The two lead characters, brothers Max and Moritz McLaughlin, are named after German literary characters from a 19th-century illustrated children's book, Max and Moritz: A Story of Seven Boyish Pranks. The book also features prominently throughout the series.[1]
Episodes
"First Trick". New York Police Department Detective Max McLaughlin is sent to Berlin by the United States Department of State in 1946 to help German police superintendent Elsie Garten establish a new police department after World War II and try & find his brother, Moritz, a United States Army soldier who is
AWOL.
"Brother of Edmund". Vice-consul Tom Franklin, Max's boss, puts pressure on him to investigate and solve the
murder case of two
American GIs as soon as possible.
"Rainbows". An
auxiliary police officer has discovered where Karin is, but she manages to flee to the "Angel Maker", a German
crime boss and
abortionist; Max does not find Moritz himself, but he finds his sanctuary, discovering that he is holed up in a boathouse.
"Nakam". Moritz discovers crucial documents in high-ranking
Nazi officer Otto Oberlander's home; Tom's wife Claire helps Max in his investigation; Claire discovers that her husband is collaborating with the Nazis; and Max and Moritz disagree about what should happen to Franklin.
"Bellyful". When Max and Elsie's unit locates Karin once more and pursues a contentious line of questioning, the investigation in Berlin goes on.
"Blessed". Elsie and Max make progress in the investigation, but Karin and the Angel Maker continue to be one step ahead. Elsie also takes dangerous action to defend her husband Leopold.
"Mutti". When Max discovers the truth about the secret flights, he issues an ultimatum to Moritz, and Karin and the Angel Maker organize a fatal attack on Max and Elsie's police precinct.
"Homecoming". When Max and Elsie find out where the Angel Maker is, he has one last ruse up his sleeve; Moritz targets Tom, setting up a confrontation with Max.
Maximilian Ehrenreich [
de] as Gad, a kind 16-year-old male novice German police officer assisting Max and Elsie.
Production and distribution
The series was written by
Måns Mårlind,[2] and produced by
Tandem Productions and
Bron Studios.[3] It premiered in Germany on
ZDF in four film-length episodes in October and November 2020. In Australia, it was shown as Shadowplay in 2021 on free-to-air TV station
SBS.[4]The Defeated was distributed on
Netflix on 18 August 2021.[5]
Production on The Defeated took place entirely in
Prague and surrounding locations in the
Czech Republic, standing in for WWII-era
Germany.[6]