TV Review: Dark Season 2 (2018)

Dark Season 2 (2018) created by Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese

See my review of Season 1 here.

The world of the show has expanded, or at least the timespan has. The time travel that was mostly restricted to 1953-1986-2019 (with one jump ahead to 2052 as a teaser for season 2). This new season has had a lot of time in 2052 and 1920. 2052 is an apocalyptic landscape where the people are nomadic and living outside the danger limits set around the shutdown nuclear power plant (or did it have an accident?). In 1920, a secret society (led by Adam and his henchman Noah) is plotting to stop the time travel by whatever means necessary. Characters move back and forth in time and in motivation. Also, the identities of some characters are revealed, showing how many of the people in Winden are interconnected, with relationships looking like a soap-opera on steroids. 

Those interconnections are delightfully challenging to keep up with and often bring out tragedy and suffering for everyone. Adam seems like a villain since his secret society is killing people. But he's trying to stop the apocalyptic event (or at least all the time travel), which presumably will save a lot of people. He views time travel as evil and Time as his enemy, which amazingly does not sound preposterous in the context. The show is full of philosophical soul-searching by all the characters. But then there are so many twists and reversals; many of the characters are dishonest with each other in order to get what they want. They all struggle with a sense that they are not free to choose what they will do--future selves tell them they have no options but to go through the cycle of events. More than enough characters are sympathetic and engaging, making me keep hoping for the best.

Highly recommended, if you are into time travel existential horror.

Currently (September 2021), this is only available streaming on Netflix.