Das Boot S04: the war turns in grim but short season – the Lagarde

It’s amazing how Das Boot has now been developed into a layered, richly varied chronicle of the Second World War. In this (too) short fourth season, all characters seem to be aware that the tide in the war has turned.

The war progresses in the summer of 1943. The Nazi propaganda machine is running at full speed – in the first episode even a feature film about the victories of submarine captain Klaus Hoffmann (Rick Okon) premieres, with the accompanying promotional tour of schools to obtain fresh cannon fodder to recruit. But the hero himself has a double agenda. The dissidents within the German army leadership feel the hot breath of the SS on their necks; paranoia is rampant in Berlin and traitors are dealt with mercilessly.

This is also noticed by his sister Hannie (Rosalie Thomass), who tries to find support for the shelter of German war orphans – a plan that does not match the unfounded optimism that the Nazis want to continue to radiate to their own citizens. Meanwhile, Commander Buchner (Konstantin Gries) sets sail again with the badly damaged submarine U-949, where the very young crew is polarized by the fear of a possible traitor.

The strong series continues to develop after four seasons and has emerged as a richly varied, nuanced war chronicle that tries to portray as many voices and opinions as possible. The U-boat from the title is fading more and more into the background; politics and the power struggle in the Third Reich have been brought to the fore more prominently as a common thread.

With the knowledge of (expectedly) one last season, this (too) short fourth series of six episodes can be seen as the act in the tragedy in which everything turns over. All familiar characters are confronted with choices from the past; All actions sooner or later have consequences. Even loyal fans will occasionally have to dig into their memories while watching to find out everything that happened in La Rochelle, Portugal and New York in the previous seasons. The moral remains the same as that of the 1981 film classic that formed the basis for this series: good choices do not always lead to victory.

Das Boot S04, weekly from Friday April 26 on NPO 2 and NPO Start