The Last Cop - Season 5 - DVD

Content: Mick Brisgau (Henning Baum), the cop who went into a coma in the 80s after being shot at and who only woke up 20 years later in a world that was nevertheless very strange to him, is back. But this time, nothing is the same as it once was. Two years have passed since the events of the fourth season. In the meantime, Mick's former partner Andreas Kringge (Maximilian Grill) works for the LKA, his former superior Martin Ferchert (Helmfried von Lüttichau) has gone into politics, the love of his life Tanja Haffner (Proschat Madani) has left the force and even Roland Meisner (Robert Lohr) has successfully set up his own business. Only for Mick things don't look good at all. After a botched mission, he is demoted by his new superiors and must henceforth struggle alongside the stuffy Gregor Bickenberg (Jürgen Tarrach) as a patrolman. But suddenly the death of Koller, Andreas' new boss, brings the two former partners back together. For Koller had believed that Andreas was trying to blackmail him. Apparently, while working with old files, he has stumbled upon a secret that affects not only Koller, but other LKA employees as well. When Andreas is threatened to quit his job, the story takes on unexpected dimensions that affect not only Ferchert and Meisner, but also Mick quite directly...

After the concept of Der letzte Bulle had shown small signs of wear in the last two seasons, the makers have tried in season 5 to go completely new ways and thereby reshuffle the cards. So they first tore the usual team apart and said goodbye to Tanja. This eliminates the constant back and forth between Mick and Tanja, which did not really work in the last season. Another novelty of the shortened season is that there is only one case in the focus. Since especially in Germany series with a continuous plot rather difficult, this was a very brave decision by the creators - but which has paid off in the end.

Also the tone of the series has become much more serious and gloomy in the fifth year. There is still some humor and the popular 80s soundtrack. But overall, the tension is still very much in the foreground here, which gives this season another very special kick. The conspiracy that Mick and Andreas uncover is very well constructed, especially in the first episodes, and gives the series that addictive factor again, which it has lost a lot of recently. The quite high tension level is kept at a pleasantly high level until the last episode, despite some not quite successful plot elements. Only at the finale comes the break-in.

At this point, of course, not too much should be said about the somewhat disappointing resolution. Only this much: it just doesn't fit the characters as you got to know them in the first four seasons. Especially Andreas acts against all his moral principles here. Although there is an attempt to justify the whole thing with a "what happens if we don't do it", the makers have made it a bit too easy for themselves. Granted, this finale allows for a pretty good and well-rounded conclusion for the series. Nevertheless, after the last twenty minutes a somewhat stale aftertaste remains.

Dennoch: the fifth - and according to the DVD cover final - season of The Last Cop offers some of the strongest moments since season 1 and is just as a departure from the stalled concept more than successful. And for this alone there is already a more than deserved: Absolutely recommendable!

Picture + Sound: The image of the DVD offers again in the fifth season quality at a very good TV level. Smudges or glitches there are None, the image sharpness is satisfactory and the color scheme very harmonious. The stereo-only audio is, of course, primarily dominated by the dialogue and the good soundtrack, with both sounding clear and powerfully mixed out of the speakers. In the more action-packed moments then comes a little more life into the tonal events. Good.

Extras: As a bonus, there are some amusing outtakes (approx. 5:48 min.) on the first disc, as well as audio commentaries by Henning Baum on the first two episodes. As with last season, it becomes clear that while Baum is perfect for the role of Mick Brisgau, he is rather unsuitable as a sole commentator. There are some long pauses and too many moments where Baum is simply retelling what is currently on screen, rather than really offering deeper insight into the creation process to the series. As a result, these commentaries are more for true Henning Baum fans!

Conclusion:The Last Cop breaks radically new ground in its fifth (and final?) season. While this takes a little getting used to at the beginning, it gives the series exactly the breath of fresh air it desperately needed. Although the resolution of this eight-episode case is a little disappointing, this season is overall very successful. Exciting, varied and extremely entertaining. If this was indeed the last season, that's a worthy departure for the last cop. Recommendable

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp