Congratulations on your 20th, Klaus Borowski!
Heavy metal on the day of honor: The Kiel "Tatort" detective was taken to the sacred ground of the Wacken Festival for the anniversary. Borowski investigates once more in 2024, then it's time to say goodbye.
November 30, 2003: Australia wins the Davis Cup final 3:1 against Spain. The groups for the 2004 European Football Championship are drawn in Lisbon. "Master and Commander" with Russell Crowe is shown at the cinema. In the German singles charts, Overground are ahead of Alexander and Sarah Connor. And on ARD, Inspector Klaus Borowski from Kiel takes up his duties.
The "Tatort" episode is called "Väter" (Fathers), directed by Thomas Freundner, and Borowski (Axel Milberg) solves his first case in Kiel. "Great, a detective with rough edges. Conclusion: a successful 'Tatort' maiden voyage", praises "TV Spielfilm". Over the following two decades, the loner from the northernmost crime branch was to earn himself an unshakeable place among the big names in the series, his popularity as changeable as the weather on the fjord. Some people love him for his grumpiness and his latently awkward manner, while others throw up their hands when they see him.
Hardly anything has changed with the case of "the innocent child of Wacken", so it's hard to say how things will look when Borowski takes his hat off next year as announced. It is quite conceivable that it will be similar to the departure of, let's say, Olli Kahn from the Bundesliga. Just someone who was controversial and polarizing, who you sometimes wished to hell. But as soon as he's really gone, he's already missed, keyword: there are no more real guys.
Borowski has been through a lot
Borowski was always a guy during his years of service, there's hardly anything to be said against that. Whether at the side of his beloved psychologist Frieda Jung (Maren Eggert), as the adversary of the "silent guest" (Lars Eidinger) or as a guest at the Lucia festival in a Danish school.
Borowski has been through a lot, that much is certain. What Milberg himself still likes about his alter ego today? "In the best scripts, I see his dry sense of humor, which he has because he already knows so much and can classify it correctly. He's not too quick to judge, he listens, observes, sometimes makes a fool of himself, doesn't like to shoot, so he's not brash and hot-tempered enough for some people. But that's what I like about him. Good and evil are not his topic, but why and how?"
Frank Beckmann, NDR program director, sees it similarly: "His reserved manner, his unconventional methods and his North German roots have made him a popular and authentic investigator. Borowski dives deep into the cases and doesn't let up until he uncovers the truth. He always shows his human side and is remarkably empathetic towards the victims and witnesses of crimes."
Another piercing or tattoo?
The Wacken madness of the evening would actually have made for a great tally, at least in theory. Borowski on his last case, followed by stage diving with Judas Priest, drinking beer from a horn and taking a public shower with a bottle of Jägermeister, and a piercing just before riding off. Or a tattoo. That would have been it. Instead, Borowski talks about homemade liverwurst?
Seriously: you don't have to go to Wacken for that. Even the scene at the end, for which Borowski and Schladitz, his boss - in an unspeakable T-shirt with "Heavy Metal Over All" written on it - are placed at the front of the pit, can only save a little. But be that as it may, as the New York Dolls once said: Someday it will please us to remember even this. On that note: One more, Borowski, then it's time to call it a day.
The upcoming "Tatort" TV series on ARD features Inspector Klaus Borowski solving a thrilling crime case at a Wacken Festival crime scene. After 20 years of investigating, it's Time for Borowski to retire, leaving fans wondering if they'll miss his rough-edged style and grumpy demeanor as much as they miss controversial figures when they're truly gone.
After investigating numerous cases over two decades, Inspector Klaus Borowski from Kiel's "Tatort" series has become a beloved character on German TV, known for his grumpiness, unconventional methods, and deep dives into each case, never giving up until the truth is uncovered.
Source: www.ntv.de
