'Deutschland 89' Preview: Superspy Martin Rauch finds himself at crossroads as chaos reigns in Germany
German-American television series 'Deutschland 89', the third and final chapter in the 'Deutschland' franchise, is finally coming to Sundance TV. A sequel to the 2015 series 'Deutschland 83', and 2018 series 'Deutschland 86', the show follows the events surrounding the Fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
Starring Jonas Nay as Martin Rauch, Maria Schrader as Lenora Rauch, and Svenja Jung as Nicole Zangen, 'Deutschland 89' takes the story over from the events of the preceding 'Deutschland 86' and continues to explore its espionage storyline during the Cold War.
As Germany reinvents itself for the fourth time in the 20th century, with the falling of the 'anti-fascist' Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, superspy Martin Rauch (Jonas Nay) finds himself involved in the most unscrupulous of ways. He finds himself in limbo during the peaceful revolution around him that might be free of violence, but his world is upended. He must get himself involved and deal with the consequences.
Amid this turmoil, he finds that both the existence of the HVA (East German Foreign Intelligence) and the future of his country is left in chaos, floating in the endless seas of uncertainty. So what does it mean for Martin: how will he plan his next move?
According to the official synopsis of the series, "Martin, pursued by Western spy agencies and the KGB, is determined to finish his last job for his new and mysterious superiors after uncovering a terrorist plot, going undercover to infiltrate an anti-imperialist terror cell. As he tries to bring the perpetrators to justice, he becomes entangled in the schemes of his Aunt Lenora (Maria Schrader) and his new partner in crime, Nicole (Svenja Jung)."
There are many options in front of Martin at the moment: will he join Big Brother at the KGB? Go West and work for an enemy agency? Use international contacts to begin a new career? Or run off to paradise with hoarded gold?
As their country is changing and reinventing itself, it turns out that our heroes need to reinvent themselves too. Only, it will come at a cost. In the face of a fast-changing world, all our heroes need to reinvent themselves.
In an interview last year, creators and executive producers Anna Winger and Jörg Winger had reportedly said, "When the Berlin Wall came down, Germany reinvented itself for the fourth time in the 20th century. 'Deutschland 89' goes back to the so-called 'end of history'. Our heroes, spies in the national security apparatus of a country that has collapsed overnight, find themselves at a dramatic crossroads, personally and professionally."
The franchise is celebrated for delving into the politics and nitty-gritty of Cold War Germany. The first season of the series ('Deutschland 83') won numerous accolades, including an International Emmy, a Peabody Award, an Adolf Grimme Award and a Golden Camera award in Germany. Nay was honored with the 2016 Golden Nymph for Best Actor at the Festival de Television in Monte Carlo, as well as the German Television Award for his portrayal of Martin Rauch.
'Deutschland 89' is set to premiere on Thursday, October 29, 2020, at 11 pm ET/ 10c. You can catch a quick recap of the show so far here:
