Countdown (SOKO Munich)

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Episode of the series SOKO Munich
Original title countdown
Country of production Germany
original language German
Production
company		 UFA fiction
length 90 minutes
classification Season 46, episode 15
675th episode overall ( list )
First broadcast December 29, 2020 on ZDF
Rod
Director Bodo black
script Léonie-Claire Breinersdorfer
production Simon Müller-Elmau
music Axel Kroell
Rainer Oleak
Robert Fuhrmann
Daniel Vulcano
camera Volker Tittel
cut Siao Lee Wang
occupation

Countdown is a 90-minute feature film episode in the German crime series SOKO Munich . With charisma of this 675th episode ended the mother series of ZDF format SOKO on 29 December 2020 around 43 years after the broadcast of its first episode application: 22:00 .

background

The crime series SOKO Munich , which was produced and broadcast as SOKO 5113 until 2015 , is one of the oldest German crime series. Production began in the fall of 1976, with the first episode broadcast on ZDF on January 2, 1978 . The series is initially based on an idea from criminal director Dieter Schenk , which he put down in 1975. From the beginning of the 2000s, numerous offshoots in the SOKO broadcast format were created , some of which were linked to the special SOKO - The Process (2013). In July 2015, ZDF announced the change in the series title from SOKO 5113 to SOKO Munich . The aim was to standardize the series titles of the mother series and offshoots. Unlike SOKO 5113 , the titles of all offshoots contain the name of the city or region in which the respective investigative team is active. In addition, a horizontal narrative thread was temporarily added to the plot.

On August 23, 2019, ZDF surprisingly announced that it would cease production of the television series with the end of the 46th season. This decision was justified with the "modernization of the program". The audience ratings for the crime series were 18% market share until the end and were thus well above the broadcaster average. The production of the regular episodes ended at the end of 2019. At the end of March 2020, the production of a 90-minute series special was announced, which will conclude the SOKO Munich . From January 2021, SOKO Munich's broadcasting slot will be taken over by the branches SOKO Hamburg and SOKO Potsdam . For the offshoot from Potsdam , SOKO Munich had already paused its regular broadcast slot on Monday evening at the end of 2018 and 2019. At that time, the six and ten episodes of the first two seasons of the offshoot were broadcast.

SOKO Munich comprises a total of 675 episodes in 46 seasons as well as one episode as part of the series special SOKO - The Trial , which was broadcast between the beginning of 1978 and the end of 2020.

production

The production of the final episode was originally planned for May and June 2020, but had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany and the associated restrictions. The shooting finally took place from the beginning of August 2020 to September 4, 2020 in Munich and the surrounding area. Since the original studio with the SOKO commissioner's office was no longer available at the time of filming - the decision to produce the final episode was made after the completion of the last shooting block of the 46th season - the production had to move to other locations. The episode, produced by UFA Fiction , follows a script by Léonie-Claire Breinersdorfer and is directed by Bodo Schwarz .

action

Arthur Bauer, First Chief Detective Inspector and Head of SOKO Munich, invites his team to an after-work beer in a bar two days before his retirement . He would like to celebrate a strike together with Chief Detective Theresa "Resi" Schwaiger, who will move to Hamburg for personal protection . On the way to the bar, farmer and chief detective Dominik Morgenstern witness a hostage-taking . Johannes Hofer, a young man, threatens his ex-girlfriend Tamara Jonas with a gun. The two police officers, Bauer and Morgenstern, intervene and try to resolve the situation. Hofer lets go of his ex-girlfriend and escapes, Dominik Morgenstern follows him. While on the run there is an exchange of fire in which Morgenstern fatally injures the young man.

While the SOKO team, headed by Superintendent Theresa Schwaiger and Franz Ainfachnur, is investigating the scene of the crime and questioning the hostage-taking victim, the internal auditing department starts investigations against Superintendent Morgenstern to clarify whether it is a case of self-defense or Morgenstern misjudged the situation. After questioning, he is suspended from duty . Meanwhile, Schwaiger and Ainfachnur find another body in Tamara Jonas' apartment - Bernd Kaminiski, shift manager at a cleaning company. During the interrogation by Schwaiger and Ainfachnur, Jonas becomes entangled in contradictions. She claims she had an affair with Kaminski and Hofer shot and killed his rival Kaminski and then took her hostage. Forensic doctor Dr. Maximilian Weissenböck finds out that Kaminski was actually executed. He also states that the murder weapon is probably the pistol with which Hofer also shot Morgenstern. The investigations of the internal audit against Morgenstern focus on the assumption that the detective chief inspector overreacted. Bauer reproaches himself for telling his colleague shortly beforehand about Schwaiger's upcoming move to Hamburg, which came as a great surprise for him. Forensic technician Billie Curio investigates the location of the exchange of fire and finds that Hofer did not aim at Morgenstern, but merely shot in the air. The suspicion of an overreaction by Morgenstern is confirmed. When interviewing Hofer's parents, Schwaiger and Ainfachnur noticed from a picture that Hofer had a tattoo on the back of his hand. When trying to identify this motif, Schwaiger and her colleagues came across that Johannes Hofer had a twin brother - Sebastian Hofer. Meanwhile, Curio finds out from Tamara Jonas' SMS history that Johannes Hofer had announced his suicide in the event that he caught his ex-girlfriend with another man.

When questioned by the internal auditing department, Arthur Bauer - torn between the investigation and the concern for his employee - untruthfully states that he saw the exchange of fire between Hofer and Morgenstern. When the First Chief Detective Inspector was threatened by three men a little later during the investigation into Bernd Kaminski in a casino , the traces lead to illegal gambling . While having a beer after work with the SOKO team, Bauer indirectly asks his suspended colleague Morgenstern to investigate undercover in the casino. In doing so, he comes across Bernd Kaminski's fiancée , who tells him about the gambling addiction and the debts of the dead man. While Kriminaloberkommissar Ainfachnur began covert investigations in the cleaning company Bernheimer , where Kaminski had worked as a shift supervisor , he came across illegal work structures . He also finds out that there were disputes between the dead Kaminski and Maxi Bernheimer. Bernheimer, who was blackmailed by Kaminski , is the focus of the investigation and is questioned. When Theresa Schwaiger truthfully stated during the questioning by the internal auditors that her superior Bauer could not have observed the exchange of fire between Hofer and Morgenstern, criminal director Dr. Evelyn Kreiner forced to also suspend the SOKO leader from duty.

Chief Detective Dominik Morgenstern, who follows the trail of Sebastian Hofer's tattoo motifs, comes across connections in the right-wing extremist milieu . In the observation of the apartment of Tamara Jonas observed Theresa Schwaiger these and Sebastian Hofer. She follows the two of them and comes across a secret planning workshop near the Olympic Park , but is discovered, overwhelmed and captured by Sebastian Hofer. Jonas and Hofer, who are lovers, reveal to Schwaiger that he murdered Bernd Kaminiski. At that moment Johannes Hofer showed up in his ex-girlfriend's apartment and lost control when he realized that Tamara Jonas had cheated on him with his brother. When Hofer now also wants to murder Schwaiger, there is a scuffle between him and Jonas, in which she falls with her head on a heater and remains unconscious on the floor. Hofer then knocks Schwaiger out as well. The next morning, Bauer, Morgenstern and Ainfachnur notice with concern that their colleague has disappeared without a trace. The only inspector remaining on duty, Franz Ainfachnur, is about to go on a search when forensic technician Billie Curio appears in Morgenstern's apartment, which has since become the unofficial headquarters of the SOKO team. It leads the investigators on the trail of two stolen weapons from the rifle club of which Johannes, Sebastian and Erwin Hofer were members. Forensic doctor Dr. Maximilian Weissenböck appears a little later in the unofficial headquarters of the SOKO team and expresses the suspicion that Johannes Hofer was aiming for a suicide by cop . After this theory, which Weissenböck had come across by Theresa Schwaiger, was checked by a criminal psychologist , the internal audit department closed the investigation against Morgenstern. His suspension is thereupon lifted, Bauer, on the other hand, is taken over by criminal investigation director Dr. Kreiner retired.

After Kreiner reports to the investigators Bauer and Morgenstern that despite Sebastian Hofer's connections to the right-wing extremist milieu, there is no information about him from the Office for the Protection of the Constitution , the two make their way to the shooting club, from which the weapons have disappeared. The club's chairman tells them that Johannes Hofer had left the shooting club in a hurry on the day of his death after opening his twin brother's locker. During the search, Bauer and Morgenstern find a photo of the lovers Tamara Jonas and Sebastian Hofer. You will then recognize the connection between the incidents. When Kriminaloberkommissar Franz Ainfachnur reported the results of the evaluation of Schwaiger's cell phone data to his two fellow investigators, they too set off in the direction of the Olympiapark and came across the secret planning workshop. On site they find the seriously injured Jonas and materials for building bombs. Meanwhile, preparations for the Bavarian Security Fair are underway in the Munich Olympic Hall . Bauer recognizes the connection between the attack plans and the event. The cleaning company Bernheimer had received the cleaning order for this event; the investigators realize that Sebastian Hofer must have received the access codes to the premises from Bernd Kaminski, whereupon Bauer and Morgenstern set off for the Olympic Hall. Meanwhile, Theresa Schwaiger wakes up in the catacombs with a bomb belt. When she is discovered a little later by a police officer who suspects a suicide bomber and immediately orders the evacuation of the hall, the armed Hofer holed up in the underground car park. When Bauer and Morgenstern arrive at the Olympiahalle, the situation around Theresa Schwaiger threatens to escalate. Dominik Morgenstern can intervene at the last second and protect his colleague from being shot by the special task force. Meanwhile, Arthur Bauer arrives in the underground car park and can warn just in time before Hofer shoots the Turkish-born politician Ajda Özkalp. While the latter was subsequently overwhelmed and arrested, the bomb clearance squad freed Chief Detective Schwaiger from the bomb belt. When Hofer was questioned by Bauer and Ainfachnur, he confessed that he was planning a right-wing extremist attack, together with Tamara Jonas, who was originally supposed to wear the bomb belt instead of Theresa Schwaiger. He also confesses to the murder of Bernd Kaminski.

Finally, the SOKO team, led by investigators Bauer, Morgenstern, Ainfachnur and Schwaiger, meets with forensic medicine specialist Weissenböck, forensic technician Curio and crime director Kreiner on a roof terrace in Munich and celebrates his boss's strike. Schwaiger informs Morgenstern of her decision that - despite the feelings for her colleague - she will move to Hamburg to take over the management of personal security. He then reports to her that he has submitted his resignation and will accompany his colleague to Hamburg. The two kiss. Meanwhile, Kreiner only informs the astonished Ainfach that she intends to be promoted to head of the organized crime department. After a speech by Bauer, who would like to spend his retirement in a finca on Mallorca , the end of the special commission will be celebrated.

occupation

main actor

actor Role name role
Gerd Silberbauer Arthur Bauer First chief detective ; Head of SOKO Munich
Joscha Kiefer Dominik Morgenstern Chief Detective
Christofer von Beau Franz Ainfach only Chief Detective
Mersiha Husagic Theresa "Resi" Schwaiger Chief Detective Officer

supporting cast

actor Role name role
Florian Odendahl Dr. Maximilian Weissenböck Coroner
Sina Reiss Billie Curio Forensic Technician
Ilona Grübel Dr. Evelyn Kreiner Detective director , superior of Arthur Bauer

Guest actor

actor Role name role
Lion Leuker Johannes Hofer † Hostage taker, is shot by Dominik Morgenstern,
son of Erwin and Ninette Hofer, brother of Sebastian Hofer, ex-boyfriend of Tamara Jonas
Sebastian Hofer Right-wing extremist assassin, murderer of Bernd Kaminski,
son of Erwin and Ninette Hofer, brother of Johannes Hofer, friend of Tamara Jonas
Anouk Elias Tamara Jonas Involved in the planning of a right-wing extremist attack, victim of the hostage-taking
Ex-girlfriend of Johannes Hofer, girlfriend of Sebastian Hofer
Jürgen Tonkel Erwin Hofer Husband of Ninette Hofer, father of Johannes and Sebastian Hofer
Marion Mitterhammer Ninette Hofer Wife of Erwin Hofer, mother of Johannes and Sebastian Hofer
Sigi Zimmer Various Maxi Bernheimer Owner of a cleaning company,
father of Florian Bernheimer
Tommy Schwimmer Florian Bernheimer Junior boss of a cleaning company
Son of Maxi Bernheimer
Bettina Mittendorfer Nicola Wolkenstein Internal Audit Investigator
Thomas Lettow David Brenner Internal Audit Investigator
Xenia Benevolenskaya Irina Smilovic Bartender
fiancee of Bernd Kaminski
Sebastian Griegel Günni Informer for Chief Detective Morgenstern
Matthias Horbelt cutter Bouncer of a casino
Ferdinand Dörfler Xaver Maierhofer Chairman of a shooting club
Sushila Sara Mai Chatterjee cleaning person
Maya Haddad Ajda Özkalp politician
Jonathan Müller NN Bodyguard
Christoph von Friedl NN Head of operations of the special task force

Broadcasting and audience rating

The episode premiered on December 29, 2020. The regular broadcast slot on Monday evening was deviated from, the series special was broadcast in Tuesday prime time at 8:15 p.m. The episode Die Göttmann (2008) was moved to prime time. The episode was already available in advance from December 28, 2020 10:00 a.m. in the ZDFmediathek .

The first broadcast followed 6.36 million viewers, which corresponded to a market share of 18.6% and made the episode the most watched program of the day. Alexander Krei from the media magazine DWDL.de rated the market share as "excellent". It was the largest reach that SOKO Munich had achieved in more than 15 years. In the market-relevant target group of 14 to 49-year-olds, 0.79 million viewers were reached, which corresponds to a market share of 8.5 percent, which Fabian Riedner of the media magazinequotemeter.de described as "fabulous".

reception

Julian Weinberger summed up in the Weser-Kurier that "with connections to the right-wing scene, a fraudulent cleaning company and an impending bomb attack", "a lot of material for a 90-minute crime thriller" is offered. He criticizes the fact that the script seems overloaded several times "and the linking of the storylines [...] is sometimes badly wanted". However, this is only marginally disturbing. The creators of the crime series, who would once again “open very large guns” when they parted, succeed with the episode “a worthy farewell to the characters who have accompanied the audience for years”, in the context of which “everyone in Gerd Silberbauer's team Weinberger praised the episode.

Jan Freitag emphasized in the Tagesspiegel that the episode brought "90 minutes of the evening before primetime". He attests to SOKO Munich that even after more than 40 years it “still has what it takes to polarize”, even if this is done “more aesthetically than dramaturgically”. Friday criticized the fact that the episode was "rather moderately entertaining and played routinely", which could also be attributed to the dialogues provided in the script. "The plot of the final episode [is] told just as quickly as it was possibly written" and revolutionary developments "in the dichotomy between realism and escapism, efficiency and inspiration, cost pressure and the ability to improvise" are hardly feasible in the evening program, he summarizes his criticism .

Andreas Rüttenauer criticized the daily newspaper for the fact that "[t] his really big number with snipers and a lot of SEK [...] was badly thought out". In the final episode there was “a lot in it and little in it”, although a “furious finale in the Olympiahalle” was offered, in which the “corps spirit in the police and a Nazi attack on a Bavarian interior minister of Turkish origin” were put into focus.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Media: "SOKO 5113" becomes "SOKO Munich". In: focus.de. Focus, July 15, 2015, accessed December 28, 2020 .
  2. ↑ Alexander Krei: ZDF surprisingly discontinues the mother of all "SOKO" series. In: dwdl.de. DWDL.de , August 23, 2019, accessed on December 28, 2020 .
  3. ↑ Julian Weinberger: From "SOKO Munich": "I still don't know the real reasons". Gerd Silberbaur. In: prisma.de. Prism, accessed December 28, 2020 .
  4. ↑ Alexander Krei: "SOKO Munich" ends shortly before the turn of the year. In: dwdl.de. DWDL.de, November 11, 2020, accessed on December 28, 2020 .
  5. ↑ a b Gerhard Fischer: The last case of the "Soko Munich". In: sueddeutsche.de. Süddeutsche Zeitung , February 18, 2020, accessed on December 28, 2020 .
  6. ↑ a b c Alexander Krei: Interview with producer Simon Müller-Elmau: "You can lose faith in a good quota". In: dwdl.de. DWDL, December 29, 2020, accessed on December 29, 2020 .
  7. ↑ End of series with one last TV film. In: stern.de. Stern, August 25, 2020, accessed December 28, 2020 .
  8. ↑ SOKO MUNICH - THE COUNTDOWN: UFA Fiction shoots 90 minutes for ZDF. In: ufa.de. UFA, August 25, 2020, accessed on December 28, 2020 .
  9. ↑ Alexander Krei: More than six million viewers: "SOKO Munich" says goodbye with the quota victory. In: dwdl.de. DWDL, December 30, 2020, accessed on December 30, 2020 .
  10. ↑ Fabian Riedner: Quotennews: «SOKO Munich» says goodbye. In: quotenmeter.de. Quota meter, December 30, 2020, accessed December 30, 2020 .
  11. ↑ Julian Weinberger: Finale of "SOKO Munich": The television legend says goodbye so emotionally. In: weser-kurier.de. Weserkurier, December 25, 2020, accessed on December 29, 2020 .
  12. ↑ Jan Friday: Farewell to "Soko Munich": No connection under 5113. In: tagesspiegel.de. Der Tagesspiegel, December 28, 2020, accessed on December 29, 2020 .
  13. ↑ Andreas Rüttenauer: End of the ZDF series "Soko Munich": Out for cord jackets. In: taz.de. The daily newspaper, December 29, 2020, accessed on December 29, 2020 .