Kardakow dodges an assassination attempt. A photo enlargement yields two leads. As Berlin becomes increasingly politically charged, those in charge look to change the discourse on the May Day violence. Gereon and Charlotte get key intel from a colorful character.
Tropes:
- Chekhov's Gunman: As Voelcker continues her speech, a young bearded man in the crowd signs on with the Communist Party.
- Disturbed Doves: When the boy fires his father's gun in the beginning, we see pigeons startled in the inner yard.
- Finger-Twitching Revival: The shot on Kardakov floating in the water irises out on his hand as he clenches it into a fist.
- Flashback Cut: When the "critically wounded" policeman is presented at the press conference, we get a quick flashback to the scene where his son shoots him, in case you forgot when it happened 30 minutes ago.
- Foreshadowing: Gereon fixates on the painting of a horse wearing a gas mask hanging in the background, cryptically saying the name, "Yucatan".
- Historical In-Joke: Gereon visits the Geyer firm. He enters a screening room where several producers are viewing several scene takes by actress Marlene Dietrich.
- Impersonating an Officer: Deconstructed. Charlotte goes to Sorokina's apartment complex. When the landlord is intransigent, she bluffs that she is a police detective. It doesn't work so she resorts to sneaking into Sorokina's apartment. As she attempts to leave, real police men are waiting outside to arrest her. Gereon has to bail Charlotte out of jail and berates her about the act.
- Internal Affairs: Jaenicke is put on Bruno's heels. In one scene he is rifling through his desk. Later he and Benda meet in a car, reviewing Jaenicke's findings.
- Left for Dead: After watching him fall through the top story window and landing with a thud at the bottom of a watery courtyard, Sorokina and her two henchmen leave Kardakov without checking for vital signs.
- Mr. Exposition: Trechkov at the Hollaender club provides information to Gereon and Charlotte about Kardakov and his association with the Rote Festung, reveals that Trotsky is in Istanbul and disclosed the location of the Rote Festung printing shop.
- Pocket Protector: A Leninist tome in Kardakov's jacket protects him from Sorokina's bullet.
- Powder Keg Crowd: As to be expected of Berlin in Weimar times, there is always one waiting around the corner. When a Communist 1st of May rally turns violent, the police opens fire with machine guns, killing two unarmed women and nearly killing Rath and Wolter, thus laying the groundwork for yet another riot.
- Propaganda Machine: The Lord Mayor of Berlin complains about the heavy-handed tactics used during the May Day massacres, where even their own party newspaper cites a high number of deaths. Benda suggests they reframe the debate as one of violence incited against the police. Later at the press conference, Zoergiebel introduces a policeman who was "critically wounded" by the communists – it is the father shot by his son at the beginning of the episode.
- The Reveal: At the Moka Efti, the Armenian lays out photographs from a pornographic blackmail film to a victim – clearly, he is behind the blackmail plot against Adenauer.
- Ship Tease: At the Hollaender club, Gereon and Charlotte dance to a jazz number and discuss their philosophies on romance. Afterward, however, they depart platonically.
- Trail of Blood: Kardakov smashes a milk bottle on one of his pursuers, slicing open his hand and causing him to bleed profusely as he chases Kardakov to the attic. Charlotte follows the trail later to find the small Leninist tome with the bullet embedded within.
- Wham Shot: Greta has had a very badly done cesarion.
