: S2 upped the stakes with more time periods, more characters, twists & turns, faster pace & better use of CGI. The "Apokalypse" nearing provided some exciting moments. More "Sci-Fi" stuff, greater emphasis on some plots & characters too. I hated Noah earlier, now I loved him as his character was well fleshed out. So was Claudia. She had an awesome role here. Ulrich & Egon always make me cry, due to what's happened to them. Only minor issue for me was Charlotte & The Stranger being underutilized. The Stranger literally slept throughout this season lol. Nonetheless, this season was perfect. 10/10
Season 2: S2 upped the stakes with more time periods, more characters, twists & turns, faster pace & better use of CGI. The "Apokalypse" nearing provided some exciting moments. More "Sci-Fi" stuff, greater emphasis on some plots & characters too. I hated Noah earlier, now I loved him as his character was well fleshed out. So was Claudia. She had an awesome role here. Ulrich & Egon always make me cry, due to what's happened to them. Only minor issue for me was Charlotte & The Stranger being underutilized. The Stranger literally slept throughout this season lol. Nonetheless, this season was perfect. 10/10
Season 3: Ah, finally we have come to S3. After the frustrating (in a good way) ending of S2, and this being the final season, people had great expectations on how it's going to end, whether everything will be explained etc. Believe me when I tell you that S3 delivered on all fronts, with an even more complicated plot, super crazy connections between storylines & excellent twists. I've seen people complain about the complexity this season, but if you ask me, I feel the complexity added to the greatness of this show. Once again, kudos to Baran & Jantje for even thinking of bringing these concepts in this "Sci-Fi" show in this manner. We learn more on what the end objective of Adam is, more insight into Jonas, Martha & some older characters. The Unknown were a terrifying addition to the already perfect cast. Lot of references to previous seasons, so ensure you have watched these seasons continously. Lisa Vicari was clearly the star of this season. The variety of emotions she performed was other-worldly. My favorite character became Martha esp. due to S3. The Ep 7 was my favorite. Guys, this is the episode which will answer all your queries. I've never felt a mind-bending like in S3E7 ever before. The ending was simple, sad, beautiful & emotional. I loved it 100%. 9.5/10.
Alright, I've run out of adjective for this show😂. So intricate, so engrossing, such brilliant writing, directing, acting & casting, that it easily tops my TV series list (the best in the "Sci-Fi" genre & best Netflix original for sure), becoming my favorite show of all time. Goodbye forever, Winden. I'll miss you. I'll miss this show a lot. Dark is without a doubt, a masterpiece. It gets 33/10!
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