1899 was created by the same people who created the Netflix series
Dark. Some of the same actors are in both.
If you have not seen
Dark, you must, you must!
Dark was so convoluted, I had to sit down and draw a map of the characters and timelines to keep everything straight in my head. Not long after, a lot of other people posted similar maps online.
I've never had to do that for a show before, but it was well worth the effort.
1899 is not as complex as
Dark, but it has more than its share of nooks and crannies and twists and turns.
1899 takes place on a steamship, the Kerberos, crossing the Atlantic in, you guessed it, 1899. As we are introduced to a wide array of characters, it soon becomes apparent they are each fleeing some heinous act they committed back in the old country. They are trying to put as much distance between themselves and Europe as possible.
There are French, Dutch, German, Polish, Italian, Chinese and English passengers/actors, all speaking in their native languages.
Not long into the voyage, the bridge receives a telegraph message which they somehow determine is from the Prometheus, a ship which vanished without a trace four months prior.
Obeying the law of the sea, the Captain directs the crew to proceed to the Prometheus post haste, despite the superstitious misgivings of the crew.
The Captain is a German
Das Boot kind of guy, in a long bridge coat with the collar turned up. He has just the right measure of rugged good looks and harpoon scars on his face to give the type of women who wear tea-length dresses night fevers.
The Prometheus is found and boarded and is discovered to be one big wreck and ruin, with not a corpse in sight. A small sullen boy is discovered locked in a cupboard.
It turns out this boy is the devil.
No, not really.
Actually, he is.
I'm just kidding.
No I'm not.
Well, we should probably kill him at some point, just to be safe. I mean, there's a reason they locked the kid up, right?
The Kerberos then receives a message from the company which owns both ships to sink the ship. But the Captain thinks there are too many unanswered questions which need to be answered and so he tells everyone he is going to tow the Prometheus back to home port.
"Oh noes!" says everyone on the ship. You are outvoted, Captain. Keep going to America. We absolutely cannot return to the clutches of Europe. That would be bad. Very, very bad.
I'm the Captain says the Captain, and I have plenipotentiary powers out here which is a really big word that means we are going back to Europe.
Much hilarity ensues.
By hilarity I mean murder, mayhem, mutiny, and madness.
Alliances are formed, dissolve, re-form, priorities shift like so much sea froth. And a shit ton of people are voted off the island.
Among all this is this guy all in black with big deep black eyes and a mournful mug. He keeps popping up in all kinds of situations and no one questions him about his business. And all through the series he keeps trying to solve a 15 puzzle.
For those of us who watched
Dark and made maps, you can't help but think, "I know EXACTLY who this guy is!" And you are almost right, but you are not right. Dammit!
It's a little extra gift of a mindfuck by the creators of
1899 for the fans of
Dark.
So, yeah. I hope I have not spoiled the show too much.
Well worth watching. Lots of fun. And I doubt anyone makes the right guesses about what is really happening.
