Each recap aims to be spoiler free. I won’t speculate too much on the future but will get you up to speed in the current episode. Thank you for reading and you can contact the show by emailing wakeupwinden@gmail.com. I am putting this part at the top of the recaps to prevent spoilers from the posts. Cheers!
Plot:
Winden is restless after another missing child report (Yasin). Connections are made to similar events 33 years ago. Ulrich tries to end things with Hannah, which doesn’t sit well with her. Katharina seems to confirm her suspicion that something is going on between Hannah and Ulrich. Meanwhile, secrets from the past complicate things as we see young Hannah fabricate a rape allegation against Ulrich. She sees Ulrich and Katharina having sex (consensually), but tells the police another story. Back in the present, the Bartosz-Martha-Jonas love triangle tilts more towards Martha and Jonas. Bartosz meets up with Erik’s drug dealer, but it turns out to be Noah. The Stranger sends a box to Jonas. In the box, we find the letter from Jonas’s father. He reveals himself to actually have been Mikkel. Mikkel stayed in the past and became Michael – marrying Hannah and fathering Jonas.
What are the Truths?
- Elli describes Noah more fully to Charlotte (thank God)
- Ulrich is honest with Charlotte rather than Katharina (admits to cheating)
- Jonas tells Martha his true whereabouts over the summer
- Mikkel tells the truth to Hannah, saying he is from the future
- The truth about Mikkel comes out – via letter for the stranger. BAM!
- Non-truth – Ulrich lies to Katharina when she specifically asked him not to
- Hannah’s jealously leads to a big fat lie about Ulrich with serious consequences. Does Ulrich know the truth? Hard to imagine.
Trending Up:
Baron bo Odar – Show Creator
Even though the seeds had been planted in previous episodes, the Mikkel/Michael reveal at the end is bone-chilling. This man knows how to make a montage! Not only that, but as the show goes on, we see how the connections between the Windenites is strengthened. Not always in the most settling ways. Mikkel being Jonas’s father has massive implications. Bear with me. Ulrich’s grandson would be Jonas. So he is hooking up with his grandson’s mother. OK… no blood relation though yet. Since Martha is Ulrich’s daughter and Mikkel is Martha’s sister, Martha is Jonas’s aunt. Ewwwwwwwwwww. Eh, Jon Snow and Daenerys made it work (OH WAIT UNTIL THEY DIDN’T AND WE ALL HATED GAME OF THRONES BY THE END… sorry, sorry wrong show). Much more to unpack, but huge shoutout to my man BoB (how I might refer to him).
Hannah’s Dad:
He seems like a sweet man trying to do the best he can for his daughter. She seems embarrassed by him, but he gives her good advice and is supportive (even though she is the Wicked Witch of Winden).
The Stranger
He meets Jonas and says profound shit like this “Life is a labyrinth, but there’s only one path and it leads you ever deeper. You don’t understand it until you reach the center. Death is incomprehensible, you can’t make peace with it.” Whoa. Sure, you might get a look like this:
But the Stranger ends up being helpful to Jonas and the audience. He gives Jonas a dope ass light and provides us with the Mikkel bombshell via delivery of the letter. Who is this guy?
Trending Down:
Hannah:
Ruh-oh. Ulrich needs to watch himself. Hannah lets him know that she is not going to just accept the break up. We know what she is capable of based on this episode. She lies about Ulrich to get him arrested, purely out of jealousy.
Of course I feel bad for her – it sucks when you like someone and they want to be with someone else. Most people don’t make up rape allegations about the one that they love. 15 year old Ulrich might be a world class douche, but we see that it was actually Katharina’s idea to have sex and they take steps to be careful. The 1986 chief police already hated Ulrich and he was primed to arrest him. In the present, I understand what Hannah is saying about love being a switch you can’t turn off and Ulrich is a pig for cheating in the first place. I think she needs to find her inner Elsa and just let it go.
Ulrich:
First of all, props for trying to end it with Hannah. The fakeout he gave her in the car was unnecessary and SAVAGE. He leans in close… oh could be a tender moment… he’s reaching…. For the door handle. “Get lost.” Ok maybe Hannah is onto something here.
He is able to admit to his work partner that he cheats on his wife. When Katharina asks him point blank if he is cheating on her, he gets more incredulous than Rafael Palmerio in front of the Supreme Court. Even though he says he would never do something like that, Katharina knows the truth. She sniffed it out when she hugged Hannah.
Random Thoughts
- Peter tries to get on Charlotte’s case about questioning Elli. Charlotte’s response:
- Charlotte turns the tables on him so fast. She establishes him as a liar. She asks where he was the night Mikkel disappeared. He says “in the office until 11.” She shows him a photo of his car around 10. BUSTED.COM! She just wants to know that he has nothing to do with this. He says “You’re nuts” and we don’t hear from him again this episode. Hmmmm.
- Anybody else scream HANNAH NOOOOOOOO when she brought the casserole to the Nielson’s house?
- Hannah tried to be casual by asking about the kids before asking about Ulrich… BTW, don’t ask Kat about her other two children. Poor Martha can’t get her mom to come see her perform and Magnus has turned into a stalker.
- Regina was so on brand when she was refusing the refund to the customer. Oh my god, I just thought about Regina and Winden during COVID. There’d be so many twitter pieces slamming the Forest Hotel Winden.
- I don’t get why people can’t tell Noah is evil. Don’t they hear that tone every time he’s on screen? Loved the discussion between him and Mikkel. Mikkel rules. He tells Noah that Ulrich said religion was brainwashing for the masses. It gives me joy to imagine Ulrich ranting about this on some long family car trip from Winden to Munich. Noah says to question the questioners.
- Noah is the same age in 1986 as in 2019. Ergo, Noah must be a time traveller.
- The Stranger comes out of the cave. He visits the man who was building the time machine to ask about time. What year is he in?
- Nice meet-cute with Hannah and Mikkel. Loved this exchange:
Where are you from?
I’m from the future.
You’re cool.
Nah, I’m Mikkel.
My god what a line. This guy is a smooth operator.
- Hannah seems too young for Ulrich and too old for Mikkel. Also, my one criticism of the show would be: How did Hannah not recognize Mikkel circa 2018-19? I get that what happened was impossible, but I find it odd.
- Who has the better vision board? The Stranger or Charlotte?
Wake Up Winden 