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Derrick - Entlassen Sie diesen Mann nicht!
episode 147
West Germany 1986
produced by Helmut Ringelmann, Claus Legal, Gustl Gotzler for Telenova/ZDF
directed by Horst Tappert
starring Horst Tappert, Fritz Wepper, Willy Schäfer, Pinkas Braun, Reinhild Solf, Günter Mack, Michael Hinz, Wolf Roth, Paul Hoffmann, Marilene von Bethmann, Johannes Habla
written by Herbert Reinecker, title theme by Les Humphries
TV-series Derrick, Harry Klein
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Dr. Kroll (Pinkas Braun) is to be released from the asylum for the
criminally insane after a mere 5 years, much to the dismay of his ex-wife
Anna (Reinhild Solf), who pretty much got him there after he tried to
strangle her and was thus diagnosed with schizophrenia. So she asks
inspector Derrick (Horst Tappert), who arrested Dr. Kroll back when, for
help. Derrick and his assistant Harry (Fritz Wepper) look into this, and
on the surface everything seems to be quite alright, Dr. Kroll isn't just
released onto the public but is to stay as guest with Dr. Kraus (Wolf
Roth), the very psychiatrist who has treated him, and who will see to it
that Dr. Kroll re-integrates into society. Thing is, Kroll tries to get in
touch with Anna time and again, at first he claims to apologize to her,
but his behaviour gets more and more obsessive, much to the dismay of
Anna, her new husband, bookstore owner Kerwien (Günter Mack), and
Kerwien's brother Erich (Michael Hinz). Still, there's little Derrick can
do, as nothing has really happened - and then something does happen, Erich
turns up dead. Derrick questions Kroll, but it's actually Kroll's very
weak alibi that gets him off the hook. It's questioning Dr. Kraus that
finally gets Derrick on the right track, as Kraus seems to have taken on
Kroll's views a bit too willingly, including Kroll's conviction that Anna
has re-married below her worth. So to catch the murderer red-handed,
Derrick has Anna agree to a meeting with Kroll while her husband is to
wait at the bookstore. But actually, Derrick is quick to drive Kroll to
the precinct and has Harry with Kerwien in the bookstore - and lo and
behold, Kraus shows up to kill him, as he's come so much under the
influence of his own patient over the years that he has become his
creature of evil ... The first of eleven episodes directed by
the series' star, Horst Tappert - but there's little to distinguish this
one from most other episodes, of a crime show that's long past its heyday
(even if it went on for another 12 years) and has pretty much run out of
steam. There's actually even at least a couple of scenes where Tappert
seems to want to break the fourth wall and wink to the audience - but that
might be a figment of my imagination to be honest. However, Derrick
was always mostly the series of his writer, Herbert Reinecker, and to be
quite frank, for this episode he has concocted a particularly silly story,
one about obsession and projection that takes its dear liberties with the
findings of psychology, while not really giving much heed to backstory and
the like. In that respect, this episode's almost funny - if for all the
wrong reasons.
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