'Deutschland 83': Making the Cold War Hot Again
SundanceTV is playing up the fact that Deutschland 83, a new series premiering Wednesday night, features a hot blonde as its lead character; the trailer for the show promises you’ll have “a blast” with this kid from Germany circa 1983. The miniseries probably needs all the youth-hyping it can get, because a subtitled German-language production can be a difficult sell to American viewers.
But trust me, watch the first 20 minutes of Deutschland 83 and you’ll be hooked for the remainder. It’s an adroit spy caper rooted in vivid history. Commencing with Ronald Reagan’s “Evil Empire” speech (a moment that’s fresh in the minds of fans of FX’s The Americans, which ended its season with that greatest-hits moment from Reagan), Deutschland 83 whisks young, handsome Martin (Jonas Nay) from West Germany to spy on East Germany.
Martin is going — initially at least — against his will. Show creators Anna Winger and Joerg Winger make it a family matter: Martin is conscripted by his Stasi agent Aunt Lenora (Maria Shrader), a tough piece of work who holds the medical treatment of Martin’s ailing mother (Lenora’s sister) over the kid’s head until he agrees to train in espionage.
Playing up the danger that the world is “this close to World War III,” Deutschland 83 does a skillfully swift job of getting Martin trained and planted in West Germany, where he is distracted by freedoms and luxuries he lacks in the East (Free shampoo in hotel rooms! Big supermarkets! “99 Luftballons”!). The show manages to juggle suspense with light moments without spoiling either mood.
Deutschland 83 airs Wednesdays at 11 p.m. on SundanceTV.
