#tatort Saarbrücken

[tt04sty]

Nothing beats finding out which of you are German through someone reblogging or liking a Spatort post. Always funny when a person I usually interact with because of a vastly unrelated fandom reveals themselves to also be plagued by the Öffentlich-rechtlichen. It's like being in the kitchen at 3am, getting something to eat and suddenly someone else walks in with the same intention. We shouldn't be here, but look at us.

[spatortmemes]

Leo ist ja seit Jahren auf allen Namenslisten weit oben aber Adam? sus

[milkywayan]

versuche als im ausland lebender fan dent trailer zu finden, und stoße dabei auf eure kommentare

[wintersportism]

“ich kann aber besser schlafen wenn ich weiß dass dir nichts passiert” really? like for real?? you just said that? like platonically??

[spadeoftears]

30dtsc day 12: snacking on the job

doesn't quite fill the prompt but I thought this is funny

[all-the-gae-things]

(be less bitchy, challenge failed)

Pia's iconic Verhör:

30-Day Tatort Saarbrücken Challenge: ↳ Day 12: Snacking on the job

[leo-woods]

😋 30dtsc - Day 8: Snacking on the job 😋

Adam's relationship with food

little extra under the cut, because you have to suffer like i did

please reconsider this scene

he's sharing his food

[anukkuna]

Day 13: Cleverest detail

I'm not sure whether this counts as a 'clever' detail or just as 'interesting symbolism' or whatever... also, I'm just speculating here, so maybe, nothing of what I'm about to say was ever intended by the director and welp...- anyway, here's my two thoughts:

The scene in which Adam has to undergo the strip search for prison and its related scenes:

The scene is presented in snippets. We cut between the office scene with Leo and Pia and, later, a longer flashback scene with Roland. It’s in this flashback that the stick and Roland’s method of suicide - intended to frame Adam as the murderer - are revealed.

In the office, we see Leo and Pia piecing together the bank robberies committed by Boris Barns and Roland Schürk (because Adam handed Leo the photo and related evidence at the lake). They come to realize that what happened back then is still very much connected to Adam’s current situation.

Meanwhile, Adam is being subjected to a thorough examination by the prison physician. (The only way it could be more literal is if they actually x-rayed him!)

We also see him lie effortlessly - for example, when asked whether he smokes. (And, of course, this is where we get his iconic line: "Alles klar. Mir scheißegal.") As a viewer, this was another moment in which thought: 'Wow, he’s really good at this. At lying... huh.'

What I really want to focus on here, though, is the theme of being caged in this scene. First of all, the way it’s shot: from outside the windows with these metal grids inside. We’re watching Adam, visibly uncomfortable, undress in a cage created by:

1. His own colleagues, whom we just saw in the previous scenes (with Leo, his partner, being the one who had to put the handcuffs on him); and -

2. His manipulative and abusive father, as shown in the following scene.

This is also the scene where Adam’s large snake tattoo is revealed, likely altering the viewer’s perspective on the title Das Herz der Schlange. (At least, that’s what happened for me.) You might think: Ohhh... the heart the snake is protecting is Adam’s heart! So, in a way, the episode could literally be called Adams Herz (Though, to be fair, one could have drawn this conclusion earlier, when Roland paralleled himself with the frog and Adam with the snake in the terrarium.)

And then there’s the way Adam briefly looks almost(!) directly at the camera - like a trapped, caged animal that would much rather fight or flee but isn’t allowed to.

There is, of course, a deeper and more sinister layer of symbolism to this.

Within the fandom, there has already been discussion about the association of snakes with negative traits - particularly due to their role in biblical contexts.

One major theme, I believe, is the idea that evil is inherent in the snake’s nature, tied to its association with temptation and sin.

This is another clever detail I’d like to highlight (if it was intended that way! Also, apologies if someone else has already written about this and I’m unaware.) So…

In the flashback, we cut to Roland, Adam’s father. In German (and, I believe, in English as well), there’s a saying:

"Der Apfel fällt nicht weit vom Stamm" - "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

So, is Adam tempted to discover how far he has fallen - from the metaphorical, biblical tree (and the real one we see later)?

How much of his family’s criminal tendencies and energy has Adam inherited? Are deception and lying things that come naturally to him? Is there, deep within the heart of the snake, some lingering trace of evil? Even if Adam were never intentionally criminal, are there still aspects of his 'nature' he can’t control (and which would that be)?

Esther seems to suspect as much. She believes Adam tried to kill his father before. Even after learning that it was Leo (and Adam) acting in self-defense, she continues to distrust Adam in Ep. 4. On the rooftop, she openly says to him, “I don’t trust you.”

Snakes are often associated with being cunning, deceitful, and unpredictable - silent predators that suddenly strike. Are we, as viewers, meant to draw these parallels to Adam? Or is this meant to make us question these stereotypes?

Later, when Roland utters his last words, I was wondering the same thing... wondering if this is what they're getting at.

"Adam... meine Krone."

- Roland Schürk, Das Herz der Schlange

I feel this refers both to the crown of a tree and the crown of a king, (which is traditionally passed down to his heir, of course). (It’s worth noting that the crown, as a symbol, has been scratched into the bark of the tree where the money is buried. R+A - Roland and Adam. A place where they likely went before... maybe when Adam was much younger?)

But make no mistake. Telling Adam where the money is in his final moment is not meant as a kind gesture at all.

Roland correctly suspects that once Adam knows where the money is - whether or not Adam really finds or takes it - other gangsters will come after him. Adam is even tortured by Boris in prison over it. This becomes Roland’s final attempt to torment Adam, presenting him with criminals, who will come after him, as well as a difficult moral choice: Should Adam return the money, which he could use as compensation? (After all, the bank likely didn’t go bankrupt from the robbery, so it might even be morally justifiable for him to keep it.) Or should he keep the money - and risk both his job and his relationship with Leo in the process?

Adam is caged, in more than one way. How will he escape?

[unscharf-an-den-raendern]

Wenn wir tatsächlich ne Adam x Pia Lovestory kriegen, werde ich mir einfach einreden, dass der ÖRR leider ein schwules Paar opfern musste, damit wir Schloss Einstein Fans Nolin kriegen konnten.

[emotion-motion-sickness]

Esther appreciation post because she is tea

[nervouslittlewreck]

Adams Lächeln im Trailer ich kann nicht mehr...wollt ihr mir sagen dem Typ geht's gut?!

[threeburninghologramwombats]

if they make Adam and pia a couple I'll cry

straightbaiting in my Tatort Saarbrücken? 😔

[littledozerdraws]

Stadion Date ⚽️🩵🌈 -- timelapse vid on patreon

[wintersportism]

why is kälte der erde not in the mediathek and what the fuck am i supposed to do now

edit: someone told me where to find it. i’m stoked. i can’t wait to catch up on the remaining two episodes and then dive into every post and edit i can find on the internet. hyperfixations are a lovely thing. i have an edit in my capcut drafts already and i haven’t even watched all the episodes. send help.

[darkrunsout]

(x)