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!
These plot recaps are getting longer every episode. Complicated show or lack of editor? You decide.
Plot:
The show’s oldest character gets the spotlight as we learn about a terrible day in the childhood of Helge. Ulrich follows older Helge to the path on the left in the cave. This takes them not to 1986, but 1953. A young Egon Tiedemann is on the police force. Helge and Claudia are around eight years old. Ulrich’s first encounter with the ‘50’s locals happens to be his grandmother and father. Too much for Ulrich to handle, he runs away. He finds Helge, who is being beat up by two of the worst humans you’ll ever see. Ulrich scares them away and urges Helge to stand up for himself. Ulrich doesn’t know that this boy is Helge.
We know Ulrich fully suspects Helge to be the town murderer (in ‘86, and the present). When Ulrich finds out that Helge Doppler is the 8 year old he encountered by way of Egon Tiedemann, he sets out to find him. When he does, they chat for a moment and Ulrich tells Helge “you will kill people, my brother….. My son.” A chase ensues and Ulrich catches him, hesitates, and unleashes fury on the poor boy with a rock. He thinks he has killed him, thus changing the course of the future. He puts Helge in the cabin basement. Sadly, Ulrich beating Helge up was the catalyst for him to meet Noah, leading to the disappearance and killings of Mads, Erik, and Yasin (but not Mikkel).
Meanwhile, the Stranger talks with the time master H.G. Tanhauss. They discuss wormholes and the Stranger tells H.G. that he thinks there is one in Winden. He asks the Stranger to leave but the Stranger shows him the time device. It turns out that H.G. already has one. In 1953, Agnes Nielson (Ulrich’s grandmother) and Tronte move into a room rented by Egon Tiedemann and his wife. A young Claudia loses her dog when Helge throws the fetching stick into the cave out of jealousy of Claudia and Tronte.
Reap + Sow
- Ulrich beats up Helge thinking it will change the future. He does – but he makes it happen how it always happened. Ulrich gives Helge those scars. Ulrich leaves him in the basement in 1953. We have seen Noah in the basement in 1953. We know Helge works for Noah. Ulrich’s decision to try to kill Helge set off the whole chain of events for Helge to work with Noah. Would Noah have found someone else? Will there be further consequences for Ulrich?
- Is Ulrich being punished for his cheating ways?
- Helge – throws the fetching stick into the cave —- consequence is he gets beat up and becomes a serial murderer….. Ok this one is a little harsh.
- Why did Helge throw the stick? Claudia was trying to ditch him so she could talk 1 on 1 with Tronte (remember they have an affair in 1986). Her consequence was losing her dog. Again, harsh.
Trending Down
Um, Ulrich
I know he was trying to save his son and brother but wowwwwwwwww. He actually went there. It is a brutal scene that goes on for far too long as he beats young Helge to a bloody pulp. Apparently it wasn’t enough. I mean, this has to cement Ulrich’s place in the Mount Rushmore of Trending Down. This was a huge leap to take that this would change everything… what does Ulrich know about wormholes and quantum physics anyway? He talks to a guy with a clock store for 5 minutes and he thinks he’s gonna change the universe? Dude has been unraveling the whole show and it has led to him beating an 8 year old senseless.
The 1953 Bullies
There is a horribly sad scene where Helge gets jumped by a pair of teenagers on his way to Claudia’s house. They beat him up, take his money and one of them urinates on him. After watching what Helge goes through in this episode, you can begin to understand his transformation into a monster. At least Ulrich thought he was saving lives. These two are the worst humans of the show so far. (Noah, off screen – “hold my beer)
Helge’s Mom
First of all, Cordelia Wage, is amazing. She plays the role of stern mom to a tee (I don’t believe we get her name in this episode). I mean, how many times did Helge shit his pants when mom looked at him this?
It’s a little tough to watch how mean she is to Helge in light of what happens to him. It does seem like she takes him for granted. She is very worried and grief stricken at the end, so there is some human in her.
Trending Up
Agnes Nielson
Who is this new character that is shrouded in mystery? There is a dream like quality whenever she is on screen. Egon’s wife seems to notice it when they are making the bed together. Egon wanted to know why she was moving to Winden. She tells him of her grandmother, who used to live there. We were just about to find out who her grandmother was when Claudia runs in to tell her parents about her missing dog. I feel like this is going to be crucial information because she is the oldest member that we know about in a family that includes – Ulrich, Jonas, Mikkel, Magnus, Martha, Tronte, and Katharina + Hannah by marriage. That’s half the cast. There is a dark moment where Tronte reveals cigarette burn scars? Were they from Agnes? Could it be his father? He is deceased according to Agnes. This does give me pause, but the mystery of her will leave her on the list.
The Stranger
The Stranger and H.G. Tanhauss are the narrators of this episode. Their dialogue is the voiceover for some of the montages and transition scenes. The bearded time-traveller is looking for a way to destroy the wormhole. He says the town is a festering wound and he can change it. I’m glad we at least get a purpose for The Stranger’s character, rather than having him pop up to help Jonas when he is stuck.
Young Helge
Ok they made me feel bad for the future child murderer. We see how tough Helge has it as a child. A stern mother, bullies pissing on him, girls rejecting him, some random futuristic looking dude walloping on you and leaving you for dead in a bunker. Doesn’t excuse his behavior but helps explain it. We have a horrifying moment when we think he is killing birds, but it turns out that he collects them when they fall from the sky (falls in line with the time travel).
Random Thoughts:
- Shouldn’t Ulrich be leaving? What’s he waiting around for at the end of the episode?
- What happened to Tronte’s arm? Who abused him?
- Prime Egon – we see a new actor and an intense young cop. He’s a workaholic, almost never home. He has a wife – no mention of her in 1986.
- The cabin cellar appears to be a World War II bunker – the war would have ended 8 years before 1953.
- A bit tough for this simpleton to follow all of the wormhole theory. The Sic Mundus symbol is three pronged and H.G. mentions there are 3 dimensions – past, present and future. All three affect each other. They speak of Einstein and Rosen. I really wish Einstein could see this show.
- The Doppler family is very well to do. The patriarch, Bernd Doppler is opening up the infamous Winden Power Plant. He thinks that someone with the coal company is trying to sabotage the opening by placing the dead children’s bodies on the construction site.
- Production design is fantastic – you can really tell the difference between the eras by the clothing, mannerisms, vehicles, and buildings.
- Young Nurse Innes and Young Jana (Ulrich’s Mom) have cameos. They stop at the clock shop to spread rumors about the crime scene.
- So the dog ran into the caves and they didn’t find her. So… time travelling pooch?
Wake Up Winden 