As this episode opens a group of unidentified men are holding Nick's head under water; as he is brought up for air they demand to know where Firat Astan is; he refuses to answer. The rest of the episode shows us just how he got into this situation.
After a raid, in which they find a large cache of weapons Nick is saved when a woman, later identified as Leyla, picks up a gun and shots the man who was trying to kill him; it appears that she speaks no German. Shortly afterwards she slips away from the scene. It soon becomes clear that she wasn't the innocent victim they thought she was as she kidnaps Nick's ex-wife and his daughter. Not long afterwards he is contacted by Firat Astan; he says that if Nick wants to see them again he will have to help Firat escape from custody as he is transferred from a prison in Hamburg to another in distant Bavaria. Unable to tell his colleagues he sets about organising the escape it won't be quite how Firat planned though. Meanwhile Nick's partner, Yalcin, is searching for Leyla. Eventually everybody converges on the ship where Leyla is holding Nick's family hostages. It is only after these events that we get to where the episode opened.
This was another exciting episode. Having the episode open with a scene that occurs at the end of the story may be a bit cliché these days but it is an effective way of making things more intriguing. There is plenty of action, some of it fairly brutal, and a high level of tension throughout. Firat Astan is a suitably menacing villain; even when he is in prison he appears to be in control of the situation; Leyla contrasts nicely as she appears to be a victim at first then emerges as a very tough woman who is very dangerous. The cast does a fine job; Til Schweiger makes us believe in Nick and his suffering and Fahri Yardim brings a touch of lightness as Yalcin without making him a comedy character. There were also great performances from Helene Fischer and Erdal Yildiz as Leyla and Fitat and Luna Schweiger and Stefanie Stappenbeck as Nick's daughter and ex-wife respectively. The episode's end has a degree of tragedy and leaves plot strands open for the next instalment. Overall another gripping episode.
These comments are based on watching the episode in German with English subtitles.
After a raid, in which they find a large cache of weapons Nick is saved when a woman, later identified as Leyla, picks up a gun and shots the man who was trying to kill him; it appears that she speaks no German. Shortly afterwards she slips away from the scene. It soon becomes clear that she wasn't the innocent victim they thought she was as she kidnaps Nick's ex-wife and his daughter. Not long afterwards he is contacted by Firat Astan; he says that if Nick wants to see them again he will have to help Firat escape from custody as he is transferred from a prison in Hamburg to another in distant Bavaria. Unable to tell his colleagues he sets about organising the escape it won't be quite how Firat planned though. Meanwhile Nick's partner, Yalcin, is searching for Leyla. Eventually everybody converges on the ship where Leyla is holding Nick's family hostages. It is only after these events that we get to where the episode opened.
This was another exciting episode. Having the episode open with a scene that occurs at the end of the story may be a bit cliché these days but it is an effective way of making things more intriguing. There is plenty of action, some of it fairly brutal, and a high level of tension throughout. Firat Astan is a suitably menacing villain; even when he is in prison he appears to be in control of the situation; Leyla contrasts nicely as she appears to be a victim at first then emerges as a very tough woman who is very dangerous. The cast does a fine job; Til Schweiger makes us believe in Nick and his suffering and Fahri Yardim brings a touch of lightness as Yalcin without making him a comedy character. There were also great performances from Helene Fischer and Erdal Yildiz as Leyla and Fitat and Luna Schweiger and Stefanie Stappenbeck as Nick's daughter and ex-wife respectively. The episode's end has a degree of tragedy and leaves plot strands open for the next instalment. Overall another gripping episode.
These comments are based on watching the episode in German with English subtitles.
