'How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)' Season 2 Spoiler-free Review: Teen drug lord caught in a web of lies lucks out
Spoilers for 'How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)' Season 2
When MyDrugs begins to take over the world, people are caught in a frenzy — never before could you buy drugs online and pay in bitcoin all while keeping your identity a secret. International media cannot decide if the creator of this online ecstasy store, who calls himself M1000 is a drug lord or a tech genius. They also cannot tell if they are in awe of his brainchild or repelled by the business.
Meanwhile, Moritz Zimmermann (Maximilian Mundt), the elusive M1000, is revelling in all this newfound popularity in secrecy. When his girlfriend Lisa Novak (Lena Klenke) praises M1000 for his genius while still calling out his business, Moritz defends the idea lying to her about his role. Because you can't exactly go around gloating about selling ecstasy.
Season 2 of the German Original comprises of Moritz stacking one lie after the other until it all comes crashing down. Moritz is not just lying to his girlfriend but also to his childhood friend Lenny Sander (Danilo Kamber) and newly-turned-friend and former competitor Daniel Riffert (Damian Hardung) as well as his family. Each lie is meant to suit him until it doesn't, until it threatens not only everything he has built but also the lives of those he considers closest.
We also follow Rinseln's other eccentric characters. The "Albanian" family that deals in coke and forces trio to sell their drugs to make amends for Buba's (Bjarne Mädel) death in the previous season. The Dutch dealers turn out to be gangsters in disguise, hiding behind their lemonade business waiting to pounce on MyDrugs. Mo's closest friend and aide Lenny finds love while struggles with his mortality. Dan is failing at school and spending time with the nerds isn't rubbing off on him.
Season 2 of 'How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)' stays true to itself, particularly the characters. The trio of Mundt, Kamber and Hardung delivers a hilarious performance even in tense situations, undoubtedly, making them the highlight. We follow Mo as he is consumed by his own pride and ego. It is one thing to be self-aware, another thing to walk away from it when the time arrives. Mo, much like the real-life teenager who is the inspiration for the series, is undoubtedly a tech genius having created an online megastore for ecstasy. But gets caught up in a web of lies that he doesn't know how to escape.
This documentation of Mo's downfall makes for a fun binge-watchable series that does not disappoint. No episode stands stagnant, falling victim to cliches of teenage drug dealers. The trio attempts to make progress while still remaining chained to forces they are unaware of. Moritz himself flies high on the possibilities of what could be and in making those happen he completely dismisses the reality around him.
One of the very impressive things about the first season of the show is the pace. Fast, striking visuals capture your mind and so does the swift storyline. This makes 'How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)' an easy watch. It follows a sophisticated narrative by placing strong characters at the centre of a mess they desperately wish to escape.
The end of the series is rather hard-hitting and might feel abrupt — pretty much like the wearing off of the drug. Creators Philipp Käßbohrer Matthias Murmann capture you in this notorious tale based on a real-life teenager through five episodes that fly high on energy until the finale forces you to sober up. Yet again, serving as a warning to viewers in itself.
Season 1 and 2 of the German Original 'How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)' are currently streaming on Netflix.
