Cliff Notes – You can now binge all 6 episodes of ‘dark’ German crime drama for free
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Premise and Setting: “The Roots of Evil,” originally titled “Die Quellen des Bösen,” is a German crime drama set in 1993, focusing on the investigation of a girl’s murder in a forest, with runic markings on her body.
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Character Dynamics: The series features two detectives from opposing sides of Germany’s historical divide—Ulrike Bandow from East Germany and Koray Larssen from the West—who must collaborate to solve the case amidst rising tensions.
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Viewer Reception: The show has received mixed reviews, with an IMDb rating of 6.4, but some viewers praise it as a compelling watch, likening it to other successful German series like “Dark” and “Der Pass.”
You can now binge all 6 episodes of ‘dark’ German crime drama for free
Channel 4 has dropped a new crime drama binge-watch for your Halloween weekend, with all six episodes now on the free streaming site.
The Roots of Evil was teased as a ‘dark, dense German crime drama’, originally billed as Die Quellen des Bösen when it first aired in 2023 in Germany.
Set in 1993, the latest addition to the Walter Presents slate revolves around the tragic case of a girl who is found dead in a forest flower bed, with runic markings carved into her skin.
Like True Detective before it, two coppers are put onto the brutally violent case, as other girls begin to go missing in the ominous Jackdaw Forest, indicating they’re on the hunt for a serial killer.
The police partnership digs into the immediate aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall and German reunification.
One of the detectives hails from East Germany, Ulrike Bandow (Henriette Confurius), and the other, Koray Larssen (Fahri Yardim), from the West of the country.
The Roots of Evil arrives on Channel 4 on Halloween (Picture: Channel 4)
The show starts with a violent murder case (Picture: Channel 4)
Against the complex backdrop of their country’s still-fresh divisions, the pair must come together to crack the gruesome case.
But with a perpetrator who always seems to be one step ahead of them, it’s not easy.
That’s as much as we’ll say, since the less you know going in, the better.
With a 6.4 out of 10 rating on IMDb, The Roots of Evil has six 45-minute episodes on Channel 4.
The drama is set against the backdrop of Germany’s still-fresh divisions (Picture: Channel 4)
What other crime dramas can you stream?
Foyle’s War. With film-length episodes packed with the best British stars on offer (Peter Capaldi, David Tennant, as well as Emily Blunt, Rosamund Pike and Andrew Scott) each episode sees a new murder case cracked.
The Monster of Florence. Tracks the decades-long hunt for the titular ‘Il Mostro di Firenze’, who targeted young couples who had parked their cars in secluded locations for private moments.
Incognito. Another one from Walter Presents, this time taking us deep into the world of intelligence and espionage. An undercover agent starts to suspect a woman who saved his life.
While one reviewer slightly damned the German-language drama with faint praise, awarding it just three out of 10 stars, fellow viewer Martin Hofmann described it as an ‘outstanding’ watch.
‘I am usually not a big fan of German crime series, but if you like Dark and Der Pass, this one is for you,’ he wrote.
‘The show is a must-see, masterfully blending exceptional storytelling, skilful direction, and remarkable performances.’
Are you going to tune in to The Roots of Evil?
This isn’t one for meCheck
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A version of this article was originally published on October 30.
The Roots of Evil is available to stream on Channel 4 from October 31.
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