German Netflix Pick: “Dark”

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As part of my never-ending project of learning German, I’ve been trying to watch German TV shows on Netflix. I really dislike dubbed shows; so, I’ve been searching for shows originally in German. One that I recommend is “Dark.” “Dark” is described by Netflix as follows:

A missing child sets four families on a frantic hunt for answers as they unearth a mind-bending mystery that spans three generations.

A very important thing to know about this description is that the phrase “mind-bending mystery” encapsulates a tremendous amount about the plot of this show, which, along with the missing child mystery, includes romantic entanglements, a possible apocalypse, and a very thought provoking take on time-travel. It is not an overstatement to say the plot is very complicated. Despite it being difficult to follow at times, I still found the mystery and the characters very engaging (credit is due here to the acting – the cast is uniformly excellent), and it is well worth watching a few times to really understand what is going on. Word of caution: Trying to figure out who is who, and how they are related can be especially challenging, but I advise against googling for that information. Doing so just leads to massive spoilers. Better to just muddle through with multiple re-watches – a good idea for learning German anyway.

“Dark” won’t be for everyone, but if you like twisted, inventive, missing person/murder/time-travel mysteries with some post-apocalyptic flair, this show is for you. “Dark” is available for streaming on Netflix. It is rated 16+ and deservedly so (suicide, murder, and sex scenes).