Berlin ER is a German Language drama that sees Dr. Parker (Haley Louise Jones) transfer from a geriatrics unit in a hospital in Munich to the titular Berlin ER (or as it’s called in the show, KRANK) where she has been hired as the lead Doctor on duty. Upon entering the hospital, she is swept away immediately into the fast paced and stressful working environment that naturally comes with an Accident and Emergency ward and she tackles with the fear that maybe she is in way over her head while also dealing with stabbings, shootings and hypochondriacs. She’s joined by an ensemble of doctors, nurses and paramedics all of whom have their own ways of coping with the onslaught of real life horror that is thrown at them on a daily basis.
Much like with Dr. Parker’s entry into her new employment, the audience is not given even the slightest chance to breathe before the show speeds you head first into its electric thrill ride. The first moments of the show enter you into the drug fuelled haze of Ben (Slavko Popadić) who makes his way into a taxi to arrive for his shift at the ER. This opening demonstrates what the show immediately excels at which is an immersive and engrossing point of view. Through a generous use of close ups and uncut shots, you are very much in the centre of the action. The aforementioned haze makes you feel high simply by watching and as the episode goes along you feel all of the stress and fear that goes through these characters minds. It’s a masterwork in direction and is a perfect way to premiere a series.
Berlin ER does show medical professions dealing with some very serious problems, like men coming in with gunshot wounds and patients not being able to breath. However, the show isn’t all thrills and does have its fair share of human drama and black comedy to boot. Berlin ER is written by Samuel Jefferson who used to work in an emergency ward much like the one depicted in the programme, the honesty and truth that comes from that real lived experience is blindingly apparent throughout the runtime of the first episode. Fittingly, there’s no life or death situations every minute, in these less life-threatening moments there’s stab wounds in private parts, workplace politics and dealing with more difficult members of the public. Berlin ER is most certainly a chaotic and stressful show, but none of it ever seems far fetched or played for dramatic effect.
While the moment to moment drama of Berlin ER is what keeps the show flowing, the overarching narrative that’s set up in the first episode isn’t quite as attention seeking. As Dr. Parker stakes her claim in her new workplace, she’s threatened by the new fast pace but also subordinates that are more experienced and very much know it. It’s a fairly cliched underdog story so far, however, the character work that’s done more than makes up for what could be a slightly predictable story.
Berlin ER promises a visceral and captivating series about the demanding work of the medical sector. It engages you from the offset with it’s claustrophobic and frantic filming and throws drama and thrills at you from every angle. While it’s central narrative may be familiar to some, it doesn’t suffer from fatigue thanks to its honest and characterful script.
Berlin ER Premieres On Apple TV on 26th February
