“Last Christmas I gave you my heart / But the very next day you gave it away,” says Wham’s Christmas classic. The text also applies a bit to the new RTL series “Last X-Mas”. Nathalie Oswald (Paula Kalenberg), around 30, city dweller, is the main character. From December 1st to December 24th you can follow her in a streaming advent calendar in search of love.
The drama piles up right away in the first episode: Her fiancé Nico (Tobias van Dieken) gives her a huge Christmas present, but only to leave her shortly afterwards. He would rather be back with his childhood sweetheart Carol Stoll (sounds like Christmas stollen).
Nathalie is now like most people are likely to feel when they are left: bad. She comes to work crying and writes drunk texts to her ex. When she finally opens the present with her best friend Jonna, she finds a turtle. Nico’s card says: He hopes that she and the turtle can grow old together, if not he and Nathalie. And Jonna and she agree that the turtle is at least as ugly as Lord Voldemort. Poor turtle. It can’t do anything for the one who gave it away.
Then Nathalie’s grandpa Heinz (Achim Wolff), who is very important to her, also has a heart attack. He’s lying in the hospital bed, hardly able to breathe, and says to his granddaughter: “I can’t leave until I meet your fiancé. You two are coming for Christmas, aren’t you?” Extra drama factor: Doctors say it could be his last Christmas.
So Nathalie has to find a replacement for Nico as soon as possible. What’s the best way to do it these days? With online dating, of course. Nathalie meets men in chords, but only seems to get nugs and ends up in bed with a woman. But then she meets Simon (Jonathan Hutter), who seems perfect at first until Nathalie discovers a juicy detail about him.
It’s actually amazing how much happens each time in the 8 to 12 minute episodes. Boredom never arises. Because with the Oswald family, everyone seems to have a more or less dirty secret when it comes to love and relationships. Even her grandfather, whom Nathalie always asks for love tips.
But Nathalie is faced with a problem that many people are familiar with at Christmas: the uncomfortable questions from the family. Why doesn’t love work? Why don’t you have a partner? When are the children coming? Extra comment for women: Remember, you’re not getting any younger either!
It’s a pity that Nathalie doesn’t present herself as an emancipated character and says: Yes, then I’ll be alone. Nico wasn’t the right one and I’m at least as valuable without a partner as I am with a partner. Instead, she makes herself dependent and suggests the opposite. She embarks on a desperate, but at times entertaining, dating experience that can bring some déjà vu to those who already have a dating app installed.
So this Christmas soap is definitely suitable as a countdown to the gift giving and definitely leaves one or the other Christmas catchy tune.
