TV Gold

?PART TWO? of <span style='color:red'>?Kessler?</span> sees a relaxing of links to <span style='color:purple'>?Secret Army?</span> with former series regulars Hepton, Richards and Hammond-Hill sadly no longer required to offer up any further participatory part on this spin-off series. Despite this there is indeed much to enjoy in the continuing ?identity investigation premise? with Bauer and Mical?s separate interest into ?Manfred Dorf? growing ever closer to one another. This is highlighted by the precise and measured cautionary conversation that Karl Leider has with Mical sitting in her car.

However we actually open at Bauer?s flat where he and Leider briefly discuss the merits of pursuing war criminals a great many years after the Second World War concluded. Bauer indeed makes a valid point that people like Kessler who have evaded capture can be held up as figureheads for a current Neo Nazi organisations cause.

Now the continued scrutiny of ?Dorf? could be construed with that of disturbing a metaphoric sleeping tiger, however in this part that ?sleeping tiger? begins to bite back and attack those who are goading him. The disturbing death of Mical?s friend and travelling companion Ruth Liebermann at the conclusion of ?PART ONE? finished off with a swastika carved into her back (leaving the police and security services uncertain as to whether it might be political or something possibly more complex) was merely a taster as to the very real danger that ?Dorf? and his organisation continue to pose in attempting to halt any further scrutiny. This is followed up with the matter of the principal instigator, reporter Van Eyck who must be, and indeed is, permanently silenced in (by necessity) such a distinctly subtle way. Even Bauer, from his brief snooping round the now vacated grounds of the German residence makes him into a potential target for Kessler?s organisation, although this seems at this stage of the series to be down to merely fear and intimidation (e.g. windscreen shattering, his slightly disrupted possessions in his flat). Mical as well continues her increasingly dangerous observation of Kessler, this time tracking him to the country house that he, Ingrid and Franz have relocated to, surreptitiously observing the residence from across the lake which leads to the waterside fight for her life.

Again as part of their ?fleeing from public attention?, ?Kessler?, Ingrid and Franz relocate to London under the pretence of attending a Trade Conference. Whilst there I thought it was significant that we further see through Ingrid and Franz conversation in the London hotel room the differentiation between the young and older generation of Nazi activists and the couple continue to be mystified by Kessler?s financial plans and Ingrid suspects that her father is unlikely to return to Germany. Whilst conducting a car hire transaction outside the front of this hotel Franz is incensed to see that Mical has turned up yet again and is watching them once more. This sets in motion a sequence of events that indicate the cool, dispassionate, sadistic nature of Kessler and more particularly Franz when they take the abducted girl to an abandoned warehouse where, in particular, the younger man takes great pleasure in interrogating her in the same type of brutal manner that the Gestapo employed (as illustrated on numerous occasions throughout the <span style='color:purple'>?Secret Army?</span> series).

Of my own observations I personally thought that there seemed a distinct irony to the positioning of the writing desk (with its silver framed photo of Madeline and baby Ingrid placed prominently in front and to the left) in his country house which is slightly elevated so as to render the seated occupant gain a feeling of superiority over anyone entering from the room?s door leading to the rest of the building. This seemed to hark back to Kessler?s high-ranking military position in Brussels during <span style='color:purple'>?Secret Army?</span>, something we see him reminiscing about whilst looking at a few black and white wartime photos. In summary PART TWO is an enjoyable instalment which holds up well against the preceding ?Secret Army? character trio introductory part and certainly retains and further enhances the viewers interest in the developing ?identity investigation? premise.
<!--emo&B)-->[img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif[/img]<!--endemo-->