SHARK TANK

[9.30 - French Time] Lasko - Die Faust Gottes: Gegen die Zeit (Season 2, Episode 2).

Brother Lasko (Mathis Landwehr), Brother Gladius (Stephan Bieker) and novice Michael (Oliver Bender) meet a renegade operative from Ares who must give Lasko and Gladius information. But Ares agents are there to shut him down and he can only give a phial to Michael.

This phial breaks in Michael's hand and its content mixes with his blood. Gladius and Lasko have only a few hours to prevent an attack from Ares and save their friend from a certain death.

Lasko - Die Faust Gottes is back since last week for a second season. Aired by German private broadcaster RTL, the action/adventure series from Hermann Joha's action concept, was a pleasant surprise for the German television fiction industry last year. Ratings and market shares were amazing in a country where television viewers tend to favour US shows like House. But with a budget estimated around 1 million euros per episode for this initial season, RTL asked for a careful development process before greenlighting season two and some changes were made.

Gone are the origins of Pugnus Dei (the monastic order Lasko belongs to) before the pre-credits sequence, and gone are BKA agent Sophia von Erlen (Simone Hanselmann) and her boss played by André Hennicke. Idem for the wise Abbot Magnus (Karl Merkatz), replaced by the younger and more combative Georg (Heio von Stetten). There's also a new intro and a more urban setting.

After the Dan Brownesque season premiere and its annoying Vatican girl cop character Clarissa de Angelo (Julia Maria Köhler), yesterday night's episode gives us more reasons to worry about what was in 2009 the most interesting action concept show in years - since Der Clown (1996-2001). And besides their always enjoyable and spectacular Alarm für Cobra 11 - Die Autobahnpolizeï - aired since 1996!

Gegen die Zeit has its moments: the countryside is back (but not enough), great fights (the tunnel, the factory and the U-Bahn) and the amusing "Blue Danube" rope scene. Unfortunately the character of Michael breaks the momentum between Lasko and Gladius and sometimes provides a comic relief too many. And Ares is now more a corporate equivalent of SPECTRE than an occult Vatican lodge, with plans out of a 60s US spy-fi.

Ares is a shark tank. Did Lasko jump it?

See also:

http://tattard2.blogspot.com/2010/10/crisis-of-faith.html