“Roots of Evil” – TV Series Review

German TV gives us this complex crime series, “The Roots of Evil,” (originally “Die Quellen des Bosen”) that straddles more genres than most even attempt. Set in a small community in 1993, it’s a murder mystery involving child abuse, long-buried emotional scars, arcane ritualistic symbols, political machinations (some left over from before The Wall was torn down a few years earlier), supernatural (?) elements, multiple family entanglements, and a large dose of bigotry in a product that blends standard contemporary procedurals with heavy Gothic overtones. The result is a highly bingeable production in six 45-minute episodes.

Ulrika (Henriette Confurius) is the lead detective, working with newly-arrived partner Larssen (Fahri Yardim). While hunting in the forest, Ingrid (Cloe Heinrich), a strange teenager from an even stranger family, finds the body of a young woman meticulously laid out in a tableau of bedding, covered with symbols carved into her skin. This reminds Uli of a case from 20 years earlier that may or may not have actually occurred, involving one of her childhood friends from the nearby orphanage, Christa (Angelina Hantsch). Christa has married a truly loathsome Neo-Nazi petty crook, and has a daughter Sabrina (Sonja Joanne Geller) with whom Uli’s brother Marc (Filip Schnack) is smitten, getting him caught up in the unsavory beliefs and business dealings of her step-dad and his brutish cohorts. Don’t worry. All of that turns out less soapy than how this paragraph reads.

Larssen has his own issues, trying to locate a wife and son who’d left him five years earlier for reasons that slowly unfold. The current case leads to discovery of sex trafficking, with likely connections to whatever happened two decades earlier. Beyond that, the less you know of the plot lines, the more you’ll enjoy the suspenseful proceedings, including a few surprises along the way.

Violence is sparse; displays of the essential gory bits are restrained. No sex or nudity on camera, though sexual activities provide several key plot elements. Many forms of crazy come into play from many characters, and all are well-acted. Casting is solid all around. No one is so glamorous or super-skilled that they undermine the grim, realistic-scale tone of the production. The scripts by two credited writers, based on a story by Ada Fink, maintain several elements of tension while developing a diverse array of believable character arcs.

The package ends with closure on the major issues, succeeding as a self-contained miniseries. There area few minor lingering questions, leaving possibilities to explore in a second season, if enough interest is generated. I’d welcome another round if it is meant to be.

“The Roots of Evil,” in German with English subtitles, streams on MHzChoice starting Apr. 30.

RATING: 2.5 out of 4 stars