Comeback of a killer The crazy GDR spy Kleo is back

The German Netflix series "Kleo" was a hit. The second season has now started. In it, former GDR spy Kleo chases after a red secret suitcase - and her own past.

"When feelings are involved, it rarely ends well," writes the German newspaper "Taz". Unfortunately, this old wisdom from spy thrillers is criminally disregarded in the second season of the Netflix series "Kleo".

But let's start at the beginning: Former GDR contract killer Kleo Straub is faced with a problem - still: she has to find a mysterious bright red suitcase that the Soviet secret service KGB and the American CIA are also after.

In the search for the piece of luggage, the second season of the Netflix hit series "Kleo " with Jella Haase (again) unfolds into a thrilling action thriller - albeit with less desire for revenge than in season 1 and a more serious tone.

Stephen King: "Thrilling and also very funny"

The six episodes with a nostalgic GDR look have been available on Netflix for a few days now.

They follow on seamlessly from the first season of the German production, which won several awards last year - including a Grimme Award and two German Television Awards. Even US bestselling author Stephen King was impressed. "What a breath of fresh air! Exciting and also very funny," he wrote in 2022.

The sequel can definitely keep up. As a reminder: after GDR spy Kleo is arrested by the Stasi on a pretext and is only released after the fall of the Berlin Wall, she seeks revenge in season 1.

During her sometimes bloodthirsty campaign, she meets the somewhat dorky policeman Sven Petzold (Dimitrij Schaad) and uncovers an intrigue. The red secret suitcase also plays a decisive role.

This is where the second season begins. While Kleo - with the CIA and KGB always breathing down her neck - leads her hunt for the suitcase to Belgrade and Moscow, she is confronted with her own past. There are repeated brief flashbacks to her childhood. The search for the suitcase therefore also becomes a bit of a search for herself.

More serious and emotional, but still amusing

This makes the second season of "Kleo" more serious and emotional than its predecessor and the anti-heroine more approachable. Nevertheless, the series remains true to its mix of drama, thriller and comedy with a cool retro look and Quentin Tarantino style.

The dialog between Kleo and police officer Petzold, who is once again hot on the heels of the ex-agent, remains amusing.

Even in the first season, Kleo questions the system in which she grew up and which is being pushed back by the capitalist West.

In the second season, she emancipates herself even more from both ideologies and makes it clear in one scene that she "no longer simply wants to believe that there is good and evil" and wants to make her own decisions.

Kleo is a great anti-heroine

Kleo is a pioneer and a great anti-heroine for her, actress Jella Haase told Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND) in an interview.

"Because she says: Neither system is great. I don't want one ideology or the other. We have to start rethinking."

This visionary approach must be retained. "You shouldn't carry on doing something just because you've always done it that way," says the 31-year-old.

And so, after the six episodes of the second season, Mensch can take stock: Ex-Stasi killer Kleo on a quest for revenge was one of the streaming hits of 2022.

And this time, although there are more emotions involved (see above), she will repeat this success.

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