The body of a woman who has been missing for a year is accidentally found in a burial forest. The trail leads to a funeral home where the gravesite has been reserved. When another murder victim is found nearby, it seems clear that the police are dealing with a serial criminal who operates according to a system: The two women correspond to the same type, and there was exactly a year between the two murders. Since the anniversary is coming up again soon, Martina Bönisch (Anna Schudt) offers herself as a decoy, Inspector Peter Faber (Jörg Hartmann) is keeping an eye on her.
A serial killer who is apparently dealing with a childhood trauma: Never before has Dortmund’s “Tatort” been so close to a Scandinavian-style crime thriller (written by Jürgen Werner, directed by Torsten C. Fischer). This suits the cases surrounding Peter Faber surprisingly well.
Crime purists have always been bothered by the fact that the consequences of the Dortmund team were mostly overshadowed by private life. In “Love Me” this is taken to the extreme. The actual murder case takes a bit of a back seat. What’s a shame: This time there’s a psycho murderer with childhood trauma. More space could have been given to its story.
It’s a tradition in Dortmund’s “Tatort”: Each of the four investigators has their own story, which unfolds in the episodes. Martina Bönisch has just ended her affair with the forensic scientist Sebastian Haller and is waging a private war with him at work, and Peter Faber is hoping to finally get a hold of his beloved.
On the other hand, family problems plague Jan Pawlak (Rick Okon) and Rosa Herzog (Stefanie Reinsperger). After many years, the latter receives a visit from her mother – an RAF terrorist who went into hiding. And Pawlak has to somehow explain to his daughter why her mother is in prison. A lot of material for a 90-minute crime film.
If you have seen the previous episodes of Faber, Bönisch and Co., you should not miss “Love Me”. You won’t soon forget the case.
The “Tatort” episode “Love Me” was first broadcast on February 20, 2022. ARD will repeat the case on Friday, February 9, 2024, at 10:20 p.m.
The Dortmund team previously investigated these cases:
