Season 2 of Netflix series - More action and more feeling: Jella Haase returns as 'Kleo'
The former East German contract killer Kleo Straub is facing a problem yet again - finding a mysterious red suitcase, with both the Soviet KGB and the American CIA on its trail. In the second season of the Netflix series "Kleo" with Jella Haase (once again), an engaging action thriller unfolds - albeit with fewer revenge plots than in season 1 and instead, more serious undertones.
Starting from Thursday, the six episodes in the DDR nostalgic look are available on Netflix. They seamlessly pick up where the first season of the German production left off, which earned several awards last year - including a Grimme Prize and two German Television Awards. Even US bestselling author Stephen King was impressed. "What a breath of fresh air! Engaging and also very funny," he wrote in 2022.
Hunt leads to Moscow and Belgrade
The sequel can certainly keep up. As a reminder: After East German spy Kleo is arrested by the Stasi under a false pretense and doesn't regain her freedom until after the fall of the Berlin Wall, she seeks revenge in season 1. During her sometimes bloody campaign, she encounters the somewhat clumsy policeman Sven Petzold (Dimitrij Schaad) and uncovers a conspiracy. The red secret suitcase plays a decisive role in this.
The second season picks up from there. While Kleo, with the CIA and KGB always on her heels, continues her search for the suitcase in Belgrade and Moscow, she is confronted with her own past. Short flashbacks to her childhood are frequent. Therefore, the search for the suitcase also becomes a search for herself.
Serious and emotional, but still amusing
The second season of "Kleo" is more serious and emotional than its predecessor, and the antiheroine is more relatable. However, the series remains faithful to its mix of drama, thriller, and comedy in the cool retro look and Quentin Tarantino style. The dialogues between Kleo and policeman Petzold, who once again clings to her heels, remain amusing.
Even in the first season, Kleo questions the system she grew up in and is pushed back by the capitalist West. In the second season, she emancipates herself even more from both ideologies and makes it clear in one scene: "I don't want to simply believe that there's good and evil anymore" and wants to make her own decisions.
Kleo is a pioneer and a great antiheroine, actress Haase told "Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland" in an interview. "She says: 'Both systems are not great. I don't want either ideology. We need to start thinking anew.'" This visionary spirit must be preserved. "We shouldn't keep doing things just because we've always done them."
- Despite the KGB's persistent investigation, Kleo maneuvers through East Germany with the mysterious red suitcase, skillfully evading their grasp.
- Intriguingly, the investigation into the red suitcase in 'Kleo' involves not only the KGB but also the Central Intelligence Agency, adding an international layer to the story.
- Voracious for information, Kleo turns to German Television and international media outlets, scouring for any clues regarding the elusive red suitcase.
- Finding solace in the late-night solitude of her apartment, Kleo often watches TV, hoping to decipher hidden messages in her hunt for the suitcase.
- As Kleo's pursuit for the red suitcase continues in Belgrade, she unwittingly attracts the attention of a secret service operative, making her predicament even more perilous.
- The Netflix adaptation of 'Kleo' generated international buzz, with the forthcoming issues now set to either cement its success or prove to be the series' downfall.
- With enigma shrouding the red suitcase, the CIA and KGB maintain their surveillance, their rivalry intensified by the threat of technological intelligence spilling onto the internet.
- In a series of dramatic twists, Kleo must navigate a complicated web of alliances amidst political intrigue, her ultimate goal still rooted in her desire to uncover the secrets hidden in that red suitcase.
- Remarkably, Kleo manages to evade her pursuers and finds herself in the vibrant city of Belgrade, fueled by the determination to unravel the mystery surrounding the red suitcase.
- The compelling narrative of Kleo's next adventures will inevitably continue to attract a global audience, with Kleo's enigmatic past and the secrets hidden inside that red suitcase promising to keep viewers on the edge of their seats until July 25th.
