4 against Z
| Television series | |
|---|---|
| Original title | 4 against Z |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Year (s) | 2005-2007 |
| length | approx. 28 minutes |
| Episodes | 39 in 3 seasons (and two feature films) ( list ) |
| genre | Mystery |
| production | Kerstin Ramcke , Anja Jabs , Ole Kampovski |
| music | Mario Schneider |
| First broadcast | April 10, 2005 on Das Erste |
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4 against Z (also 4> <Z written) was a German Mystery - television series for children under the auspices of the NDR for the ARD has emerged. The directors are Klaus Wirbitzky and Andrea Katzenberger , the scripts were written by Katharina Mestre , among others . The series was awarded the Emil Television Prize in 2006 and ran successfully in Italy , Belgium and France , among others .
action
season 1
Hedda Sörensen has died and leaves her a lot of money only on condition that her heirs live in her villa near Lübeck for a year . These heirs are the single parent writer Julia Lehnhoff with her daughters Karo and Leonie and the also single parent trend scout Sascha Sörensen with his sons Otti and Pinkas.
As soon as you arrive at your new place of residence, strange things happen there. A man Karo, dressed completely in black, tries to steal a book without pages that Aunt Hedda bequeathed to the children, and Pinkas is catapulted into a strange world by Aunt Hedda's old mirror. Then the ghost of Great Aunt Hedda appears to the children, who explains to them that they are now guardians and must protect the city from the evil ruler Zanrelot and his assistant Matreus. Those dark forces have been trying to destroy Lübeck and subjugate the city's residents for almost 500 years. Hedda herself died in a fight against him and it would now be the task of the children to complete what Aunt Hedda and Jonathan, an old friend of hers, have started. A Wadz named Kasimir and Jonathan, who is only visible to Leonie, will help them. Hedda's legacy also includes an ancient book, usually passed down from guard to guard, that contains knowledge useful in the fight against Zanrelot. In addition, Hedda gives the children special objects, the so-called solvers: magical glasses with which one can see through walls, for example, an amulet that deflects Zanrelot's attacks back on him, a laser pointer for opening doors, and a glove with which one can, for example Can heal injuries.
In the course of the first season, the guards learn to use their new powers and discover the secret of Zanrelot's irrepressible hatred of the residents of Lübeck. The people of Lübeck had murdered his father, the mayor of Lübeck - almost 500 years ago - in cold blood after he was said to have failed to act in the interests of the city several times. Back then, Zanrelot swore to avenge his father. He went to his future master, the Black Abbot, who taught him the art of dark magic. At the end of the season, Zanrelot's power is so great that he can leave the underworld. To regain all his strength, he wants to meet with the Black Abbot. To do this, Zanrelot needs a certain key to open the sealed chamber in which his old teacher is. The key, however, is in Pinkas' body, where it cannot be easily removed. However, Zanrelot has such unimaginably great power that even this obstacle is no longer real for him. He tricked the children into trying to get to his master and began his ritual. But the guards thwart Zanrelot's plans one more time, so that he is destroyed. Matreus, however, manages to escape.
season 2
Zanrelot has been so obsessed with darkness over the centuries that it needs neither heart nor soul to exist. That's why Matreus also succeeds in reanimating him. When the guards return from their well-deserved vacation, they decide to stay in Hedda's villa despite the expiration of the deadline and the inheritance that has already been acquired. The reason for this is the fact that the two families Lehnhoff and Sörensen now understand each other better. Sascha even wants to propose to Julia, which unfortunately fails again and again, and Pinkas also has an eye on Karo.
The storyline is again this time to fend off the large number of Zanrelot's revenge campaigns and to defend Lübeck. In contrast to the previous season, the key events in Zanrelot's story are discussed even more. The family tree in particular plays a bigger role in the last episode. So the guards learn that Jonathan is the son of Zanrelot and Matreus is his cousin.
Zanrelot takes complete control of Jonathan's body with a curse. This allows him to leave the underworld. When the guardians' parents run into financial problems, he buys their house, still in the guise of Jonathan, and rents it on to the two families, but plans to give them notice in a few days. He also removes the magic mirror that the guardians use to get into the underworld. As a result, Pinkas and Karo, who went to the underworld to spy on Zanrelot's plans, cannot return. The power of the guards is thus shared, so that Zanrelot can put all Lübeckers to a sleep with an Egyptian obelisk, from which they will wake up as zombies. Otti and Leonie manage to bring Pinkas and Karo back from the underworld, and together they fight Zanrelot. Since he still occupies Jonathan's body, they can only kill him if they kill Jonathan too, which they can't do. However, the fight has weakened Zanrelot so that Jonathan can drive him out of his body again. This causes both of them to die, but Jonathan accepts this because he prevents Zanrelot from enslaving the people.
season 3
After Matreus has revived Zanrelot again, he gives up taking revenge on the Lübeckers. Instead, he has more ambitious plans. He now wants to conquer the so-called gateway to the world , which is supposed to be in an unknown location in Hamburg. Whoever enters that portal becomes ruler over the whole world. Since Zanrelot is now active in Hamburg and Karo, Pinkas, Otti and Leonie can only carry out their duties as guards in the Lübeck area, new people now have to take up the post of guards. Zanrelot knows that new children should be entrusted with the task of protecting Hamburg and sends Matreus to the outside world to kill them before they can learn any magical skills. Matreus seems to have managed this at first sight, but in the end he only seemingly lulled himself into safety and the old guards were able to successfully transfer the office to the new guards, David, Finja, Milli and Jakob. Since Aunt Hedda also has to stay in Lübeck, from now on the wealthy merchant widow Sophie, who is only a shadow of herself and who died in 1559, deals with helping the guards in times of need. The guards also succeed in resuscitating Jonathan from a hair of Zanrelot.
Zanrelot now takes Matreus as his son and teaches him black magic. Several times he tries to bring the residents of Hamburg under his control or to harm the guards, but in the end it fails. Zanrelot sees the blame in Matreus. When two comets collide in orbit on Earth, Zanrelot absorbs the energy that is released and thus reaches the surface. He opens the gate to the world. The guards manage to close the gate again, but are inferior to Zanrelot. When Zanrelot tries to kill the guards, Jonathan steps in and - to his own surprise - uses black magic. Finally, Zanrelot and Jonathan rush into the Elbe, leaving the guards at a loss.
Both arrive in the underworld. There Zanrelot can pull Jonathan over to his side, because the guards have recreated him from a hair of Zanrelot, so there is evil in Jonathan too. Thereupon Zanrelot casts out Matreus, whom he no longer needs, and plans to destroy the guards together with Jonathan and to conquer the world. Jonathan uses a trick to lure the guards and Aunt Sophie, who do not know that he has changed sides, into the underworld and even steals their magical power from David, Jakob and Finja. When he wants to kill the guards, Matreus stands protectively in front of the guards and fights against Zanrelot and Jonathan. Matreus dies, but Sophie and the guards escape.
It looks bad for the guards. Only Millie can defend himself against the influence of Zanrelot, all other people, including the other guards, have become slaves without will. Sophie has also disappeared. But Zanrelot cannot yet pass through the gateway to the world because Millie has stolen the map and the key to it. She succeeds in regaining the strength and the looseners of the other guardians so that they are reunited. They learn that magic does not work inside the gateway to the world and see it as their chance to destroy Zanrelot and Jonathan after all. Zanrelot's suggestion is just right for them: In exchange for the card and the key, Zanrelot lets the guards live with their family and friends on an island that will not be ruled by him. The guards seemingly accept it and let Zanrelot and Jonathan enter the gate, then they freeze it with their solvers and lock the two villains in a snow globe.
The good side
While Julia Lehnhoff is Karos and Leonie's mother, Pinkas and Otti are Sascha Sörensen's sons.
For Pinkas and Karo in particular, it initially seems impossible to live together under one roof. Over time, however, Karo realizes that Pinkas can also be a friendly fellow and falls in love with him. Pinkas herself does not feel any feelings at first, and Karo repeatedly falls on deaf ears with her advances, until Pinkas then happens to come across Karo's diary in which she raves about him day after day.
With the exception of the other guards, Leonie is considered crazy because she constantly plays with her Wadz, who is only visible to her, named Kasimir. Above all, this gets on Julia’s nerves and Mama Lehnhoff doesn’t shy away from pounding school psychologists on her daughter every now and then ...
At first glance, Otti seems to be a bore, but one or the other girl falls in love with him. But whether it's true love or the girls just want to take advantage of it is always the big question. However, Otti can rely on Larissa.
With a lot of effort and a few tricks, Sophie-Elise managed to get Juri Kierow to move into the same house with his nephew David and Hanna Sander with their two daughters Finja and Milli. At first Hanna had doubts about a nice flat share, but after a while she forfeited Juri's charm - too bad that her ex suddenly appeared at the door.
David Kierow is a highly gifted diplomatic child who has never been able to make solid friends because David's family kept moving to a new country. David is fed up with this system and is staying for the first time in Hamburg, which he has only just really got used to. Although David is highly intelligent, he doesn't score that much with the girls in his class. They prefer to approach the cool Jakko, who appears much more “masculine”. David has more qualities when it comes to romance and sensitivity. So he and Finja become a couple in the end.
Finja has no desire for Hamburg. She would much rather have stayed in her home country, where she knows everything and everyone. But she doesn't want to go back to her father either, after he cheated on her mother for years. At least David gives her consolation when things don't go so well - whether at school or in Finja's relationship with Jakob.
Milli Sander is a shy little girl who has chronic seizures that come on suddenly and without warning. As a guardian, however, this is an advantage, since she also has visions during her seizures, which in most cases come true.
Jakob would rather be called Jakko. His mother died very early when he was a small child, and the relationship with his father is not the best either. Because Jakko's dad is a choleric drunkard and Jakko is reluctant to be in his "real" home at most once a month. Instead, he has made himself comfortable in an old boathouse. Too bad that the Kierows and Sanders now live in the villa across the street, and they gradually realize that they are not alone at night ...
The symbol of the "4" is the color blue; for example, the rays of the magical solvers are colored blue.
The bad side
Almost 500 years ago, Zanrelot was banished to the underworld, where he and his loyal accomplice tried by all means to get back "up" and subjugate the people of Lübeck. Matreus himself tries again and again unsuccessfully to get recognition from his cold-hearted uncle, but in his eyes he is just a damned good-for-nothing.
The color of evil or the "Z" is green.
production
Seasons 1 and 2 played in Lübeck . The third season moves the story of Zanrelot with seven new actors to Hamburg . With episode 1 of 4 against Z , the mystery series genre began in Germany and the young actors in the series set a milestone in children's television history with Udo Kier. The first episodes ran in summer 2005 on Tuesdays at 7:25 p.m. at KiKA . The episodes of the last season were broadcast for the first time in September 2008 on KiKA and in the children's program of Das Erste .
occupation
Cast of seasons 1 and 2
| role | actor |
|---|---|
| Pinkas Sorensen | Kevin Stevan |
| Karoline "Karo" Lehnhoff | Jessica Rusch |
| Ottokar "Otti" Sörensen | Jonas Nay |
| Leonie Lehnhoff | Carolyn McGregor |
| Hedda Soerensen | Eva Maria Hagen |
| Julia Lehnhoff | Karoline Eichhorn |
| Sascha Soerensen | Siegfried Terpoorten |
| Matreus | Andreas Pietschmann |
| Zanrelot | Udo Kier |
| Jonathan "Jona" Levi | Lucas Gregorowicz |
| Casimir | Klaus Naeve (voice) |
Season 3 cast
| role | actor |
|---|---|
| Jakob "Jakko" Frese | Anton Baengs |
| Finja Sander | Leonie Landa |
| David Kierow | Lukas Kieback |
| Emilia Sander | Johanna Berger |
| Sophie-Elise | Monica Bleibtreu |
| Hanna Sander | Fiona Coors |
| Yuri Kierow | Ben Daniel Jöhnk |
| Jonathan "Jona" Levi | Lucas Gregorowicz |
| Matreus | Andreas Pietschmann |
| Zanrelot | Udo Kier |
Episodes
Web links
- 4 to Z in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- 4 against Z at crew united