Chief Inspector Marie Brand (Mariele Millowitsch) and her colleague Jürgen Simmel (Hinnerk Schönemann) have a particularly tough nut to crack this time. Because in “Marie Brand and the wrong friends” – on Wednesday evening at 8:15 p.m. – nobody seems to want to voluntarily come out with anything at all to the Cologne homicide commission – and certainly not with the truth. The case is a repeat from 2020.
The fatality is a company legacy. With a lot of fanfare in front of a large audience, the father announces that his offspring should take over the successful construction company. He can still be photographed from all sides, the fine suit cannot hide a bit of baby fat on his face. A little later, covered in blood, he staggers along the banks of the Rhine. Another hit with a big branch – and he’s dead.
The investigator duo has to deal with a family that is deadly hostile to each other: As a widow, the woman brought the company into the marriage, her new husband runs the company. He now wants to make a career as a state politician, but doesn’t shy away from brutally beating up others. “Construction workers remain construction workers,” is the comment. Their son is the victim, but the mother had no idea of the planned successor plan. She lets her husband spy on her. Her son from her first marriage is at odds with his stepfather. And the family is keeping a secret where the views could hardly be more opposite.
Since Brand and Simmel know just as little about it as the viewer for a long time, they all grope in the dark together. And after a good hour, the cards are reshuffled. Then there are obviously contradictory statements that expose the perpetrator. Considering that Inspector Brand is said to be highly talented and has solved earlier cases alone using savvy conclusions – and to the surprise of her colleague – it is a little surprising how long she takes this time.
Simmel wants to score better with women
Once again, Simmel is the focus of the more private narrative thread. He knows practically every second witness personally, which prompts the public prosecutor to warn: “Be careful that the case file does not become a poetry album.” The lawyer also wants Simmel to coach an old men’s hobby rowing team. The policeman, in turn, is struggling with the Cologne housing market – and trying to score better with a new home with women. The entertaining interaction of the commissioners is once again perfect.
The crime series is also a ratings guarantee for ZDF. It has been running at irregular intervals since 2008. Since 2014, the Mainz broadcaster has placed the episodes on Wednesdays or Saturdays at prime time. As a rule, five, six, seven million people watch.
Anyone who sees this episode will probably fish in the dark for quite a while because of the turnaround in the last third when looking for the culprit. Instead, he can watch Brand and Simmel kissing each other friendly. And of course, the recurring sprint when chasing a suspect shouldn’t be missing – including the cherished ritual that she takes his jacket off.
