In the opening scenes we see an art auction where a woman outbids a German buyer, Hans Sperling, for a Japanese erotic painting. After the auction she joins him in the hotel bar, they start chatting and arrange to meet later so that she can show him some other works he may be interested in. When she doesn't show up he goes to her room and finds her dead. It turns out that he is a German police officer who is also a friend of Becks; he gives Beck a call and soon an investigation underway. When the room is searched it becomes clear that the victim has been laid out to resemble a painting; there is also no sign of a valuable print she claimed to have. As the case progresses it becomes apparent that somebody is producing fake prints in an operation that could be a motive for murder and more bodies are found. As the case approaches its conclusion Hans and Gunvald find themselves in a very dangerous situation.
This was an enjoyable new case for Beck; the art-world setting was interesting even if the killer is eventually shown to be a rather clichéd cultured psychopath. As well as an interesting case there are plenty of amusing moments; most notably when Beck returns home to find Hans and his neighbour drinking his Calvados and singing 'Danny Boy'; this becomes even funnier when the neighbour suggests that they become a group even though it is clear that is the only song they can sing. Some other laughs are provided by Gunvald. As expected the regular cast do a fine job and Dieter Pfaff makes a good addition as Hans. Overall I'd say that fans of the series should enjoy this episode.
These comments are based on watching the episode in Swedish with English subtitles. Given that a major character is German there is also a fair amount of subtitled German and English that is good enough not to require subtitles.
This was an enjoyable new case for Beck; the art-world setting was interesting even if the killer is eventually shown to be a rather clichéd cultured psychopath. As well as an interesting case there are plenty of amusing moments; most notably when Beck returns home to find Hans and his neighbour drinking his Calvados and singing 'Danny Boy'; this becomes even funnier when the neighbour suggests that they become a group even though it is clear that is the only song they can sing. Some other laughs are provided by Gunvald. As expected the regular cast do a fine job and Dieter Pfaff makes a good addition as Hans. Overall I'd say that fans of the series should enjoy this episode.
These comments are based on watching the episode in Swedish with English subtitles. Given that a major character is German there is also a fair amount of subtitled German and English that is good enough not to require subtitles.