Thiel and Boerne insisted instead of investigating conclusively

The forensic doctor Boerne (Jan Josef Liefers), who self-deprecatingly celebrates his feeling of superiority, and Inspector Thiel (Axel Prahl), who calmly brings him down to earth, are a dream team of German television – for those who like it.

They are also in their very own film in the new “Tatort” from Münster, which only occasionally touches on reality – and the most recent murder case. Basically, the investigations only serve as a trigger to make certain character traits of the people of Münster appear more clearly.

The dead man is a lawyer (Nils Brunkhorst) who is found impaled by the spear of a warrior sculpture in the apartment of his client Doreen Prätorius (Cordeliawege). Apparently the client was also attacked and is badly injured, but she cannot remember what happened.

The house in which the dead man lies is full of trophies from the long-distance travels of the late Mr. Prätorius. With the help of the now murdered lawyer, his widow had just collected a large insurance sum that was due upon the death of her husband, who died two and a half years ago.

Macabre scenarios

The perpetrator and the course of events can be seen right at the beginning. For long stretches, the audience is several steps ahead of Thiel and Boerne. The two indulge in fantasies about the possible course of events. They only find out very late what was really going on. Basically it’s their own fault.

Because Boerne is blinded by his dislike for Doreen Prätorius and imagines macabre scenarios. Thiel, on the other hand, misses clues because he has too much compassion for the woman. The inspector’s sensitive side is particularly evident in this “crime scene”.

He’s not exactly in love with the suspect, but he comes close to that state, and that almost becomes his and Boerne’s undoing. What they discover beyond the murder case is the very special, sick dynamic that has driven the Prätorius couple over the years. And how much lying and deceit was at play not only behind the scenes, but also between the spouses.

In moments like this, things get serious in this “crime scene,” for which Sascha Arango, who presented a masterpiece in the series with “Borowski and the Silent Guest” in 2012, wrote the script.

The secret rebels

The women who perfectly complement the Boerne and Thiel team, Mechthild Grossmann as prosecutor Wilhelmine Klemm and Christine Urdict as Boerne’s sidekick, will, as we read, leave the “crime scene” next year. Much more unruly than their male counterparts, they are the team’s secret rebels.

Authorities either ignore them or ignore them. The constantly down-tuned Klemm regularly undermines Thiel’s comfort with her smoking baritone. And Christine Urwurf defies her boss’s politically incorrect accusations with unshakable self-confidence.

The Münster “crime scenes” are not just about the famous rivalries and jokes with which the main actors encourage each other. But it’s about how they interact with each other, about the work of a troupe that is damn well coordinated and that knows how much they are loved by the audience.

«Sunday, 8:05 p.m. / 8:15 p.m., SRF 1 / ARD. Sunday, 8:05 p.m. / 8:15 p.m., SRF 1 / ARD.