Babylon Berlin

I am coming to you with a strong suggestion

Babylon Berlin is what Peaky Blinders would have wanted to become if it hadn’t ended up as an over-stylized, slow-motion whiskey ad for moodboards in aspiring neo-traditional barbershops.

Both series:

  • Are period dramas set in the '20s-'30s

  • Take place in major cities of Northern Europe (Birmingham-Berlin)

  • Follow a crime drama format with historical-political undertones

  • Essentially narrate Europe's path towards fascism

Peaky Blinders may have started first and started strong (premiering in 2013 compared to Babylon Berlin in 2017), but gradually, the writing began to deteriorate, and somewhere along the way, the plot got lost in the unnecessarily tangled personal journey of Tommy Shelby and the dominance of aesthetics over themes/ideas.

And that’s why I believe Peaky Blinders’ path to its TV finale gave off a sense of fatigue, repetition, and deflation, while the last season of Babylon Berlin (which finally got the green light and is expected in early 2025) is likely to conclude the story satisfactorily, cementing the series as one of the best of the last decade.

What makes live this series is that it takes place in the Weimar republic years just before the Nazis comes to power in Germany the years of extreme polarisation not just in Germany but Europe in general that can been seen in todays Europe.

If you haven’t seen it, check it out immediately and without hesitation, unless you’re one of those weirdos who only watch foreign series if they’re in English and/or on Netflix. It’s unfairly overlooked, and the four seasons it has released so far are gems.

P.S If you can’t stream it the use streemio 😂



0
0
0.000
6 comments
avatar

I loved this series. You're right--the history aspect of it makes it more interesting.

I prefer movies that aren't dubbed. Reading is not such a challenge, and I think something is lost when we can't hear the actors' voices. After all, the way words are spoken is an important part of interpreting a character. People who dub for a living are probably not great actors.

avatar

Peaky Blinders was a tough entry but I loved it once it stuck. Always up for recommendations on Netflix, someone recommended Kin recently.

I'm halfway through Queen of the South, it's keeping my attention.

avatar

I really liked peaky blinders and this one, from the trailer, looks very similar and interest, I'll definitely give it a watch.