The Defeated

I was really looking forward to a series set in post-war Berlin, though I had my reservations. Unfortunately, those reservations were well-founded. The creators took us through the ruins of the Third Reich's capital, where three-quarters of the city were under the influence of democratic forces trying to reform the former Nazis, while the last quarter was ruled by the Soviet Mordor. I harbor no illusions about the Soviet heroes; while they played a crucial role in defeating Nazi Germany, it’s worth remembering that the future Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe had training grounds in the Soviet Union. Poles and Finns have their own stories, and women often returned from encounters with Soviet soldiers with traumatic experiences. Both European defenders of democracy allowed Hitler to trample over the Treaty of Versailles and even gifted him things that weren’t theirs to give. The Americans hated the Nazis only as long as it didn’t serve their interests. They interned over 100,000 of their own citizens just because they were of Japanese descent. The French, without a second thought, used the worst SS butchers in their Foreign Legion against the Viet Minh in Indochina. Netflix seemed hesitant to dive into the more complex aspects of this history, resulting in a dull narrative fragmented into multiple storylines that ultimately led nowhere. / Lesson learned: A one-sided view of history is often highly misleading. 3*-- (07/22/2024)