Things are getting serious again for one of the most weird and quirky and therefore lovable investigative teams in the German-speaking crime cosmos – Schaller, Flierl and Neuhauser. Because with "Munich Murder: What Is Left of Life" (March 14, 8:15 pm, ZDF) the tenth case of the crime series is already being broadcast. At one point in the film the term "ball people" falls. Does it really exist and if so, what does it mean?
What is "Munich Murder: What Is Left of Life" about?
The death of the heartbroken undertaker Josef Thallinger (Christian Aumer, born 1964) seems to have occurred, of course. His daughter Eva (Johanna Ingelfinger, 26), however, suspects that there is more to it. Senior criminal councilor Zangel (Christoph Süß, 52) wants the cellar commissioner to get to the bottom of it: Angelika Flierl (Bernadette Heerwagen, 42), Harald Neuhauser (Marcus Mittermeier, 50) and their team boss Ludwig Schaller (Alexander Held, 61) try to clear up the case.
A murder cannot be proven, if only because the body was prepared with formaldehyde. However, discrepancies and broken conditions within the Thallinger family lead to several motives. When all investigations are in danger of going nowhere, the three find another note in Josef's notebook, albeit difficult to decipher, that leads them to a possible trace. In the end, they have to include Zangel, Senior Criminal Counselor, in the decoding. Can he, of all people, provide the necessary information?
What Are "Spherical People"?
As part of the investigation, Schaller, Flierl and Neuhauser encountered among others the cosmetic surgeon Dr. Quirin Werner (Bernhard Schir, 57), who is particularly fond of antiquity. He speaks of the myth of the "ball people". These were written by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato (428/429 BC to 348/347 BC):
In his work "Symposion" various speakers explain the work of the god Eros in turn at a meeting. Comedy poet Aristophanes (around 425 BC to 389 BC) brings the myth of the "ball people" into play in the fictitious dialogue. This is his explanation for the overwhelming importance of eros (love / desire / desire) in human life.
According to the myth, humans once had spherical bodies with four hands and feet and two faces. These "ball people" were fast, powerful, brave and wanted to attack the gods at some point. Sky ruler Zeus then weakened them by dividing them in half. This is how the two-legged people came into being. These suffered greatly from the separation and could only satisfy their need for unity through the sexual encounter. And because this longing for wholeness is transferred to every new generation, every person is looking for the right addition … according to the myth.
A well-established team since 2014
Extreme profiler Schaller, the friendly-naive Flierl and Womanizer Neuhauser have been investigating "Munich Murder" in the ZDF Saturday thriller since 2014. In the very first year there was the Bavarian TV Award for Alexander Held as Best Actor in the Series and Series category. The filmmakers received the German TV Crime Award (Audience Award) in 2017 for the episode "Munich Murder: Where Are You, Coward?".