Dark: why the most confusing German series is worth it

In 2017, Dark was the first German series Netflix commissioned itself. Three seasons later it is one of the few German productions people talk about outside Germany too. But it has a reputation that puts some people off: too complicated, too many characters, too much time travel. All of that is a little bit true. And it is still worth it.

What it is about

Winden is a small town with a forest, caves and a nuclear power plant. Children go missing, and the search leads four families deep into their own past. The story plays out on several timelines, each 33 years apart, which is why many characters appear at more than one age.

At the centre is Jonas Kahnwald, played by Louis Hofmann, a teenager who has just lost his father. You do not need to know more than that. The less, the better.

Why it is worth it

It is carefully planned

Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese planned Dark from the start as a story across three seasons, and it shows. Things shown in passing in the first episode often have consequences that only become visible much later. There are hardly any loose ends, and the ending feels like an ending. For a mystery series, that is far from a given.

It takes you seriously

The series explains little and trusts you to think along. That is harder work than most shows, but also more rewarding. The moment when two characters you thought were completely separate turn out to be connected does not happen once here, but again and again.

It looks like no other German series

Rain, forest, muted colours, a camera that takes its time. Plus music that sets the tone, from the opening titles with "Goodbye" by Apparat and Soap&Skin to the songs that play at the end of many episodes. Dark is gloomy, but never generic.

How to get through it comfortably

• Watch it in German with subtitles. The series was shot in German, and the dubbed versions lose a lot of the tone.
• Do not watch it on the side. If you look at your phone, you miss the line that matters three episodes later.
• Remember the families, not every character. Kahnwald, Nielsen, Doppler, Tiedemann: if you know who belongs to whom, you lose the thread less often.
• Do not leave long gaps between seasons. The story builds heavily on itself.
• Do not look for explanations online. Almost every explanation contains spoilers, and the series answers its own questions.

Who Dark is not for

If you want to switch off in the evening, Dark is the wrong choice. It is serious, often sad and has little humour. If you need characters you like right away, you will need patience: almost all of them have secrets, and sympathies shift with every season.

If you enjoy puzzles that really come together in the end, though, Dark is one of the most rewarding series to catch up on. Couchmood also shows you if you want to stay in the mood afterwards.