Crime scene: The Lord of the Forest
Is it worth switching on on Easter Monday?
They investigate in the “Tatort: The Lord of the Forest” (from left): Leo Hölzer (Vladimir Burlakov), Adam Schürk (Daniel Sträßer), Esther Baumann (Brigitte Urhausen) and Pia Heinrich (Ines Marie Westernströer).
© SR / Manuela Meyer
On Easter Monday, the new Saarland team determined for the second time in “Tatort: The Lord of the Forest”. Is it worth switching on?
On Easter Monday 2020, the new Saarland team went on the hunt for criminals for the first time with “Tatort: Das industrious Lieschen”. For a whole year, crime fans had to deal with another case with the chief inspectors Leo Hölzer (Vladimir Burlakov, 34) and Adam Schürk (Daniel Sträßer, 34) as well as their colleagues Esther Baumann (Brigitte Urhausen, 41) and Pia Heinrich (Ines Marie Westernströer, 35) waiting. But now the “crime scene: The Lord of the Forest” (April 5th, 8:15 pm, the first) is in the starting blocks. And one thing is certain: it was worth the wait.
What is “Tatort: The Lord of the Forest” about?
The 18-year-old student Jessi (Caroline Hartig, 24) has an appointment and is going to a nearby forest. But a short time later she was found dead. An arrow hit her in the thigh and a knife was rammed into her heart. Strangely enough, the victim has a twig in his mouth. The team of investigators around the two chief inspectors Leo Hölzer and Adam Schürk is faced with a riddle: The branch is an old hunter’s custom – is this the work of a ritual murderer? Investigator Pia Heinrich in particular is convinced of this.
The commissioners question Jessi’s school environment. Because based on her diary it becomes clear: She had a secret love – but also a lot of spurned lovers. Another lead leads the two inspectors Baumann and Heinrich to France. But it’s not just the case that keeps the team in suspense: Schürk’s father Roland (Torsten Michaelis, 60) woke up from a 15-year-old coma towards the end of the first case, “Das industrious Lieschen”. A dark secret threatens to come to light. Roland also claims to know who the perpetrator is. Can this be?
Is it worth switching on?
Absolutely! Because here viewers are served a crime thriller, which provides a lot of tension with thriller elements and a nerve-wracking showdown. The new case “Tatort: The Lord of the Forest” ties in seamlessly with the first crime story by the Saarland team. But don’t worry: Those who have not seen the first appearance of the four-in-hand or can no longer remember will be picked up well and still understand the story.
As expected, the horizontal narrative thread – the dark secret between Adam Schürk and Leo Hölzer – is picked up in the second case and becomes even more acute. The main focus is on Schürk: The fact that his father has awakened puts him under extreme pressure. His violent childhood keeps catching up with the investigator. The visual and acoustic flashbacks go to the substance. At this point, the camera team should be mentioned with praise: Not only are the flashbacks well staged, the stunning landscape shots are also impressive.
It is also nice that the commissioners Pia Heinrich and Esther Baumann are given significantly more space in “The Lord of the Forest”. In the first case, the spotlight was mainly on Holz and Schürk, but the two women in the team are now more involved. The viewer slowly gets to know the characters, learns details from their lives – which makes them want more. The cliffhanger at the end also gives crime fans the hope of an early supply from Saarbrücken. If the third case is just as exciting as the first two, the young investigative team definitely has a good chance of becoming the new ratings hit.