1899: Season 1

German program creators Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, responsible for one of the greatest German original if not the best original television series ‘Dark’ are back with their latest mind-bending series – 1899.

Multinational immigrants traveling from Europe to America, all in pursuit of achieving their goals and turning their dreams into reality in the promised lands of the free encounter a nightmarish riddle aboard a second ship adrift on the open sea that has been there for months, however, what they find requires them to first confront their past which then reveals a web of staggering secrets.

Now I think it’s only fair that I mention how excited I was when I first heard the news that the creators of Dark were working on a new project together because if I’m being completely honest, I’ve missed watching a series that not only toys with your eyes but your mind as well, and that’s exactly what Dark is about.

So before I start the review, let me first warn you that this is a spoiler-free review as hard as it may be, I’ll try to keep it at a minimum so that you can go out there and watch it on your own. Now that that’s been mentioned. Let’s dive into 1899.

I can’t put my hands on the words that could help me to explain how incredible this series is without spoiling it, however, what I will say is that the creators did it again. I had high expectations about this show and it has delivered on every scale.

The series begins by focusing on one particular character but rest assured that this character isn’t the end-all, be-all. This one character is only a piece of a puzzle to an even bigger mystery which the creators try to hint at but the clues are so vague throughout the entire season that only when you get to the season finale do you let out a sigh of relief.

Each episode starts in this unique way that not only captures your full attention but it also gives you a glimpse of insight into characters from their past and just when you think that you’re about to see more, you hear the words “Wake up” as if someone is whispering at the back of your ear and the episode finally begins.

Not to mention the characters are special in a lot of ways which I’ll refer to later on, however, unlike Dark which was heavily grounded in the German language, 1899 has an array of characters that come from different parts of the world so many other languages are included as well, for example, I heard at least 7 different languages. For instance, I heard Spanish, German, French, and English.

Having so many languages may seem like a problem at first, though I seemed to enjoy it a lot simply because I loved watching the interactions, seeing the language barrier among characters, and how the characters would react to not understanding what was begin said in front of them.

You could see the frustration on the face of the characters, hoping, wishing they had a translator with them.

It creates such relatable moments, some utterly hilarious even though at the time the situation is bloody-serious.

Just when you think you’ve about solved one piece of the puzzle, you click on the next episode, it begins and you’re given some clue that only takes you back to the start of your theory, it’s a never-ending cat and mouse chase which will lead you into insanity.

As for the characters, we have this head or mind doctor who’s been admitted to a psychiatric hospital, a newly married couple that already showing signs of a Brittany Spears divorce, there’s also this sophisticated lady that seems to know everyone about everyone but shows signs of being extremely shady.

There are also these brothers, one is being a priest and the other – I don’t know what he is, however, my point is, the characters in this series all have problems, serious global problems and not to forget, the captain of the ship isn’t what you’d expect.

And I think that’s the point of this series, that you’re eyes and expectations can be deceiving. The captain of the ship is played by Andreas Pietschmann, the same man which played The Stranger on Dark, and his not what you’d think a captain of a luxury ship would look like. The man is worn out like a cloth lol…

It was episode five for me that turned this series on its head, something happens during this episode that truly throws away all reasonable logic and any sort of understanding that you may think you understand about the series. This series is an authentic gem.

Unlike the pacing of Dark which was rather slow for most people, 1899 is completely different. Each episode is filled with so much information that only progresses the show to the point where you want to watch the next episode immediately after the next.

One thing that I’d love to mention is, for a series called ‘1899’ – it effortlessly captures the time with simplicity and elegance through its costume design, religions/beliefs, and variety of cast members.

I feel as though if I went deeper into the review, I’d only spoiling so much for those that haven’t seen this phenomenal series yet so this is where I will lay my head.

I give 1899 a 5 out of 5 ratings. This puts it on the same level as House of the Dragon but where will it stand on the list for best series to release in 2022 I wonder.

If you want to know then subscribe to our site and leave a comment. Also, let me know as well in the comments below whether you agree with me when I say 1899 is a great series or not, and let’s get the conversation started.

Thank you for reading…