Dark: The Survivors (Die Überlebenden)
June 27, 2020 10:47 AM - Season 3, Episode 2 - Subscribe

Martha travels to 1888 to warn her friends about the 2020 disaster. Winden residents past and present search for their missing loved ones.

*Martha wakes from dreams of sex with Jonas (and flashes of bloody hands, and the Saint Christopher medal). Adult Jonas in 1880s garb sits, holding an envelope with his name on it, and tells her to get changed - she sees a corset & dress on the chair.

*They go to the 1888 mad-science-workshed and join Bartosz, Magnus, and Franziska. Magnus embraces her, but Jonas says she's not their Martha. Martha says she's trying to fix things so no one dies.

*September 22, 1987. In the Kahnwald house adult Katharina, wakes in bed and looks at a photo of Ines & Mikkel. Downstairs there's a pile of unread mail on the floor, and the answering machine records a message from the phone company saying Ines has been unreachable for 3 months and they will be shutting off her service. There are a pile of 'Missing for 3 months' posters of Mikkel on the table.

*There is a wake for Mads at Jana and Tronte Neilson's home, and Jana publicly berates Tronte for being off sleeping with Claudia when Mads went missing. She dumps the contents of his bag on the floor, which includes newspaper clippings about Claudia disappearing on June 26 the day her father Egon was found dead.

*September 22, 2020. Adult Claudia enters the boarded-up post-apocalypse school. She listens to a radio broadcast about global event of 6/27/2020, which says that a French research team believes that the world stood still for a fraction of a nanosecond, causing tidal forces to diverge, weather phenomena, disturbances of electrical systems, numerous plane crashes, and simultaneous loss of power supply to nuclear power plants worldwide. She checks on cancer-Regina.

*Peter & young Elisabeth Doppler exit an RV (sex worker Bennie's?) as a hooded figure watches. Peter shows their papers to soldiers at a checkpoint, and the soldier tells him they'll be evacuating the area and sealing things up soon, that he should stop putting his daughter through this, but gives way and lets them through.

*In 1888, Bartosz and everyone recaps the differences between their world and other-Martha's world. Jonas asks how she knew when/where to find them, she says Jonas told her when he traveled to her world. Adult-Jonas says she lies, that he never traveled to her world, accuses her of writing the letter, of working for Adam, demands to know what device she used to travel. An old blind man enters the workroom, and asks why the machines are silent. Jonas storms out, and the old man feels Martha's face and says she must be the reason Jonas' mood is worse than usual.

*In the school hallway, Katharina passes out missing posters of Mikkel. She sees young Ulrich, Hannah, and herself. Ulrich scoffs at the poster and says maybe the madman got him and leaves with young Katharina, as adult Katharina remembers experiencing the meeting. Young Hannah tells her about the asylum-escapee who tried to get Mikkel to the caves, and Katharina tells her to stay away from Ulrich and Mikkel.

*At the power plant, Tronte Nielson asks Claudia's secretary about her behavior the week she disappeared. She tells him about the strange old woman who came for her missing dog but then left it behind, and says Claudia was different afterwards.

*Peter & Elisabeth look at wall of photos of the post-apocalypse dead, searching for Charlotte & Franziska. Peter says it's good they don't see them, Elisabeth says maybe they traveled to another time.

*At the 1987 police station, Katharina berates an inspector for not telling her about the asylum escapee. He tells her he has no reason to tell her anything, as she refuses to produce any identification of herself or proof of her relation to Michael Kahnwald. He tells her that CPS knows exactly where Michael and Ines are, that he was given a break from school after the recent events, and if she shows up at the station again he'll put her in protective custody.

*Tronte sees Regina at bus stop with Gretchen the dog and gives her a ride. Regina wonders if her mother & Mads' disappearances are connected. Tronte creeps Regina out by asking if Claudia ever talked about him, and gets out to walk.

*3 months post-apocalypse, Claudia works on the time machine, and makes one of the audio recordings Jonas listened to in the future.

*Peter & Elisabeth look through Jonas' house for clues. The man who was watching them earlier enters (it's young Noah), signs he's looking for food, tells her he sleeps in the caves. Peter tells him he already told him to leave them alone, and Noah says he'll take care of Elisabeth after Peter dies (both talking out of Elisabeth's interpretation range).

*1888 Tannhaus Machinery Factory. In Martha's room, Bartosz apologizes for Jonas. He says Jonas has been different since they got here, that they traveled at the moment of the apocalypse and didn't mean to go back so far in the past, that their time travel machine's energy is depleted. He says that old man Tannhaus believes he and Jonas can create paradise.

*Katharina goes to the asylum and recognizes her mother, Helene Albers, working reception. Katharina says the man who escaped 3 months ago is her husband, and while Helene at first thinks she's some desperate loser who fixates on the imprisoned, she lets her through. Katharina finds Old Ulrich playing chess with himself, and they weep to see each other. She promises to get him out.

*At the power plant, Claudia's secretary enters her office to find the cleft-palate trio going through Claudia's desk. She tries to leave, but gets garroted.

*At the Neilson home, Jana tells Tronte he has to make a choice and he agrees. Tronte tells her about seeing Regina at the bus-stop. Jana says Claudia never did say who the father was.

*In the post-apocalypse abandoned school, Old Tronte comes to cancer-wracked Regina, tells her he's sorry it has to happen but that she (Old Claudia? Old Martha?) said it's only way to save her, then smothers her with a pillow.

*September 22, 2053. Charlotte looks at the polaroid of Noah, Elisabeth & baby Charlotte. Post-apocalyptic Elisabeth tells her everything will be ok.

*1987 Katharina does homework at the kitchen table while blasting music on her walkman, and mom Helene comes in and smacks the back of her head and demands she clear the table. There's a musical montage as Adult Katharina walks away from Ulrich in the asylum, Claudia finds Regina's body, young Regina looks at a photo of her missing mom and Aleksander comforts her, Jana sleeps with her head on Tronte's lap, young Elisabeth looks at her notepad conversation with Noah, Noah works in the caves, and Bartosz and Martha go to the Sic Mundus room. Bartosz says that old man Tannhaus is the last member of Sic Mundus, and that Jonas is trying to recreate their time machine from his memory of it. Bartosz asks her who Adam is, that Jonas only told then that Adam killed their Martha, and Other-World Martha tells him (surprised that Jonas hasn't) that Adam is Jonas.

*In (presumably?) another iteration of the Sic Mundus room, the two worlds' Winden family trees are on floor plaques, connected by an infinity symbol. Old Martha talks to young Jonas, saying that despite all the differences between their worlds, the apocalypse comes for them both, and in her world will happen in 3 days.
posted by oh yeah! (16 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Assuming adult-Jonas is telling the truth about not remembering ever traveling to Martha's world, I wonder how he survived the apocalypse? He remembers Adam killing Martha -- but wasn't that right before the apocalypse? How would he have survived it if he hadn't gotten zapped away with her to her universe's 2019 caves? Will it be explained in-show, or is it going to be one of those 'time travel stories give me a headache' discrepancies that must be ignored.

So if Tronte is Regina's father, that means she and Ulrich are half-siblings, which makes Bartosz Martha's cousin. Will she turn out to be related to the Obendorf's too, or will Killian be her one non-incestuous boyfriend?

Joking aside, the reunion of Ulrich & Katharina was lovely. Poor Old-Ulrich.
posted by oh yeah! at 11:03 AM on June 27, 2020 [2 favorites]


Also now I'm wondering where/when Noah & Elisabeth had baby Charlotte. Like, Elisabeth looks pretty happy and non-apocalyptic in the polaroid. So I guess sometime after 2020, Peter dies, Noah brings Elisabeth to somewhere safe in the past, she has the baby, and Noah gives baby Charlotte to adoptive-grandfather time-travel-book-writer/inventor E.G. Tannhaus. But then Elisabeth goes back to the post-apocalyptic future? Not sure why she wouldn't just stay hidden in the past, but I guess she and Noah thought she had to be there to play whatever role they thought would save everyone.
posted by oh yeah! at 11:37 AM on June 27, 2020


I have to confess that two episodes in I'm beginning to find it somewhat difficult to follow the narrative threads, especially with Tronte and company. I also realized I've lost track of the time machines. Katarina must have used one to go back to 1987, but where did she get it? I thought the last time we saw one was when 2020 Hanna took it back to 1954 (where she, and it, presumably still reside).
posted by whir at 2:14 PM on June 27, 2020


Assuming adult-Jonas is telling the truth about not remembering ever traveling to Martha's world, I wonder how he survived the apocalypse?

That is why I was thinking there might be three universes. Jonas doesn't exist in Hanna B's universe, and 1888 Jonas doesn't have any memory of meeting Hanna B, so I don't see any other simple explanation. But he also seems to be hanging around with the Universe A Scooby gang of Elisabeth, Magnus and Bartosz, so maybe this is an indication that he's been successful at breaking the loop?
posted by whir at 2:21 PM on June 27, 2020


Hannah went back to 1933 using Jonas' time machine device that she stole from his room while he slept. I think Katharina went back to 1987 by going through the cave passage when it was activated by the apocalypse. Or did she use the second device, the one that Magnus & Martha & Franziska stole from Bartosz in the caves (that he got from Noah)? But I think that's the one that Jonas used in the bunker at the end of S2 which zapped them back to 1888, right?
posted by oh yeah! at 2:24 PM on June 27, 2020


This is a lot of balls in the air: stuff we haven't seen from 1987, middle-aged Claudia, and 1888 all in Jonas's universe and all the stuff in Martha's universe. They have only six episodes to finish this all up.

I think it's only at this point that Charlotte and Elizabeth fully know their relationship. It's super-weird and poignant.

I had thought maybe Elizabeth and Charlotte had traded places when they touched, as Jonas and Helge did, but I guess not. Did everyone else in the spent-fuel room die? I assume so.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 12:07 PM on June 28, 2020


That is why I was thinking there might be three universes. Jonas doesn't exist in Hanna B's universe, and 1888 Jonas doesn't have any memory of meeting Hanna B, so I don't see any other simple explanation.

The other explanation is that each iteration of Jonas we see is actually a different "version," but because of Sic Mundus's interference, their lives play out the same way every time. But then, in the loop we've been watching, Alt-Martha managed to punch through into universe A for the first time. This is what I think is going on, but there are a lot of details I haven't worked out.
posted by showbiz_liz at 7:16 PM on June 29, 2020 [2 favorites]


Well I guess we now know where Magnus gets his habit of smacking Mikkel on the back of the head.
So if Tronte is Regina's father, that means she and Ulrich are half-siblings, which makes Bartosz Martha's cousin.
I guess they'll have to update my favorite line from the series when Jonas confesses all the messed-up stuff he's learned to his grandma Ines:
Now I have another grandma and she's the principal of my school! Her husband, who's fucking my mom, is looking for his son, who's my father! A few days ago I kissed my aunt…who until recently was dating my best friend, her cousin.
posted by Cogito at 11:25 PM on June 29, 2020 [1 favorite]


Assuming adult-Jonas is telling the truth about not remembering ever traveling to Martha's world, I wonder how he survived the apocalypse? He remembers Adam killing Martha -- but wasn't that right before the apocalypse? How would he have survived it if he hadn't gotten zapped away with her to her universe's 2019 caves?
I was confused about this as well. It seemed like at the very end of season 2, teen Jonas and nü-Martha blipped away right before the Kahnwald house was demolished. However, upon rewatching that's not really the case, it cuts away before the impact on the house is seen. And now that we've seen Peter and Elisabeth visit it in 2020, post apocalypse, it's in poor shape, but in no way destroyed. So, it seems like adult Jonas could've survived if he stayed there with original Martha while she died. My take on this is that teen Jonas has started to have experiences that his adult counterpart did not, due to the intervention of nü-Martha, as I alluded to after episode 1.
posted by Cogito at 11:36 PM on June 29, 2020 [1 favorite]


So, it seems like adult Jonas could've survived if he stayed there with original Martha while she died.

I don't think they would have survived. So far, the only survivors have been in a bunker or another time.

Here's where we are on the Jonas/Marta universe count from what I remember:
1) original universe, Jonas1 sees Marta1 be killed, is saved by Marta2 (and has her own Jonas or not in her universe? Let's call him PossibleJonas2)
2) Marta2 leaves Jonas1 in a universe where he doesn't exist (Jonas3) and meets Marta3
3) Marta2 travels to the 1888 universe where there is another Jonas (not Jonas1, not possibleJonas2, Jonas3 doesn't exist), so now there is a Jonas (AdultJonasX) that is not in universe 1, not the same PossibleJonas from Marta2's universe, not the non-existant Jonas3.

So either teen Jonas is having different experiences than adult Jonas (but could that happen? If there were new experiences, wouldn't adult Jonas just suddenly remember them? Maybe in this universe time travel works differently. Maybe everything with other worlds is outside AdultJonasX's memory? like it doesn't count for some reason) or there are more than 3 universes. We still don't know how AdultJonasX got to 1888, it seems like the friends were all from universe 1 though, we saw them time travel away right before the apocalypse.
posted by LizBoBiz at 12:21 AM on June 30, 2020 [1 favorite]


So if Tronte is Regina's father, that means she and Ulrich are half-siblings, which makes Bartosz Martha's cousin.

My roommate has a theory that Helene Albers is actually Hannah and that she had Katharina in an affair with Egon, which would be incredible.
posted by showbiz_liz at 9:40 PM on June 30, 2020 [1 favorite]


My roommate has a theory that Helene Albers is actually Hannah

Fun theory, but already disproven onscreen in this episode, since adult-Helene is not being played by the same actress as adult-Hannah.
posted by oh yeah! at 3:56 AM on July 1, 2020


Fun theory, but already disproven onscreen in this episode, since adult-Helene is not being played by the same actress as adult-Hannah.

But Hannah went to the 50s and Katharina went back to the 80s. Hannah would have to be 33 years older by that point.
posted by showbiz_liz at 1:25 PM on July 1, 2020


Right, but the Helene we're seeing in the 80's is clearly not looking 33 years older than Hannah is in the 1950s. I just mean that the show has been pretty consistent about casting age-appropriate-looking actors, and good physical matches for the various 33-year-span multiples (like how much the 3 different aged Ulrich's resemble each other). So for as much as this show loves mindfucks & paradox, I think it does a pretty good job at following its own rules, and a theory like that, while maybe fun, isn't really consistent with the show's methods.
posted by oh yeah! at 2:01 PM on July 1, 2020 [1 favorite]


Also, the multiple-timeline-existence people often have distinguishing characteristics that ease identification a bit - Jonas' neck scar, Eve's face scar, Ines' mole, Claudia's heterochromia, Elizabeth's deafness (at least in Jonas-world). Hannah going from straight dark brown hair in her other timelines to curly would be a departure.
posted by LionIndex at 10:43 AM on July 2, 2020


As with my question in season 1, about pausing the screen on the opening shot of the yarn board, is it cheating to pause the screen at the floor family tree? I don't think so -- it's kind of awesome how many apparently intentionally suggestive clues there are about what presumably is coming up (I'm binging the whole thing, and am only up to this episode, so I have no idea what comes next). It's also kind of sad how little difference Jonas's non-existence in the alternate world makes; barely a blip in the tree on the right. I'm also still not entirely convinced there's more than one Jonas (as the floor suggests), since all we need is a bit of imminent memory loss in young Jonas and we're right back on track. But perhaps soap-opera amnesia is a bridge too far for this show!
posted by chortly at 11:18 PM on August 8, 2020 [1 favorite]


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