Das Boot – 8

Based on a sequel to the source of the movie of the same name, this gripping 8-parter casts a skeptical eye on both the German war machine, U-Boat division, and the French Resistance located in the port city of La Rochelle. Vicky Krieps is sensational as the plot’s fulcrum, caught between her roles as the personal assistant to the local Gestapo chief, lover of the Resistance leader and brother of the U-Boat’s radio operator. Everyone’s life is seemingly at risk in every episode and the verisimilitude is convincing. Compared to World on Fire, there are some good Germans here, which makes the human relationships more interesting. My only complaint – and you will hear his a lot – is that instead of ending with the final episode, as it could and should have, the writers opened the door to another season, with characters who should have died miraculously surviving.