#ep: hackl

(Sorry for fairly bad-quality screenshots; I took these before Hackl was back in the Mediathek and I got access to the high-quality version...)

Here we have another Tatort that's not actually about the murder. Instead, this is very much about the limits - and ultimately failures - of policing as a solution to social problems. I think Hackl shows starkly that the police simply isn't a solution for social issues, which is notable for a Tatort, I think.

The titular character Johannes Bonifaz Hackl, who basically incidentally becomes a suspect in this episode's murder, is not a pleasant person to be around: He is racist towards Ivo (the first time in decades that this formerly common theme re-occurs!), constantly terrorises his neighbours in various ways, and he's run into trouble with the law as a consequence many times over the years. The fact that he's genuinely unpleasant and often shitty to others is precisely the point. Still, the film shows us very starkly that overwhelming police force not only does not help, but often makes things worse and is entirely unjust. What Hackl and the community around him needed was not for him to be chased by helicopters and put in jail.

I agree with @dichterfuerstin here that the backstory of why he is as he is is entirely besides the point, and I do not understand criticisms about missing motivation for his character at all.

In case there are any worries in that direction, Franz and Ivo are still not the "bad guys" in this film; that's not the point. But the case gives them some opportunity to reflect.

Oh, and I guess I should mention that this is the episode where football star Joshua Kimmich plays a fitness trainer who Kalli seems to immediately develop a crush on? I thought this was a crack ship, basically, until I actually watched the scene, which convinced me instantly.