*SPOILER ALERT*
-
prdarin — 10 years ago(August 13, 2015 06:51 PM)
"Mozambique was a socialist country allied with the Soviet Union and the GDR. I can't see her going there on anything other than official business."
I think she was escaping the war they all thought was imminent. No matter what, eventually it would have gone nuclear and global. Germany would become a wasteland, along with much of Europe and North America, as well as significant parts of Asia. Fallout would be pretty much everywhere, and let's not forget nuclear winter.
I'm not sure to what extent Africa would have been involved in global nuclear exchanges, but along with South America and Oceania it would have been hit significantly less (if much at all) than the rest of the developed world. Besides that, Mozambique is in the SouthEast part of Africaabout as geographically far away from Europe/Asia/North America you could get and still be in an allied country (like you said they were allied with the GDR/USSR/Eastern Bloc). It all would depend on prevailing winds and what not, but generally the further away you are from blasts the less likely you may be to get falloutespecially when you're all the way on the opposite side of the equator.
tl;dr: I think Lenora was being smart and trying to survive. -
Tastentier — 10 years ago(August 07, 2015 03:35 AM)
The only thing Tischbier, Martin's handler, knew for sure is that he repeatedly had sex with a person who had been diagnosed with AIDS. He didn't know for sure if he was infected, or if he had passed the virus on to Alex.
Back then, all people could do was to inform their past sexual partners and wait for the first signs of AIDS to show up (such as Kaposi's sarcoma, which only occured in elderly people prior to the AIDS epidemic). The part about the HIV test was an historical anachronism, since it didn't exist in 1983. The medical community didn't even know that AIDS was caused by the HIV virus at the time. -
desepticon — 10 years ago(August 06, 2015 12:25 PM)
Right. I thought he was being tested. It's not confirmed that he has it yet, so suicide would seem premature. Not to mention it would take a while for symptoms to appear in the first place.
My brother was eaten by wolves on the CT Turnpike -
Tastentier — 10 years ago(August 07, 2015 03:16 AM)
It's true that AIDS killed quickly in the days before antiretrovirals, but the time between the initial HIV infection and the first AIDS symptoms can be up to 15 years if the infected person is otherwise in good health. Sadly, details like the unusually long incubation period weren't known back then, a mere two years after the discovery of the disease.
-
ajhodak — 10 years ago(August 06, 2015 10:21 PM)
It was unsettling from the moment the General got out of his car, it seemed someone was or had committed suicide. The thought his wife might have done this briefly crossed my mind. Purposefully ambiguous as to who killed who / themself, added to the suspense. I'd have to lean towards the General doing it. The son knew AIDS was no picnic, and went to get himself tested. To me, that shows he still cares about himself. The General's life was crashing down both at work and home. That was a giant cliffhanger, that might never be definitively answered?
-
grt2009 — 10 years ago(August 07, 2015 03:09 AM)
Well, an AIDS test did not exist in 1983 (became available in 1985), but assuming it did exist, I say it was the kid who shot himself. We've seen how impetuous he is, how he never had the support of the Army (or, by extension, his country), who suspected him all along of being a spy and whom he indeed did try and betray, how his "lover" dumped him and left him to be both exposed as gay and to die. I can see him not wanting to face either his father or the rest of his life, totally void of anything meaningful to believe in.
-
Tastentier — 10 years ago(August 07, 2015 03:39 AM)
I think they deliberately kept it vague, but my money is on the general. Simply because if the show is renewed for a second season (in which case it will probably end with the opening of the borders in 1989), it would make more sense to bring Alex back into play rather than his father.
-
Hushpuppy_20 — 10 years ago(August 09, 2015 10:41 PM)
This is my thinking too. Although both characters were interesting (and the actor who played the general did a great job) his characters usefulness had kind of run its course. What would his purpose be in Season 2? His son's sexuality/possible AIDS diagnosis had much more potential. As much as I enjoyed the show it's "adult" characters were more background players most of the time. The show was more about the young cast and I believe that's another reason they would bring Alex back over Wolfgang.
-
lakurfiss — 10 years ago(August 13, 2015 06:01 AM)
Let's break it down:
A: Alex shoots himself. Depressed that Tischbier used and abused him, and now he may have AIDS. His best friend is revealed as a DDR mole, and Alex himself may face charges. General Jackson will be looking for a chance to finish him.
B: General Edel shoots himself. Although he sees his family and career disintegrating all at the same time, he is a strong man, capable of facing these trials and whatever else life brings, with stoic resolve.
One of them shoots the other. Least likely scenario.
It's possible that it isn't suicide at all, just a frustrated guy shooting his TV, or something. nah!
Most likely: I vote for "A". -
prdarin — 10 years ago(August 13, 2015 07:00 PM)
'Let's break it down:
A: Alex shoots himself. Depressed that Tischbier used and abused him, and now he may have AIDS. His best friend is revealed as a DDR mole, and Alex himself may face charges. General Jackson will be looking for a chance to finish him.
B: General Edel shoots himself. Although he sees his family and career disintegrating all at the same time, he is a strong man, capable of facing these trials and whatever else life brings, with stoic resolve.
One of them shoots the other. Least likely scenario.
It's possible that it isn't suicide at all, just a frustrated guy shooting his TV, or something. nah!
Most likely: I vote for "A"."
Agreed. At this point Alex basically has nothing to live for and feels betrayed. He's also somewhat jealous of Moritz/Martinhe was a better soldier, spy, and son (Edel definitely seemed to like him better and trust him more than he did Alex) than Alex was. Kinda sad, really.
IIRC, they once showed that Edel kept a gun in his briefcase. That lingering shot of Alex staring at the briefcase seemed telling.
Besides that, Edel seemed to me like the type who would pour himself into his work in times of personal crisis. This is probably one of the reasons he estranged his family members. If anything, I think his family disintegrating would lead him to spend more time and longer hours at workalready seemed to be the case as the series went on. Also, he just didn't seem like the type who would kill himself. -
nemuro8 — 10 years ago(January 04, 2016 08:06 AM)
My money is that no-one dies and that the shot misses.
Alex is deeply depressed and teetering on the edge of suicidal. But he could have ended his life anywhere, instead he goes home for comfort. His plan was probably to confess everything to his mother, but sees his father is home instead.
So fearing his father but needing someone to talk to. He takes his father's gun and goes to him. They end up in a confrontation where Alex reveals the concealed weapon threatening to shoot himself. However before he can raise the gun to his head, his father deflects his hand resulting in the gun misfiring at no-one.
The unfortunate target will probably be the fishtank but both father and son will survive.