Kleo Review: Jella Haase is Remarkable in Her Pursuit of the Mysterious Red Suitcase

Kleo is a German action-thriller drama series, released by Netflix on 19 August 2022. The series follows an ex-spy who is out to get revenge and some answers. The series is created by Richard Kropf, Hanno Hackfort and Bob Konrad. Produced by Michael Souvignier and Till Derenbach, under the banner of Zeitsprung Pictures. Kleo Season 2 was released on Netflix on July 25, 2024.

-Kleo Review Does Not Contain Any Spoilers-

Kleo Season 1 Plot

In the year 1987, shortly after liquidating a businessman in West Berlin on behalf of a secret Stasi commando, top East German spy Kleo is arrested, denounced by the Stasi and even betrayed by her own grandfather. After two years in prison, the Berlin Wall suddenly falls and Kleo is released.

Kleo thus embarks on a revenge spree that leads her through the anarchic Berlin, improvised electro clubs and Mallorcan fincas all the way to Chile’s Atacama Desert – with the West Berlin policeman constantly on her tail, chasing the case of a lifetime.

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Kleo Review: Betrayal, Action, Violence and Some Comedy

The series starts off with the text ‘this is a true story, none of this really happened’, as confusing as it could be, it means that some parts of the story are true and some are fictionalised by the creators. In East Berlin in 1987, we see a woman changing her appearance and going into a nightclub.

She is our lead Kleo Straub and is currently on one of her missions. She tries to get the attention of a man and successfully does so. Leads him to the washroom stall where she poisons him which takes him out immediately. But there’s another person in the next stall who takes away a key from the dead man’s body. Maybe they work together or could it be someone from the opposite side?

Anyway, our secret agent who works for the Democratic Republic of Germany has successfully cleared her mission and gives the report to her other comrades and the commanding officer who takes her back home. As stealthy she might have been on her mission, she garnered unwanted attention from a man at the club, who saw her getting out of the dead man’s stall and even reports to the police by giving her face sketch. 

Although she goes on living her life, celebrating family members’ birthdays until she gets arrested on the account of treason. Without even listening to her side or giving her time to defend herself, she is given life imprisonment. However, two years later, as the Cold War ended with the Fall of the Berlin wall, she was released from prison with other political prisoners and lots of trauma.

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The first thing on her mind is to find out the reason why was she framed in a false case and sent to prison. She had followed the orders of her commanding officer to the T, then what went wrong? From then on start the search for answers, killing anyone that comes in her way. On the other hand, even after all these years, the man from the club, Sven Petzold, who is a police detective himself, couldn’t let go of the mysterious case of murder. 

He believes it links to something big and it’s his chance to leap on it, to show his skills as a good detective. So while our lead might be free from prison, other factors like Sven and higher people from the government are onto her, keeping track of her actions. But why is she a threat to them? 

While tracking back all the people that could be behind her imprisonment, the more she learns by whom and why she was betrayed, the more she realizes that behind it lies a plot of immense proportions and a red suitcase might be the root cause of everything. She has to find that suitcase before she is hunted down by the other forces.

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The series is packed with action, spy thriller, drama, violent killing and humour which keeps things on a lighter note. Stylistically speaking, the production design and the visual depiction of the reunification of the two Germany, fashion style with loud colours, double-breasted suits with shoulder pads and extravagantly patterned leggings etc are apt to the 90s period. 

They add a visual layer to the otherwise grotesque revenge thriller. The many disguises of Kleo in different characters are believable and perfectly deceptive. Julius Feldmeier who plays the role of Thilo brings the needed comic relief to the series and also shows us another side of the lead, through their strange friendship. And to give a spoiler, look out for the aliens.

Kleo Review: Final Thoughts

The series is a definite watch, Jella Haase completely owns the show and is the main reason behind the captivating drama. Her acting with diverse expressions really humanises the character and makes the audience relate & empathise with her. Unlike many spy revenge dramas leads, she is equally scary & dangerous as a lethal assassin but also displays deep emotions & vulnerability.

This could also be possible because of the strong script, that the actor was able to hold the show to its level. Any show feels more engaging when we know the character & their background somewhat, making the viewers feel like one team. However, in the middle, things might seem slow or dragging a single point but overall the story is tightly bound together and doesn’t bore the audience. 

Kleo is currently streaming on Netflix. Kleo Season 2 is also available to stream right now.

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