The Trap Series Review: Anna’s brutal murder ends in a lifetime of stress and trauma for her older sister Lisa, who desperately clings to the hope that she can find the answers to who killed her. Living a lonesome and isolated life, one quick glance at journalist Robert Lenzen on TV triggers something in her that makes her spiral out of control.
The Trap, from the outset, wants to tell us that everything that we hear from Lisa cannot be trusted. Suffering from mental trauma and, thus, disoriented half the time, she’s an unreliable narrator, and so the series keeps us guessing on whether or not her doubts are to be trusted. The series, using this, keeps viewers on the edge, making them wonder what is happening constantly.
Isabel Kleefeld directs the series (Die Falle), starring Friederike Becht, Hans Löw, Matthias Brandt, Miriam Ohlmeyer, Josephine Thiesen, Malaya Stern Takeda, Anna Schudt, and Michael Klammer. The Netflix series is based on the novel by Melanie Raabe.
The Trap Series Review
A Murder Mystery Driven by Grief and Revenge
At the heart of the series is Lisa Konrad, living alone after suffering immense trauma from the death of her sister. A chance glimpse of Robert Lenzen pushes her on a downward spiral, as she becomes hell-bent on proving that Robert was the one who murdered Anna. The series goes on a winding path through Lisa’s grief and trauma, as it showcases how negatively grief can affect someone and the way it messes with their mind.
Her path to revenge is laden with dangerous tendencies, wherein she becomes obsessed with getting to the truth. There are several red herrings along the way and a winding road that gets a bit too repetitive after a while. Lisa and Robert’s conflict is intriguing, as we see him also making preparations for an interview that will make or break everything. The series hypes itself up to that moment, spending several episodes making Lisa relive everything in her head and preparing her to meet the man who seemingly killed her sister.
It’s these episodes and moments that make The Trap feel repetitive and heavy-handed. Viewers who enjoy tense crime thrillers or psychological thrillers will get tired of the back-and-forth, especially because the series tries to make viewers believe something we already understand. The constant push to keep things moving and force twists and turns when they aren’t needed is what bogs the runtime down.
The last episode answers all the questions, and after spending so many episodes trying to figure out whether Lisa is telling the truth or not, the ending is rather disappointing. While it answers all the questions (and then some!), the series still leaves a disappointing taste in your mouth because it’s obvious where it’s going. There’s a small twist in the end that’s probably the best part of the show and leaves you with several shocking questions for the viewers to ponder over, but it comes a little too late.
Friederike Becht Leads the Psychological Thriller
Friederike Becht leads this thriller with a firm hand, as we see Lisa suffering the anguish of losing her sister so violently years after the incident. We are constantly reminded that she is not to be trusted, as her performance highlights how unstable and emotional she is. However, her drive and belief make viewers believe in her to some extent, as even beyond the mental deterioration, there’s a firmness and clarity in her thought that never leaves her.
Joining her for a game of hunter and hunted is Hans Löw, who is equally great as Robert. Although I will say that her character is not written well and he lacks depth or clarity, often acting so suspiciously that it gives everything away too soon. Either way, the supporting characters make us question reality as we see everything through Lisa’s eyes, which can sometimes be unclear or untrue.
A Psychological Game Where Trust Is Never Simple
The central setup of The Trust, at least in the first few episodes, is compelling. It’s difficult to believe whether Lisa is telling the truth, and the unreliable narrator part is the most interesting aspect of it. The situation is contextualised well as well, highlighting how grief changes us in such drastic ways. However, after the first couple of episodes, I found myself a bit tired of all the confusing elements, especially because it felt forced. After a while, the series only repeated the same thoughts over and over again, which took away from the tension.
On that note, the series starts off with a tense atmosphere, but soon, it was unable to hold on to it because of the constant stream of twists and turns. The suspicion, manipulation and violence don’t really mesh together well, and don’t build up the overall tension of the series. A few episodes in, I was simply waiting for the characters to say what was obviously coming, instead of going round and round in circles.
Final Verdict
In the end, The Trap isn’t able to trap us with its thriller elements, leaving us confused and annoyed by the time the series draws to an end. Even with only 6 episodes, it gets repetitive, as it’s not able to add anything to its established lore other than making two characters psychologically fight with each other. While it tries to create tension by making us question Lisa’s motivations and mental clarity, it’s overall underwhelming and unsatisfying.
The Trap series is streaming on Netflix right now. What did you think of the German crime thriller? Let us know in the comments below!
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