Stylish but barely mediocre overall

Please don't spend money on this.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Season one was interesting. I like the behind the seasons look into the intelligence community. The idea of the whistleblower was relevant. I liked the cast. It was well done. Season two is a train wreck. The idea of different intelligence agencies trying to affect the outcome of a German election wasn't believable and I found it offensive. The whole "alt right" is evil and dangerous was sophomoric. The alt right is a political belief. The glee everyone in the cast takes at defeating the alt right seems right out of 1984. Yet, it's not played as a warning. The CIA is glorified for interfering in a foreign election. Aren't we supposed to be outraged that foreign governments try to interfere in US elections? Yet oddly everyone is down with stopping a conservative candidate in Germany because of her tough stance on immigration. The writers try to cover themselves by saying the CIA has good intelligence that this candidate is going to try to fake a terrorist attack. First off this is a preposterous idea. Secondly if they have such great intelligence why does a CIA agent need to go undercover with the alt right to gather information? They seem to have someone on the inside already or how else did they get the initial intelligence? It's absurd. They never explain where this intelligence came from? How do they know it's a real lead and not a smokescreen? Yet multiple agencies from different countries suddenly drop their mission of fighting terroism to chase a rumor because they are all liberals? This is not the first show to follow up a strong first season with a horrific and absurd second season, but this may take the prize.

Just force feed your either alt left or alt right ideology...

I quite enjoyed the 1st season. The struggle of spies with their private relationships, their conscience and integrity, their co-workers, the media and public perceptions, all within the murky current era. Berlin was a nice backdrop for it all to play out, but it was about a CIA station that could have been anywhere in the West. 8/10 for the 1st Season from me.Season 2 sadly left most of the the Season 1 dynamic behind for a story about the USA influencing German domestic politics. The political subtext was so overt and so cliché it often broke the immersion for me. 4/10 for the 2nd Season.Both seasons have some good characters and actors making the most of them. I particularly liked Rhys Ifans, Leland Orser, Michelle Forbes, and Richard Jenkins.

I just heard, renewed for a Third Season! Wonderfully current, and elegantly elaborate plot without being confusing. Definitely not the type that looks like a good Pilot runs out of steam when picked up to finish a season. Thought thoroughly through. The Season (2) has both an "ending" and enough to pick up and run with when renewed. Most of all, truly contemporary. And it's a wonderful view of Berlin, as well.