Swiss "Tatort" in review Grandjean tumbles into hell
Isabelle Grandjean (Anna Pieri Zuercher) questions everything due to a bad decision at the beginning of her career.
Image: SRF/Sava Hlavacek
Grandjean meets Marek (Lucas Gregorowicz), who suffers from a brain tumor - and is a serial killer.
Image: SRF/Sava Hlavacek
Grandjean finds the victim in this "crime scene" on the banks of the Limmat, with a coin under his tongue.
Image: SRF/Sava Hlavacek
In this "Tatort", Tessa Ott (Carol Schuler) is not only working against the murderer, but also against her colleague Isabelle.
Image: SRF/Sava Hlavacek
Isabelle Grandjean (Anna Pieri Zuercher) questions everything due to a bad decision at the beginning of her career.
Image: SRF/Sava Hlavacek
Grandjean meets Marek (Lucas Gregorowicz), who suffers from a brain tumor - and is a serial killer.
Image: SRF/Sava Hlavacek
Grandjean finds the victim in this "crime scene" on the banks of the Limmat, with a coin under his tongue.
Image: SRF/Sava Hlavacek
In this "Tatort", Tessa Ott (Carol Schuler) is not only working against the murderer, but also against her colleague Isabelle.
Image: SRF/Sava Hlavacek
Mythological allusions, a doomed murderer and an inspector in crisis: the Zurich "Tatort" promises a lot, but ultimately delivers too little.
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- The "Tatort" from Zurich gets off to a strong start with an exciting, mythologically inspired plot about a doomed serial killer.
- However, the episode loses its suspense due to the unprofessional behavior of the detective, weak character development and a flimsy motive for the murder.
- Despite a promising start, the episode fails due to too many filler scenes and an unsatisfactory resolution.
In life, you're supposed to try something new every now and then. That's why I took heart and watched the fresh "Tatort" episode - the first ever for me. This time it comes from Zurich, with the two detectives Grandjean(Anna Pieri Zuercher) and Ott(Carol Schuler).
The title "Ferryman" caught my attention, as I have a fascination for Greek mythology. I associate the term with Charon, who ferries the souls of the dead across the River Styx to the entrance to the underworld, to Hades. As payment for the crossing, a coin is placed under the tongue of the dead.
And this is exactly where the thriller begins: in the very first scene, an elderly man gasps to himself. He is observed by a dark-haired, coat-and-glove-wearing Lucas Gregorowicz. The actor in the role of Marek wishes the passing man "a safe journey". There it has me, the "Tatort". Even though I'm aware that we're not moving into the supernatural.
At the Christmas market in Zurich, Isabelle Grandjean meets the handsome Marek - he makes it clear to her that he doesn't have much time left for small talk. A tumor is spreading in his brain and his time on earth has an expiration date - so the inspector promptly gets into bed with him? That's where "Tatort" lost me a bit again.
Sure, you never assume the worst about a new acquaintance, but that seems negligent to me. Even if Grandjean feels lonely at Christmas. As an inspector, she should be much more careful in this respect. But well, I tolerate it, for the plot! For the suspense!
The doomed man brings death
Soon afterwards, the detective receives a personally addressed letter. It contains coordinates that lead her to the banks of the Limmat in Zurich. Grandjean also receives a cryptic sentence that speaks of descending into Hades. At first I thought the authors of "Tatort" were quoting Dante's "Divine Comedy", but after a little research, it doesn't seem to be the case.
Item, at the coordinates she finds the man who dies at the beginning. "Please don't," she mumbles to herself. She, like me, knows what she will find in the man's mouth - a coin under his tongue.
A strong start! So we're dealing with a doomed serial killer.
After that, the tension diminishes, I have to be honest. Grandjean is a police detective, but she behaves like a civilian being harassed by a murderer - does that make sense? She has endless resources at her disposal to find the culprit. But she decides to investigate on her own and pretends to her colleagues that she is ill.
Too much irrelevant banter
The case reminds Grandjean of Philipp Tournier, a young man she falsely arrested for a double murder. After confessing, he took his own life. The inspector feels guilty - is this perhaps why she goes off on her own? It's a strange way of making a connection to the current crime - as if there hadn't been enough material to flesh out Marek's story with a real motive.
Anyway, the "Tatort" fills countless scenes with irrelevant banter, in between which the plot is sometimes driven forward. It's a shame, quite honestly. The subject matter is endlessly exciting, but ultimately there's not enough meat on the bone in this episode.
This "Tatort" episode should actually last around 20 minutes: Grandjean communicates that she has experienced a case like this before and admits to stealing the coin from the victim's mouth. The police put the pieces of the puzzle together with teamwork and - tada - murderer found!
The police are unprofessional
In general, Isabelle Grandjean's behavior is completely unprofessional and overly dramatic. Tournier's arrest and subsequent suicide took place 20 years ago - yet Grandjean is questioning her entire career as a result. What has she been doing for the last two decades? Never been right in her arrests? Come on.
What begins like a powerful psychological thriller derails towards the end. The reasons for this are: Too many filler scenes that contribute nothing to the plot, a flimsy motive for the perpetrator and a seasoned detective who questions her entire career because of a bad decision.
Maybe I'll still give "Tatort" another chance in the future. Let's see.