Mephisto Waltz Part 1 – As this episode of Vienna Blood begins, Max Liebermann (Matthew Beard) talks about Freud teaching us that we relive our childhoods over and over again. An addiction to gambling is often a long-buried childhood fixation. We sometimes take the biggest risks and can lose everything. In Vienna 1909, Commissioner von Bulow (Raphael von Bargen) tells everyone about Franz Burgstaller (Murathan Muslu) who is one of the most notorious criminals in the city. Franz’s reign is over now that he’s in custody. Oskar Rheinhardt (Juergen Maurer) and Sergeant Haussmann (Josef Ellers) helped with the arrest. The Commissioner promises to mention those who helped in his report although not everyone by name.
Oskar wants to get out of there. Oskar and Haussmann are approached by Constable Meier (Tobias Resch) who says the prisoner wants to talk. He will only speak to Oskar alone. Oskar warns Franz that the criminals may kill him before he goes to trial. Franz wants to speak to Strasser. He wants Oskar to tell Strasser that he knows where to find Mephisto. Later, Oskar goes to Director Strasser (Simon Hatzl) to tell him what Franz said. Strasser says Mephisto is the devil. Oskar told Franz it would be impossible to speak. Eva Strasser (Theresa Riess) comes in to see if her father needs anything. Oskar tells the Director that no one else knows about this. Strasser wants Oskar to bring Franz to the ruined castle just beyond the house. Oskar doesn’t want to do it, but Director Strasser argues that the empire is under threat.
The director goes on to say Mephisto is their deadliest enemy. He’s been trying to track him down for years. Strasser will sign a release order so Oskar can bring Franz to him. As Oskar loads his pistol, he talks to Haussmann about Goethe and Mephisto. They need an officer to drive the carriage. Oskar agrees to use Constable Meier (Tobias Resch), but Oskar doesn’t want him told anything. They take Franz out of the jail moments later. Franz knows the contempt Oskar has for him. He claims they’re not so different because they use violence to achieve their ends. Oskar suggests otherwise. Meier is tasked with watching the road while the director of security Strasser meets Franz who claims he found out Mephisto’s real name. He claims he followed Mephisto’s men after doing business with them.
Strasser tells Oskar and his man to step away. Franz is uncuffed before a shot rings out. He is shot in the shoulder. They take over. Franz yells for the others to protect him or he’s a dead man. He makes a run for it with Strasser following him. A masked man with a gun approaches and shoots Franz in the head. Strasser is shot as well. Meier shows up behind the gunman who is eventually shot. A dying Strasser tells Oskar to find Mephisto. Strasser also says he stole from him. Oskar promises he will. Director Bartholdi (Stefan Pohl) takes over as director of security with Strasser dead. Oskar asks the Commissioner if there is any news on Franz’s murder. The Commission confirms they’ve identified the killer as Thomas Hofer of the Hofer gang. They were supposedly trying to stop Franz from informing on them. The Commissioner asks why Strasser wanted to meet with Franz.
Oskar claims he didn’t tell him. The Commissioner tells him that his name is on this since he took Franz from his cell. As far as he’s concerned, Oskar’s career is over. Oskar returns to the scene to look around. He finds cigarette butts and takes them. Then, he speaks to Eva about her father’s death. Oskar tells Eva he needs her help. He asks if her dad ever mentioned the name Mephisto. Eva doesn’t know anything, but she agrees to let Oskar look at her father’s things. He finds a board full of evidence and newspaper clippers. Oskar remembers what Strasser said before he died. He remembers every detail of an incident in Luxembourg. A bomb was planted to disrupt the Russian summit by Serbian nationalist Lazar Kiss. Oskar and Strasser were there that day. As for Kiss, he died a few months later in a fire.
Oskar wonders why Strasser was still obsessed with the case. Eva says he collected disasters and errors in policing. Oskar wants to take the clippings. Eva reveals her father was drunk one night and kept repeating, “Someone in Vienna is giving away our secrets.” Oskar believes he was talking about a traitor who could be Mephisto. At work, Oskar makes sure to hide the paperwork from the Commissioner. Lisa Linder (Miriam Hie) brings Oskar more paperwork and says the cigarettes are two different types. One is cheap and hand-rolled. The other cigarette is expensive. There were likely two people. Oskar says he needs to get into the mind of a dead man. Max’s parents, Rachel and Mendel, are happy to see him. Leah joins them as well. Max will be staying with them since his old room is taken. Anna interrupts to say Oskar is at the door. Oskar has been reading about him in the newspapers.
Max gives him a gift for his little coffee bean habit. Then, they start talking about Franz’s murder. Max soon learns there is a traitor who has been sabotaging diplomatic missions. Franz is the only person who can identify the traitor but he’s dead. They speak to Valentina (Rina Juniku) who was with Franz for a while. She admits she knows how Franz made his money. She doesn’t know anything about his contacts though. Max believes she was about to say something else. Valentina says Franz had a friend he’d visited sometimes at the palace. They were involved in some sort of enterprise and it was a singer. She mentions the name Senor Carrillo. Oskar and Meier visit Carrillo and try to find out why Franz liked him so much. They end up behind Elias (Elias Hladisch) who gets an autograph. Then, Oskar asks Carrillo to escort him back to the station.
Carrillo claims not to know anything about Franz. Max says someone close to Franz said they were involved in an enterprise together. Carrillo denies performing for royalty and going to the palace. Max suggests Carrillo could also be in danger. Carrillo is more concerned about the concert he has. Oskar lets him go. Max and Oskar discuss the case. Max wonders how someone like Franz could be in contact with Mephisto if the latter is at the center of political power. Carrillo calls someone to say they need to talk. He goes on to say their business is settled. Carrillo wants to be told that the debt is paid, but they refuse to respond to him. Oskar finds Therese Thanhofer (Maria Kostlinger) at the police station. Her husband Wenzel (Daniel Jesch) joins them seconds later. Wenzel leaves. Therese says he was drunk, got into a fight, and spent the night in a cell.
She asks Oskar not to worry about it. When asked about Anna, Therese insists she’s fine. She says goodbye. Director Bartholdi confronts Oskar later and admits there are still questions about Strasser’s death. The Commissioner sees them. Bartholdi asks Oskar to bring any information straight to him. Then, Sergeant Haussmann brings Oskar case files for Carrillo’s murder. They check out the crime scene moments later. The concierge admits most clients prefer being anonymous so he doesn’t have a record of everyone coming and going. Haussmann finds a ticket with the number “1257” on it. Dr. Julius Jaeger (Robert Reinagl) tells them it was a deep cut. Oskar believes the murder means. Mephisto knows they’re coming for him. At the station, Max and Oskar receive all of Carrillo’s personal belongings. Carrillo had a lot of money and letters from fans.
They also find a cipher text which is used for deciphering codes. Lisa Linder has to show them how it works. Since they can’t figure it out, Lisa helps them go through the letters to see if they can find any hidden messages. They don’t find anything. Max notices a stamp on one of the letters. It is postmarked Vienna, but it features the same stamp Max’s parents used when he was in America. Max pulls up the stamp and finds a hidden code underneath it. Lisa decodes it and ends up with “RIEGERSAM22”. Oskar checks a paper about Carrillo’s tour. He notices Riegers Palast which is a casino. Max suggests whoever sent the message will still be expecting Carrillo. They also find a gambling token. Oskar says it seems like Mephisto has a network and Riegers Palast is the rendezvous.
Max suggests an undercover operation. He will be an English Lord and Oskar can be his valet. Oskar looks at him strangely. Max urges him to wear something more dressy. Oskar stresses the need to keep their investigation private, so asking Von Bulow for money is out of the question. He urges Max to utilize the projects from his lecture tour. Max reluctantly agrees. Later, Oskar is wearing Mendel Liebermann’s (Conleth Hill) suit and top hat. Dressed to the T, Leah Liebermann (Charlene McKenna) insists on accompanying them to Riegers. Max argues that it is part of their investigation. She threatens to nag him if he doesn’t take her. Rachel Liebermann (Amelia Bullmore) approaches with a necklace for Leah. Leah informs them of her inviting Clara Weiss (Luise von Finckh) A short time later, they arrive at Riegers where they are welcomed by Riegers Manager Karner (Rainer Galke). Max identifies himself as Lord Sadler of England. Rachel claims Clara is Lady Sadler and she is Duchess Gertrude. Oskar pretends to be Count Von Trautmanns. The concierge (Soheil Boroumand) gives Oskar and Max a ticket. Oskar points out that Carlos Carillo (Luis Carls Hernandez-Luque) had a similar ticket with 1257 on it. Karner escorts them into the bustling casino. Carrillo was scheduled to perform tonight. Oskar leaves to search the cloakroom while Max purchases 500 in chips and orders a Gin Rickey. When the waiter asks what it is, Max threatens to have him fired if he doesn’t find out before placing his first bet.
Oskar tells the cloakroom attendant (Jakob Elsenwenger) that he is there to pick up something of Carillo’s. The attendant declines to help him with a ticket. Karmer approaches and asks why he is inquiring about Carrillo. Oskar cannot remember his alias. In the casino, Max wins and prepares to place another when Leah asks if he should wager so much. He tells her to stop being a bore and pushes all his chips onto the table. Removing Carillo’s gaming chip from Max’s pocket, Clara tosses it across the board. The croupier (Yahya Mica James) refuses the chip because it is for a specific game. Max asks for more details but he declines to say. Helena Rieger (Leonie Benesch) confronts Max and suggests he is not a gambler and Clara isn’t his wife. He asks if Clara is in love with him. She says he is in love. A short time later, Helena demands to know what Oskar is up to. Holding up a mug shot of Franz, he asks if she knows him. She denies ever meeting him but admits to knowing Carrillo as a frequent visitor and performer. Max tells her that the gaming chip belonged to Carillo. She claims it is for a high-rollers game. In the casino, Leah informs Clara that Max bought her expensive Marquand jewelry in New York and he is in love with her. Back in Helena’s office, Oskar and Max convince her to get them an invite to tomorrow’s Chemin de fer game.
Leah explains the rules of Chemin de Fer to Max and Oskar. Max shows Oskar his winnings from tonight. Oskar agrees to let Clara and Leah accompany them to Riegers. Once alone, Max tells Clara that he cares about her. She walks away.
A beaten and battered Therese shows up on Oskar’s doorstep. He urges her to bring Hannah to his apartment where they will be safe. She asks where he is going before leaving to deal with Wenzel. A man watches Oskar enter Thanhofer’s apartment. Oskar finds Wenzel passed out and splashes what appears to be alcohol in his face. He orders him to leave Vienna and turns to leave. Wenzel attacks him from behind and tells him that he is going nowhere. Oskar punches him, grabs a knife from the counter, puts it at his throat, and threatens to kill him if he hurts Therese again. Elsewhere, the editor (Stefan Puntigam) gives Clara a word of advice before she meets with The Baron/Paul Herzog (Johannes Zirner). The Baron compliments Clara’s writing style and explains his plan to expand political coverage to include the East. He stresses the need to prevent a war with Serbia. She agrees to encourage peace through her writing before leaving. The Baron comments on her good looks. He pulls a special gaming chip from his pocket.
Meier removes a file with newspaper clippings and a Laxemburg postcard from a locked compartment. He stuffs it into his jacket and turns to leave. Elsewhere, Clara asks Max to let her accompany him to Reigers for journalistic purposes. He reluctantly agrees before telling her his theory on Freud’s opinion of gamblers. She suggests he is obsessed with what happened between them. A short time later, Max, Oskar, and Clara arrive at Reigers. The concierge gives them a ticket. Oskar leaves to search the cloakroom. Clara remains in the casino. En route to the secret Chemin de Fer room, Helena tells Max about her father’s extensive career in the steel industry. In a mine underneath the casino, Helena gives Max a masquerade mask. They take a boat through the tunnel to a secret room where The Soldier (Johannes Zeiler), The Baron, and The Actress (Ulrike Beimpold) are waiting. Max places Carillo’s chip in a built-in slot on the table. Helena tells him that there are no betting restrictions. Max is the last to place his wager on the table. The croupier places his cards in front of him. One by one, the players reveal their cards. In the cloakroom, Oskar collects a cigarette butt for evidence and searches for the match to Carillo’s ticket. He finds it attached to a locked case. He picks the lock and opens the case to reveal a rifle with a silencer. Hearing footsteps, Oskar hurriedly locks the case, hides, and watches as someone takes the case.
Inside the secret room, The Soldier requests more money. Helena nods in approval. A server delivers 3,000 on a tray. She documents the amount. Max asks The Actress about her acting career. She says their lives are off-topic unless they wish to gamble with them. Max wins the game. As the game continues, Baron asks Max if he’d like to wage Clara. He admits they gamble with people, possessions, and secrets. The Baron believes Max finds the idea a little thrilling. They take a break when Helena pulls Max away from the table. He asks how she can allow that to go on. Helena says she just feeds an addiction and doesn’t trade in morals. Max needs to get Clara out of there to prevent her from becoming a part of the wager. He sees Oskar heading through the tunnels. Max yells his name, but Oskar doesn’t seem to hear him. Max follows Oskar from a distance as Oskar arms himself. They eventually encounter someone with a rifle. Oskar finds out that he just shot Max.
Oskar seems to be in a dream state. He approaches Max to say he’s lost. Oskar images himself shooting Max.
Vienna Blood Review
The first episode of Vienna Blood’s fourth series was largely a miss with a few high points throughout. The performances are okay although some weaker performances are scattered throughout and they’re not always easy to ignore. The biggest issue in episode one was the writing which was littered with clichés and tropes.
This really felt like a collection of ideas from other projects thrown together. Some of these ideas made the characters really dumb while others made the episode predictable. For example, it was dumb for Strasser to meet Franz in an open area where anyone could get a good vantage point of them. As a result, that made it very predictable that Franz would be shot or getaway.
It also made Strasser and Oskar look like imbeciles. The same could be said about the shooting at the end. It was obvious within seconds of Max and Oskar entering the tunnels that Max would be shot. The tropes are out of this world. There’s Oskar shooting Max, messages hidden in letters and under stamps, a card game with masked participants, and the wagering of humans.
The crime scene blood isn’t close to being believable.
The cinematography makes Vienna Blood feel like a combination of a Western and a horror movie although neither element really works. The horror soundtrack is over the top. It doesn’t help that the camera rotates from time to time for whatever reason. And of course, Max and Oskar had to be midwits just so Lisa’s character could serve a purpose at some point.
Then, there are so many other characters that serve no purpose including the doctor who only said the cut was deep and there wasn’t any other bruising. What’s the point? The cliché-filled episode scores a 5 out of 10. Recaps of Vienna Blood can be found on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support our independent work at this link.
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Jay Skelton is a fan of all television shows and movies. He tries his best to keep up with the latest foreign television shows and movies. Jay loves skinny dipping in the dark too.
