Bold Guard

**Bold Guard** is the penultimate episode of *Deutschland 83*.

## Synopsis

As preparations for NATO’s nuclear war game intensify, Martin receives an order from East Germany that cements his fears about their paranoia.

## Plot

Stamm retrieves another coded message from the secret communication spot in the woods. The message reiterates that Able Archer is a nuclear first strike and tells him to “prepare for war.”

Tischbier wonders where Alex is as half a million protesters converge on West Berlin.

General Edel tells troops to prepare for the real Able Archer, a full-scale simulation of a nuclear strike. Edel reveals to the troop’s excitement that their own base will serve as NATO headquarters for the exercise.

Schweppenstette and his KGB superiors outline Case RYAN: a protocol to anticipate nuclear attack, which Soviet top brass continue to view as inevitable.

The troop assigned to operate NATO’s new super-computer mentions to Stamm and Alex that they are using the real release codes for nuclear missiles in the simulation. Stamm asks Alex if he thinks Able Archer could be a cover for a real attack. Alex assures Stamm that generals just love their war games.

Stamm calls his aunt, insisting that Able Archer is just a war game. Rauch, cutting short a tryst with her Mozambican diplomat lover, is skeptical. Stamm tells her he’ll have no choice but to warn the West if she doesn’t believe him. Rauch shares Stamm’s words with Tischbier, who doesn’t believe Stamm’s warning but is alarmed by his threat.

Thomas meets Annett outside Ingrid’s house but declines to stay for lunch as planned, on his way to East Berlin for a weekend road trip with friends, as hundreds of thousands protest nuclear proliferation on the other side of the wall.

Schweppenstette shows up at Ingrid’s, where he and Annett had arranged for him to collect Thomas. Annett invites him to stay for lunch anyway, despite Ingrid’s obvious reluctance. Over the meal, Schweppenstette and Ingrid’s shared history emerges: He was once her idealistic literature professor in a simpler time.

Afterward, Annett explains Thomas’s absence, and Schweppenstette gives her tickets to a concert coming to town that night in which Yvonne is performing. Schweppenstette shares a suggestive photo of Stamm and Yvonne together and asks Annett to convince Yvonne to stay the night with her so his agents can detain her.

Protesters block the supply route to the base unannounced, stranding the truck carrying NATO’s supercomputer outside. Generals Jackson and Edel both suspect Alex, but he tells them he had nothing to do with the protest. Edel plans to disperse the protesters with force, but Stamm convinces him to try a more diplomatic approach. Edel orders Alex to use his familiarity with the peace movement to convince the pacifists to leave voluntarily. When Alex sees Tischbier in the crowd, however, he crosses the protest line and joins them in uniform, humiliating his father. Edel tells Alex to bring Tischbier in for questioning.

Stamm takes the opportunity to tell Tischbier what’s going on. Tischbier remains disbelieving, pointing out that Stamm is only one of hundreds of sources and that his superiors have access to all of them.

Edel and Tischbier argue over the protest. When Tischbier hints at the sexual nature of his relationship with Alex, Edel orders him out. Stamm tells Tischbier in no uncertain terms that he will warn Edel if Case RYAN isn’t called off. Tischbier threatens Annett.

Outside Alex stops Tischbier, who squashes his hopes of rekindling things and tells him to get tested for AIDS. Moments later, military police arrest the protesters. Tischbier calls Rauch and tells her to proceed with Case RYAN, insisting that he’s now seen the preparations for war himself.

Rauch passes all her information along to Schweppenstette, who ignores Stamm’s warning and sends Tischbier’s message up the flagpole. KGB superiors brush off advisers’ warnings that all Case RYAN will accomplish is nuclear war.

Stamm plants his most recent coded communication inside the supercomputer for troops to find. Edel tells the man who reports it to get Stamm’s help breaking the code, just according to plan. The code, however, proves to be impossible to believably break in a short amount of time.

Desperate, Stamm comes clean to Edel, begging him to halt Able Archer and warn NATO of the Soviets’ intentions. Edel, shocked, tries to arrest Stamm, but Stamm flees. Edel locks the base down, but Stamm makes it out, steals a civilian’s car and escapes.

Thomas is arrested and detained for questioning.

Yvonne prepares for her performance with a little pre-show wine and marijuana. Schweppenstette watches the concert on TV.

Annett meets Yvonne after the show and offers to let Yvonne sleep on her couch so she can see a bit of the East before she moves on.

General Edel proceeds with Able Archer as Stamm speeds toward the East German border.

## Music

 Sonderzug nach Pankow
 Give Peace a Chance
 Ich bin Rocker
 Sehnsucht
 Jeopardy
 White Wedding

## Gallery

*The gallery for **Bold Guard** can be found here.*

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