Tatort: Waldlust

March 5, 2018 9:30 PM - Season 47, Episode 25

The Ludwigshafen homicide division goes on a retreat to the Black Forest for a coaching seminar to improve teamwork and communication. After they find a bone in the vegetarian ragout, everything gets a lot more complicated.

Instead of the usual formula, this is whodunnit thriller with a prominent score played by the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz. Nothing like a pitchfork wielding caretaker at a half abandoned hotel in the woods to set the tone! The team doesn't have access to the usual tools so they must rely on their wits to fit the pieces together as more strange things keep happening.

The dialog was improvised; the same director did a previous Tatort with improvised dialog that was not well received (Babbeldasch).

posted by mrcrow (3 comments total)

This was such an amazingly bad episode I've been trying to figure out how to frame it for the last two days and this morning I gave up. There were no redeeming features - there's some high strangeness going on and that's kind of... ok... but it's not Lynchian level strangeness, it's kind of like despair level strangeness. Like, we'd all leave if we could, but we can't... and... Lena Odenthal is, as ever, a force, though, and for all the times I've wondered why she's on here's why. A shame she doesn't do more other things.
Also there's some pretty prominent scrotum which. You know. Well. I guess. I mean. No, there was no saving this.

Honestly watching it I could only think (as I do almost every time I watch Ludwigshafen, and why I don't really watch Ludwigshafen anymore but we couldn't decide on something else to watch...) this is wasted money.

This episode is every reason why people say "Tatort" sucks.
posted by From Bklyn at 8:29 AM on March 6, 2018

Thank you, mrcrow, for giving me this opportunity to say my peace. Though not original, it has helped clear my mind.
posted by From Bklyn at 8:30 AM on March 6, 2018

You’re welcome! I felt the need to post this immediately after watching because it was just so... weird. Failed Lynch is a good description. Ancient film star? Human bones in the soup and a treasure map and... yeah I gave up.

Being American I am still not used to the genitals on casual display. That whole scene was a pile of WTF.

The subtitles were absolutely hilarious since they picked up every weird snuffle and dramatic musical flourish. Who was snuffling??

If Tatort were always this bad I would have to find another weekly German language entertainment (open to suggestions). Ludwigshafen is off the list. One of my favorites is from there but that was back in 1996 when Kopper just started.
posted by mrcrow at 12:57 PM on March 6, 2018