Der Pass

Der Pass (English: The Pass) or Pagan Peak is an Austrian-German television crime drama series which premiered on Sky Deutschland on 25 January 2019. It was inspired by season 1 of the Danish-Swedish series, Broen | Bron (English:The Bridge). Der Pass was co-created by Cyrill Boss and Philipp Stennert, both of whom also direct and write scripts. Criminal profiler Alexander Horn (profiler) advised on aspects of police procedures. The action is set largely in the Austria-Germany border area from Traunstein to Salzburg. In the first season of eight episodes, two detectives, German Ellie (Julia Jentsch) and Gedeon (Nicholas Ofczarek) from Austria, hunt a serial killer, Gregor (Franz Hartwig), who is using a Krampus mask as a disguise. The pilot episode, "Finsternis" (English: "Darkness"), had its world premiere on 21 September 2018 at the Tribeca TV Festival, ahead of the full series broadcast. Its Austrian debut was at the Urania Cinema, Vienna, on 15 January 2019, and its German premiere at Gloria-Palast, Munich, on the following day.

Season 2 of Der Pass, also of eight episodes, commenced broadcasting on 21 January 2022. In this season, Ellie and Gedeon investigate when female corpses are found in the border area. Their killer Xandi (Dominic Marcus Singer) is protected by his family's business empire. A third and final season aired from 4 May 2023. Ellie and Gedeon track seemingly unconnected murders by Felix (Felix Kammerer) who is encouraged by Jackl the Knacker-imitator Stefan (August Diehl).

Premise
Season one Gedeon and Ellie attend a corpse at the border. It is the first victim of a serial killer, Gregor, who wears Krampus masks. Gregor warns "The Red Season Is Coming." Gedeon alerts authorities of Gregor's imminent bombing of a shopping mall; a child is killed. Tech-savvy Gregor hacks into Ellie's computer to stay ahead of the investigation. A copycat suspect is killed by police and authorities close the case. A year later, Gedeon is unconvinced and persuades Ellie to search for another victim. Gregor has moved next door to Ellie. He poisons both her and himself before being arrested. Gedeon saves Ellie's life. At a traffic stop, Gedeon is shot as gangland revenge.

Season two A year later, Ellie mentors junior detective, Yela, who is joined by Gedeon, as a police advisor. They investigate another serial killer, Xandi, who tortures, rapes and revives his female victims before killing them. Xandi uses folklore rituals when dispatching wild animals. Both Ellie and Gedeon are recovering from traumas. Xandi is protected by his older brother Wolfgang, his mother Therese, the family's employee Manni and investigating chief detective Manuel. Wolfgang kills Yela with his rifle. Gedeon smuggles rifle out of evidence archive at Therese's behest. Xandi is arrested and imprisoned for multiple murders. Wolfgang leaves for South Africa. Therese pays to have bullet removed from Gedeon's brain.

Season three Six months later serial killer Felix, follows instructions from his leader Stefan who poses as legendary figure, Jackl the Knacker. Ellie and Gedeon now have a fractious relationship. Ellie blames Gedeon for Wolfgang escaping justice. Gedeon also investigates location of his former abuser, Oskar. Felix successively kills Samir, Marianne, Tobias and Peter while praying to Jackl, "sequere me, te protegam" (English: "Follow me, I'll protect you"). Gedeon has hallucinations, takes pain-killers. Stefan is questioned but released due to insufficient evidence. Gedeon kills Oskar using Wolfgang's rifle. Ellie confronts Felix but he suicides. Internal Affairs investigates Gedeon and Ellie. Gedeon finds link between Felix' victims and Stefan, who has disappeared.

Cast

 * Julia Jentsch as Ellie Stocker: Traunstein senior detective inspector, enthusiastic and thorough, has an affair with Claas, her boss
 * Nicholas Ofczarek as Gedeon Winter or "Falcon": Salzburg detective inspector, cynical, dissolute and corrupt, nevertheless becomes fixated on catching the "Krampus killer". After being shot, Gedeon lapses into a coma, recovers but bullet remains in brain, organises surgery with Therese's finances
 * Lucas Gregorowicz as Charles Turek: Munich sensationalist newspaper reporter, writes a book on the Krampus killer. Later works for Abendpost (English: Evening Post)
 * Rony Herman as Sven Rieger: police task force's IT investigator
 * Matthias Hack as Ben Heller: Salzburg police detective, Manuel's subordinate; becomes second-in-charge for Gedeon
 * Martin Feifel as Christian Ressler: Austrian criminal profiler and case analyst
 * Alexander Stecher as Oskar Maria Koschlik (alias: Mr Simic): notable, modern visual artist, alleged pedophile, investigated by Gedeon several years ago; sexually abused Gedeon while living with Gedeon's mother
 * Sibylle Canonica as Therese Gössen: managed Gössen family interests, mother of Wolfgang and Alexander, protective
 * Michael Fuith as Staatsanwalt Svoboda: Vienna public prosecutor, investigating Gedeon and Califati; later refuses Ellie's request to investigate Gedeon for corruption
 * Christian Baumann (actor) as Thomas Braun: Ellie's deputy; later joins task force

Season one cast

 * Franz Hartwig as Gregor Ansbach/"David Zeller": self-sufficient survivalist, tech-savvy, uses Krampus legends for his own ends, poses as David to become Ellie's neighbour
 * Hanno Koffler as Claas Wallinger: Traunstein police commissioner, Ellie's superior, has an affair with Ellie
 * Lukas Miko as Sebastian Brunner: doomsdayer/survivalist, Six Brothers cult leader, styles himself as "Cernunnos"
 * Nataša Petrović as Milica Andov: illegal Macedonian refugee, mountain inn employee exploited by her boss, Sara
 * Julian Looman as Adam Litkowski: Salzburg detective on Gedeon's squad, promoted to inspector
 * Theresa Martini as Louisa Baumgartner: woman missing for three months, found imprisoned and beaten at Six Brothers cult, remains loyal to Sebastian
 * Victoria Trauttmansdorff as Johanna Stadlober: Salzburg police commander, Gedeon's boss
 * Christopher Schärf as Jörg Hässmann: political candidate for governo
 * Sarah Rebellato as Dalia Blani: police task force investigator, organises Dat.Sec's interviews
 * Antonia Moretti as Joy: popular blogger on fashion and make-up, dates Rafael
 * Gregor Kohlhofer as Rafael Conrad: heir to the Conrad family financial empire, dates Joy
 * Christian Aumer as Widmann: Police Commissioner, replaces Claas, becomes Ellie's new boss
 * Maria Bachmann as Martina Bartl: Munich newspaper editor, Charles' boss
 * Hans Brückner as Joseph Klein: Bavarian Interior Minister, restructures task force
 * Katrin Filzen as Sara Körner: innkeeper, exploits Milica
 * Matthias Ransberger as Fred: mountain inn employee
 * Kerim Waller as Karim: Califati's henchman
 * David Zimmerschied as Felix Riffeser/"Manus": Sebastian's right-hand man at Six Brothers cult
 * Harald Schrott as Johannes Tischler: cyber-security company Dat.Sec's owner, employs Gregor
 * Reinhold G. Moritz as Hahn: ex-inspector, worked on Tischler's murder case
 * Ernst Stötzner as Wolfgang Stocker: retired Traunstein city official, part-time hunter, Ellie's father
 * Norbert E. Lex as Dominik Gross: head of Ortus Foundation, unscrupulous businessman, has an affair with his employee, Nuria
 * Anna Sophie Krenn as Nuria Garido: Munich-based Spanish interpreter at Ortus Foundation, mistress of Dominik
 * Clemens Aap Lindenberg as Chingiz Tajmanov or "Califati": Viennese crime lord, bribed Gedeon for information
 * Ferdinand Dörfler as Vincenz Lang: Krampus mask maker, witness
 * Jelena Jovanova as Ivana Andov: Milica's sister, who confirms Milica's identity
 * Katharina Friedl as Miriam Tander: bomb victim's mother

Season two cast
Credits:
 * Franziska von Harsdorf as Yela Antic: Traunstein police investigator, mentored by Ellie
 * Dominic Marcus Singer as Alexander "Xandi" Gössen: wannabe piano virtuoso, younger brother of Wolfgang, who hunts, tortures and kills women
 * Christoph Luser as Wolfgang Gössen: economic manager of Gössen family company, protective older brother of Xandi
 * Erol Nowak as Manni Krois: hunter, taxidermist, works for the Gössens, instructs Xandi in folklore and preparing deer corpses
 * Andreas Lust as Manuel Riffeser: Salzburg detective chief inspector, in charge of Tonia's and subsequent murder investigations, corrupted by Wolfgang's minions
 * Gisela Aderhold as Alina Reichelt: anonymous help-line psychologist, contacted by Xandi
 * Ben Felipe as Tom Neuner: Traunstein police officer, works with Yela
 * Sophia Schiller as Laura Berger: Wolfgang's former girlfriend, in a coma for five years
 * Roland Silbernagl as Konstantin Vogas: heavily disfigured, wildlife photographer
 * Gabriela Garcia Vargas as Rebecca Afarid: Gössens' employee, becomes Wolfgang's current girlfriend
 * Marie Sophie von Reibnitz as Tonia Roth: 18-year-old German cyclist and camper, visiting Austria, one of Xandi's first murder victims
 * ? as Miriam Zänger: cross-country skier, one of Xandi's early murder victims
 * Christina Cervenka as Clara Sidorow: prostitute, paid by Xandi to scream, later becomes another of his murder victims
 * Claudia Kottal as Natalia Stanner: horticulturist, who is kidnapped, raped and tortured by Xandi
 * Agnieszka Salamon as Jenny: Gössens' estate housekeeper
 * Gisela Salcher as Daniela Berger: Laura's mother
 * Hans-Maria Darnov as Alfons Holzmann: farmer, Xandi's neighbor, one of Xandi's last murder victims
 * Rina Juniku as Rosalie Jonas: woman, paid off by Wolfgang to attend orgies, later a witness against the Gössens
 * Lisa-Maria Sommerfeld as Lisa Hildebrandt: nurse's daughter, suspect in Ms Fischerauer's murder

Season three cast
Credits:
 * Johannes Zirner as Rafael Lutz: Salzburg police detective, Ellie's love interest; becomes internal affairs investigator
 * Claudia Kainberger as Pia Goiginger: police task force member, works for Ben
 * Frederic Linkemann as Andreas Haas: former armed response policeman, self-declared Reichsbürger ("Free Germany"); stole gun used in shooting
 * Victoria Mayer (actress) as Nadine Hofer: Traunstein Chief Inspector, transferred from Munich, becomes Internal Affairs investigator
 * Felix Kammerer as Felix Riedle; son of Milan Kusev, tutored by Stefan, serial killer
 * August Diehl as Stefan Polt: self-styled Jackl the Knacker, promises to protect his adherents
 * Peter Miklusz as Kai Markstein: sometime Satanist, tutored by Stefan
 * Lukas Walcher as Ermittler intern (English: "Internal Investigator"): Austrian Internal Affairs, determining whether Gedeon's corrupt
 * Katia Fellin as Ina Mayer: lawyer, joins environmentalist protesters against Gössens' chalets, had affair with Tobias
 * Gabriel Raab as Volker Zacher: Freilassing citizen, Marianne's fiancé, injured while escaping Felix
 * Kolja Heiß as Gerichtsdiener (English: "Usher")
 * Dolores Winkler as Marianne Eberharter: Austrian woman, Volker's fianceé

Production
Co-creator Philipp Stennert acknowledged that Der Pass was inspired by the 2011 Danish-Swedish series, Broen | Bron (English:The Bridge) and oboserved, "Apart from the premise of two countries working together and finding a body on the border, everything else is pretty much a completely new story." The creators researched serial killers, including their online interviews, in developing the character of Gregor Ansbach (Franz Hartwig). The process was assisted by criminal profiler Alexander Horn (profiler). Unusually for a crime drama, the antagonist, Gregor, is revealed early in the series and has a more visible presence. Another deliberate effort is the evolution of both protagonists. Gedeon starts as a jaded, cynical and corrupt officer who becomes dedicated to catching Gregor, and who is protective of Ellie. Meanwhile, Ellie starts as a committed, enthusiastic and by-the-book officer who becomes a rule-breaker, slightly burned out and traumatised. Stennart described Ellie's character as difficult to write, "[one] who is truly good but also interesting."

Filming of Der Pass took place from November 2017 to April 2018 in both Austria and Germany, at Bad Gastein, Berchtesgaden, Graz, Söcking, Vienna, Grundlsee and Sportgastein. The series was co-produced by the Austrian company Epo-Film and the German company Wiedemann & Berg Film Production,. Production was supported by FilmFernsehFonds Bayern, Fernsehfonds Austria, the film funding of the state of Salzburg, the CINESTYRIA Filmcommission and Fonds and Film Commission Graz. Additional crew members were Andreas Baltschun and Lucas Seeberger for film editing, Thomas Oláh on costume design, Heike Lange on set design, Herbert Verdino, Walter Fiklocki and Quirin Böhm for original sound, Nico Krebsfor on final sound design and mixing, and Tatjana Luckdorf and Evgenia Popova on make-up Design.

The second season filming began in January 2020, however, it was delayed by restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resumed in April and continued intermittently to December 2020. For this season, Stennert described how, "It's so interesting to see how someone becomes a perpetrator in the first place. So this time we wanted to start following this guy before the first corpse." Broadcasting started on 21 January 2022 on Sky Deutschland and ZDF.

Reception
Ray Flook of Bleeding Cool reviewed the pilot episode of Pagan Peak, which depicts "crime scenes with symbolically posed victims, reminiscent of pagan rituals." Die Presse's Anna-Marie Wallner observed the series title, Der Pass, has multiple meanings, both the geographical location between Austria and Germany and the annual festival group of St Nicholas, Krampus and the Angel. Wallner praised the "courageous and rather unusual" storyline, where the villain is revealed to the audience in episode 3 while "tension nevertheless persists." Der Spiegel's Oliver Kaever felt, "It is about isolation, the power of the Internet and digital surveillance fantasies... [and] the enormously spreading grief here that man is a wolf to man. And the world is not a place that forgives."