User Reviews

We have a serial killer with a modus operandi distinctly copied from 'Matador', one of the earlier works of Almodóvar, dating from 1986. I would welcome informed medical opinion on whether either of them would result in instant death, a very thin hat pin driven through the lower neck all the way into the heart, as in 'Matador', to emulate a bullfighter's kill, or the very same weapon through the upper neck into the base of the brain, as here. Bulls certainly slump very slowly indeed after the sword thrust.

In both movies, an obsession with death, and an ultimate goal of inflicting it as an act of beauty, even a work of art, is what the killers strive for.

A very grim and ghoulish topic, nevertheless well-handled, along with the depiction of the disturbed mind carrying it out. In a society in which the verb 'die' and noun 'death' have almost totally been replaced with the utterly bland non-descriptive 'pass' and 'passing', our acceptance of death and its ultimate inevitability becomes clouded. The portrayal of individuals obsessed by death hits us square in the face. It is death, nothing else, and that is the only English language word for it.

And there is also a final twist to the story, which I will rightly claim I saw coming from afar.

But meanwhile, the show went on, and Max is as good as ever, Oskar perhaps less clear in his way of tackling the crime, and maybe he even has a love interest emerging! Max now has his own beautiful and highly fashionable Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) apartment, and the only sadness in this is that the brilliant Conleth Hill, as his father, has been almost relegated to a bit-part.

8/10.

Spoiler but I gotta ask- The cliffhanger at end of season 2 is not resolved! What happened after Amelia saw Max kiss his ex-fiancé? It seems they could of at least passively referred to Max blowing it with her, or that she inexplicably (to Mac) ghosted him. She was frequently involved in their cases but she and the museum just drop off the radar.

Repeating... The cliffhanger at end of season 2 is not resolved! What happened after Amelia saw Max kiss his ex-fiancé? It seems they could of at least passively referred to Max blowing it with her, or that she inexplicably (to Mac) ghosted him. She was frequently involved in their cases but she and the museum just drop off the radar.

The odd couple pairing return for a third series. Max Liebermann (Matthew Beard) is making a name for himself as a Freudian analyst and seems to be more interested in sexual psychology.

Much to the annoyance of Detective Oskar Rheinhardt (Jürgen Maurer.) Especially when a poor immigrant tenant that Oskar helps out takes a shine to him.

A seamstress is found dead in the place she works. She had been stabbed with a hat pin and it could had been during sexual climax according to Max.

With more similar deaths of women, there is a serial killer at work. Maybe the killer is linked to the fashion house although some of the victims are people of lower status unlike the seamstress.

Vienna Blood does not shy away from making social commentary. Given how one of the main lead characters is Jewish, and where Vienna will be heading to in a few decades time.

While investigating the case, Oskar has a ferocious word with a landlord exploiting his immigrant tenants. It seems the killer might also be doing the same with the victims.

A solid opening episode, there is nice scenery and of course two killers with differing motives.