Dark series on Netflix Provides Mind-bending, Time Slip Experience

This is a spoiler-free review.

After the juggernaut that is Stranger Things season 2 Netflix dropped in October of 2017, everyone binge-watched it within 24 hours, looked around in a daze, and wondered out-loud, what do I watch next?

One of the recommendations I heard repeated multiple times is the German language thriller, Dark. All I knew is that there were missing children, kids on bikes, monolithic power plants, and creepy vibes. I began to watch the show, muddling my way through it at first, but fell deeply into the storytelling. Season 1 premiered in December of 2017. Season 2 dropped in June 2019. Fans are more than ready to herald the coming of Dark, season 3, coming on June 27, 2020 -- the date of the fictional apocalypse in the Dark universe. 

Here's a snapshot. Our story takes place in a fictional small town of Winden, somewhere in Germany. The town is in a tizzy because there is a teenage boy missing, Erik Obendorf. The police have been unable to solve the crime, and everyone is understandably upset and on high-alert. We also learn that another boy went missing under similar circumstances back in 1986. A group of kids all meet at school and plan to meet that evening for some typical high school hijinks while their parents are at an emergency meeting about the missing boy. There are six kids who meet at the creepy cavern in the dark at night. By the end of the night, one of those kids will also go missing. So there's a mystery: where is Erik and where is the other missing boy?

By the end of episode 1, we will become aware of quite a bit of drama involving this group of kids and their parents, but at the same time, the story ends up expanding, and we learn it's not just a story of these kids and this incident, but it's the story of four families in one town, whose lives are intertwined in ways none of them fully realize. These families, this town, they are cursed, locked in a puzzle that changes as we go along. The mystery we try to solve isn't the mystery at all -- it's just one part of a bigger puzzle.

In the end, we will visit three different time periods of Winden during season 1. Season 2 goes even further. What makes this story so good?

• It's intricately-plotted -- there are multiple parts and pieces to the story and it's challenging to keep track. 
• It features a large of cast of complex and flawed characters, most of whom will surprise us by the end of the show. 
• The acting is superb (just don't watch it with the English dubs).
• It has a killer soundtrack.
• The title credits alone are a work of art.
• It's very difficult to define, with a few exceptions, who are the good guys or the bad guys. 
• The show includes period-appropriate music and pop references to the German culture. 

Following the characters and their many connections can be difficult. Different individuals have created flowcharts. I had one linked here, but as the story as continued, the flowchart has changed. At this point, looking at the chart will give away many spoilers, so I'm removing the link. You may want to make your own Winden family tree as you learn more about the town history. 

I won't lie to you; it's a not a perfect match to Stranger Things. This show is much darker and has none of the funny quirkiness of Stranger Things. Because part of the story takes place in the 80s, it does have some nostalgia in the clothes and music on display. It's more of a match in tone to Twin Peaks, however. With true evil on full display -- not the paranormal kind, but the kind that originates inside the most depraved kind of human.

I watched this show during a dark period of my life, right after the death of my older sister. It would be fair to say it was a great fit. The show centers on families dealing with gut-wrenching grief and loss and the utter hopelessness of being able to do nothing to resolve that pain. At that time, it was healing to watch this show. As I'm watching it the second time, I'm in a different season, and it's still great television. I highly recommend it, if you enjoy dark and twisty thrillers that become ever more surprising as you go along.

Please not: As of 11/17/2022, I have switched gears towards making 1899 content and will come back to Dark after that's over. Apologize for the additional delay. I promise it will be worth it. But there are currently more people looking for 1899 recaps. Please keep leaving the comments though. I love the encouragement. 

Update 1/26/23: Big news everyone. After my 1899 coverage ends, another podcaster and I are going to be doing Dark recaps as a podcast and videos. I will update the recaps with links as these are completed!

Season 1, Episode 1 Recap Secrets

Season 1, Episode 2 Recap Lies

Season 1, Episode 3 Recap Past and Present

Season 1, Episode 4 Recap Double Lives

Season 1, Episode 5 Recap Truths

Season 1, Episode 6 Recap Sic Mundus Creatus Est

Season 1, Episode 7 Recap Crossroads

Season 1, Episode 8 Recap As You Sow, So You Shall Reap

Season 1, Episode 9 Recap Everything is Now

Season 1, Episode 10 Recap Alpha and Omega

Season 2, Episode 1 Recap Beginnings and Endings (recap updated on 10-2-21)
Season 2, Episode 2 Recap Dark Matter (recap updated on 10-17-21)
Season 2, Episode 3 Recap Ghosts (recap updated on 1-18-22)
Season 2, Episode 4 Recap The Travelers (recap updated on 10-8-22)
Season 2, Episode 5 Recap Lost and Found (recap updated 10-19-22)
Season 2, Episode 6 Recap An Endless Cycle (recap updated on 06-28-23)
Season 2, Episode 7 Recap The White Devil (recap updated on 7-25-23)
Season 2, Episode 8 Recap Endings and Beginnings (recap updated on 8-11-23)

Season 3, Episode 1 Recap Deja-vu (created on 8-30-23)

Season 3, Episode 2 Recap The Survivors (created on 9-6-23)

Season 3, Episode 3 Recap Adam and Eva (created on 9-13-23)

Season 3, Episode 4 Recap The Origin (created on 9-21-23)

Season 3, Episode 5 Recap Life and Death (created on 10-28-23)

Season 3, Episode 6 Recap Light and Shadow (created on 12-4-23)

Season 3, Episode 7 Recap Between the Time (created on 1-1-24)

Season 3, Episode 8 Recap The Paradise (created 1-15-2024)

Show Wrap Up episode. Only for those who have finished the entire show. 

P.S. I also recapped 1899. Here's the landing page for that.