By A. Kirana
Disclaimer: At the time of this writing, I have not had the chance to binge Season 2, which premiered June 21, 2019.
There has been much talk, over the years, complaining significantly about Netflix, slowly but surely, losing much of the licensing for shows/movies, which had been their bread and butter, to other streaming services. To offset these losses, Netflix began producing their own shows/movies. Hidden among their recognizable properties, such as, Orange is the New Black, House of Cards, and Stranger Things are little gems that needs mentioning.
One of my favorites, DARK, is a German science fiction series, situated in a small German town built around a nuclear plant. DARK has been compared to Stanger Things, but honestly, though they have a few things in common, the premise and plot lines are vastly different. Both shows, the main cast of characters are relatively young, whose lives take a turn for the supernatural. Portals are another plot device used in both shows, but whereas Stranger Things’ would take you for a visit into the Upside Down, DARK’s portals travels through time. DARK, similar to Stranger Things, is a show to pay close attention to. Look away, even for a moment, and you may miss a crucial piece to the puzzle that is DARK, where everything is connected.
DARK opens with the suicide of Michael Kahnwald, and the aftermath and effect on his family and the small town. His oldest son, Jonas, reeling from the suicide, lands in a mental ward, and upon release, while trying to reconnect with his friends, his world comes crashing down again, when his love interest’s little brother, Mikkel, disappears as they went to explore the unused tunnels beneath the nuclear plant.
Mikkel’s disappearance, not Michael’s suicide, is the actual start of the story, and any thoughts this was a simple child abduction story, will be dashed quickly. When the body of a child is discovered in the vicinity where Mikkel disappeared, it was immediately and incorrectly assumed to be Mikkel’s. Confusion, disappoint, and soon panic, gripped the town when the autopsy revealed the victim, dressed in fashion from 30 years earlier, had been dead for only 16 hours. The discovery raised more questions than answers, but one thing is certain: past, present, future; everything’s connected.
