The White Devil

## *Dark*

**"The White Devil"** is the seventh episode of Season 2 of *Dark*. It premiered on June 21, 2019, and is the 17th episode overall.

## Summary

Martha meets the Stranger and learns his true identity. Claudia tries to prevent Egon's death in 1987. Hannah travels back to 1954 to see Ulrich.

## Plot

### Prologue

We see Adam sitting in his lair, imagining his boyhood love, Martha Nielsen, sitting across from him. The narrator, Adam, says:

*"People are peculiar creatures. All their actions are driven by desire, their characters forged by pain. As much as they might try to suppress the pain, to repress desire, they cannot liberate themselves from eternal servitude to their feelings. As long as the storm rages within them they can find no peace. Not in life, not in death. And so, day after day, they will do all that must be done. Pain is their ship, desire their compass. All that humankind is capable of."*

During this speech, we see several scenes. Hannah Kahnwald is in Jonas's room; she takes the time machine while imagining Ulrich Nielsen watching her do it. Martha looks at the St. Christopher medal while imagining Jonas in her room after the fight between him and Bartosz ("Alpha and Omega"). Katharina Nielsen imagines her son Mikkel in his room dressed in his "work clothes."

### One day until the apocalypse (June 26, 1954)

Egon Tiedemann and his coworkers inspect the unidentified old woman's corpse (the elderly Claudia Tiedemann) found near the Doppler cabin in the station's morgue. Egon immediately recognizes her, saying that she came into the police station before, apologizing profusely to him but making little sense otherwise, on the same day that the missing Helge Doppler returned ("Ghosts"). She is shown to have unusually high levels of radiation. Chief of Police Daniel Kahnwald suggests that Egon show a photo of the woman to Helge to see if he can shed some light on the mysterious dead woman.

### June 26, 1987

Middle-aged Claudia is sitting at her desk in her office at the nuclear power plant, recording her research findings from the tests she had performed on the Cs-137 sample the day before ("Lost and Found"). When she realizes it's the day her father, Egon, is supposed to die, she hurriedly rushes out to see him.

### June 26, 2020

The middle-aged Jonas wakes up in his bed and looks for Hannah. She is nowhere to be found. Hannah stands at the entrance to the caves with the machine in her hand and stares into the darkness. She walks into the caves.

Katharina stares at the tattoo on her arm (K+U) and the documents on the floor in Mikkel's room.

Charlotte Doppler shows her husband Peter the photo of her as a baby that Noah gave her ("Lost and Found") and repeats what the false priest told her about the world ending tomorrow. She tells him that her mother is alive. Inspector Clausen is looking at a photo of Aleksander Tiedemann when he is interrupted with new information about him.

Martha, having found the St. Christopher medal (left by the adult Jonas ("Lost and Found")), thinks Jonas has returned, as Bartosz Tiedemann predicted. She mentions this to her friends, and she and Bartosz argue. She makes it clear their relationship is over.

### June 26, 1954

Egon shows Helge the photo of the old Claudia and asks if he knows who she is. Helge says that he's heard about her. They call her the "White Devil," and while he doesn't reveal his source for this information, he claims that Claudia wants to "kill us all." Egon points out that Claudia is dead, so she can't hurt anyone any longer. Helge responds, "But she hasn't even started yet."

### June 26, 1987

Claudia continues to push Egon to move in with her. Egon shows increasing reluctance to leave his comfortable apartment. Claudia, disheartened, then asks if she can come with him to his first chemotherapy appointment that day, to which Egon responds with heartfelt joy.

### June 26, 2020

Clausen closes in on Aleksander, stating he is being charged with identity theft and obstruction. He says he is looking for Aleksander Köhler, who is his brother. He says he believes his height is different from what his documents state. Clausen proceeds to arrest him.

Martha heads off on her own to the Kahnwald house. While Hannah isn't there, the adult Jonas is and lets her in. Martha asks who he is. She looks at him strangely, and he asks if she is scared of him. She says she is experiencing deja-vu. As he did previously ("Secrets"), he responds, "A glitch in the matrix." He asks whether she found the St. Christopher medal he left for her. She then realizes that he is Jonas.

### June 26, 1987

Egon begins to tell Claudia that he knows time travel exists, referencing the American film *Back to the Future*. Claudia looks in shock.

### June 26, 1954

Hannah uses the time machine she stole from the adult Jonas to travel back to 1954. She goes to the police station to see Egon, stating she is looking for her husband, who might be the man accused of murdering the children. When asked about her name, she lies, saying that she is Katharina Nielsen.

### June 26, 2020

Sitting at the kitchen table, Jonas explains his absence to Martha. She says it all makes sense now. She takes his hand in hers and touches his forearm and face. They are interrupted by her mother, Katharina, who breaks into the house searching for Hannah. On seeing Martha and Jonas together, she pulls them apart and asks Martha whether she knows who this man is. He is the son of her brother, her nephew. She tells Jonas to keep his dirty hands off her and takes Martha away.

Aleksander is sitting in an interrogation room when Clausen enters. Clausen places a gun on the table between them and states that his brother vanished in 1986, similar to Mads Nielsen. His name was Aleksander Köhler, just like his. Clausen reveals a letter, passes it across the table, and demands Aleksander read it aloud. The letter states that he would find answers about his brother in Winden. He knows Aleksander killed his brother and leaves the room.

### June 26, 1954

Egon, slightly suspicious at the sudden appearance of a relative, takes her to visit Ulrich at the psychiatric institution, asking her to try to get a confession from him. He asks if she's ever heard of the White Devil, but she says no.

### June 26, 2020

At the Doppler house, Franziska Doppler, Magnus Nielsen, and Franziska's younger sister Elisabeth share what they know with Charlotte and Peter, who are already aware of the existence of time travel. Once Franziska realizes that her parents are not surprised by the news about time travel, she gets angry that they kept this knowledge a secret, as well as her father's affair. Magnus receives a call from Martha with the news that Jonas is back—as Bartosz had predicted—but is older. Mikkel and their father are alive but in another time.

### June 26, 1954

Ulrich is taken to Hannah in his straitjacket. He asks if she is real, then asks about Katharina and his children. Hannah, sensing that he cares more about Katharina and his family, asks him who he would choose between her or Katharina or if he ever loved her. He tells her he loves her and will leave Katharina if she can get him out of there. But his words sound hollow and desperate, just in the hope she will get him out. She tells Ulrich he does not need her now and turns around as Ulrich is brought back, yelling in desperation. She tells Egon that Ulrich is not her husband despite a slight resemblance.

### June 26, 2020

Martha hugs Katharina and assures her everything will be fine. Magnus enters with the machine and opens it. Katharina goes upstairs with it. Martha tells Magnus that Mikkel and Ulrich are alive.

### June 26, 1987

When Egon and Claudia arrive at his apartment to get his medicine, Egon starts to put the facts together and realizes that Ulrich keeps returning to the caves. Claudia grows increasingly hostile and defensive. He tells Claudia she knows about time travel too and that it is connected to the power plant. He starts phoning the police to search the caves. Claudia stops him and says this is too important to be jeopardized. He tells Claudia she has no heart. They struggle over the phone, and Egon falls backward, cracking his head open on the table. Claudia calls an ambulance (which could have saved his life) but hangs up, remembering what her older self said about sacrifices and everything happening as it always has so Regina will live ("Dark Matter"). Egon speaks his last words to his daughter: "You are the White Devil."

### June 26, 1954

In his office, Egon apologizes to Hannah for not reacting sooner. He asks if she is leaving. Hannah states that she lost everything back where she came from and is looking for a fresh start.

### June 26, 1987

After leaving her father to die, Claudia heads home visibly distraught and begins to wash the blood from her hands. She sobs uncontrollably. She is startled as the teenage Jonas enters with a key, but she does not know who he is or how he has a key. She realizes he must have got it from her older self. He tells her they have to go and don't have much time. He knows what she did, but it doesn't have to happen again—next time. "Where are we going?" she asks, "To the future," he responds.

## Cast

* Dietrich Hollinderbaumer as Adam
* Lisa Vicari as Martha Nielsen
* Andreas Pietschmann as The Stranger
* Maja Schöne as Hannah Kahnwald
* Oliver Masucci as Ulrich Nielsen
* Louis Hofmann as Jonas Kahnwald
* Jördis Triebel as Katharina Nielsen
* Daan Lennard Liebrenz as Mikkel Nielsen
* Sebastian Hülk as Egon Tiedemann 1954
* Lisa Kreuzer as Claudia Tiedemann
* Florian Panzner as Daniel Kahnwald
* Stephan Kampwirth as Peter Doppler
* Karoline Eichhorn as Charlotte Doppler
* Sylvester Groth as Investigator Clausen
* Gina Stiebitz as Franziska Doppler
* Paul Lux as Bartosz Tiedemann
* Moritz Jahn as Magnus Nielsen
* Carlotta von Falkenhayn as Elisabeth Doppler
* Cordelia Wege as Greta Doppler 1954
* Tom Philipp as Helge Doppler 1954
* Christian Pätzold as Egon Tiedemann 1987
* Peter Benedict as Aleksander Tiedemann
* Henning Peker as Pathologist Udo Meier
* Lea Willkowsky as Jasmin Trewen
* Leopold Hornung as Torben Wöller
* Mieke Schymura as Officer Justyna Jankowski

## Deaths

* Egon Tiedemann (from Adam's world) - Killed by Claudia Tiedemann by accident - June 26, 1987 (in Adam's world)

## Quotes

*"People are peculiar creatures. All their actions are driven by desire, their characters forged by pain. As much as they might try to suppress the pain, to repress desire, they cannot liberate themselves from eternal servitude to their feelings. As long as the storm rages within them they can find no peace. Not in life, not in death. And so, day after day, they will do all that must be done. Pain is their ship, desire their compass. All that humankind is capable of."*
―Adam philosophizes on mankind.

*"Do you know this woman?"
"Answer the sergeant."
"Were you with her maybe? Did she lock you in?"
"He told me about her. The White Devil."
"Who? Who told you about her? The man who did that to you? The White Devil. Tell me about the White Devil."
"She wants to kill us. All of us."
"She's dead. She can't hurt anyone anymore."
"But she hasn't even started yet."*
―Egon first hears of the "White Devil", from the young Helge.

*"What is it?"
"A copy of a document from the Marburg Registry Office, the data on your last ID before you left Marburg."
"I've no idea how this is relevant."
"Nothing stands out?"
"No. What should stand out?"
"You're 5' 6", I bet. Tops. That document says 5' 8". So I'm wondering where it is?"
"Where is what?"
"The two inches missing."*
―Clausen insinuates that Aleksander stole his identity.

*"You were always different. You saw the world differently from the very start. Sometimes I think that that's my problem—that I can't see the world as it truly is."*
―Egon to his daughter Claudia

*"I have no idea what's going on in this town. But I'm very certain of one thing: You are definitely not my brother."*
―Clausen to Aleksander after arresting him

*"What's in the caves eclipses all scientific discovery. That substance turns all we know about the universe on its head. And you want to risk all of that? For nothing?"
"You haven't changed. It's still all about you. You have no heart."*
―Claudia attempts to convince her father not to reveal the secret of the caves.

*"I lost everything where I came from. All I want is a fresh start."*
―Hannah to a younger Egon after traveling to 1954

*"I know what you did. She told me. But she also said it didn't have to happen that way again, next time."
"Where are we going?"
"To the future."*
―The young Jonas returns, to retrieve Claudia from 1987 in favor of the future.
## Analysis

### Mysteries

* Who wrote the anonymous letter to Clausen?
* Why does Helge say that the white devil has yet to start killing, even though she is now dead?

### Answers

* The content of the letter sent to Clausen is the same as the speech he makes when he begins the investigation in the episode Beginning and Ending, taken from the writings of Sigmund Freud. So we know where he got the talk from.
* We can reply now to Woller's question about Clausen mission here in Winden : it is written at the end of the Letter, in Winden you will find a clue about the facts involvimg his brother and happened 33 years ago
* Claudia is the White Devil in front of Egon due to his selfish behaviour and her vision about the world.

### Observations

* Egon sees Claudia's corpse, not realizing then that this is his time traveling daughter, while 33 years later Claudia sees Egon die, as he finally realizes Claudia is that woman.
* Among the items found on Claudia's body is a pocket sundial, which can be used to estimate time and provide direction. This is the first time such a device has been depicted on the show.
* Aleksander Köhler's height is listed as 175 cm (almost 5'9"), and Clausen estimates Aleksander Tiedemann's height at 171 cm (a little over 5'7"). It is not clear why the subtitles use different measures.
* Clausen estimates the height 171cm because he is as tall as him, he looks him in the eye
* Potentially the author of the letter could also be Hanna, even if it is signed by a friend. The letter is from April 2020 but Hanna has lost everything and maybe she is pondering revenge even if she has already had the one about Ulrich who has disappeared. In fact, she has never liked Aleksandr because he is very rich while she has always struggled to make ends meet.
* The adult Jonas seems just as awkward around Martha as he was as a teenager.
* The stranger/adult Jonas remembers Martha's exactly the speech of 04 November 2019 before Mikkel's disappearance, the deja-vu or the message from beyond the grave
* Martha finds out she is Jonas's aunt.
* Katharina breaks into the Kahnwald home, just as adult Jonas broke into her home.
* Hannah had previously blackmailed Aleksander to destroy Ulrich and now does so herself.
* Claudia wanted to prevent her father's death, as Jonas had but ironically, the events they were trying to prevent happened because of their actions trying to stop them.
* In the preceding episode Jonas asks Claudia who she is. In this episode Claudia asks the same of Jonas.
* Jonas has seemed to age a bit since the previous episode, due to spending a year with Claudia's older self learning about time travel. She probably informed him about her impending death.

### Themes and Motifs

#### Time

* The dates featured in this episode are: June 26, 1954; June 26, 1987 and June 26, 2020.
* This episode continues the countdown to the apocalypse. It is now the day before the apocalypse.
* Hannah decides to stay in 1954, now having nothing in 2020.

### Cultural References

* *The White Devil* - *Der weiße Teufel* is a 1930 German film adapted from the Tolstoy novella *Hadji Murat*, in which the titular character forms an alliance with his enemies in order to exact personal revenge.
* *The Matrix* - In the 1999 science fiction film *The Matrix*, what humans perceive as reality is actually a massive computer simulation, and a feeling of déjà vu indicates a "glitch in the Matrix."

## Gallery

*→ See **33** images from The White Devil at **Images from The White Devil**.*
Adam and MarthaJonas and HannahJonas and Martha1953 police stationRemoved for evidenceClaudia's pocket sundialClaudia's autopsyOn the tableMaking a recordingKatharina + UlrichClausen and his brotherSt. Christopher medalEgon visits the DopplersClausen has a warrantAt the hospitalKatharina encounters Jonas and MarthaThe letterEgon goes for a driveEgon goes for a rideWaiting for the parentsFranziska has it outHannah through the barsUlrich pleadsNot my husbandHappier timesEgon's medicationsRed-handedA moment of sadnessAleksander in his cellClaudia sobsClaudia ready for the intruderAdam palms his medal
## Navigation

 Season 3 | "Deja-vu" **·** "The Survivors" **·** "Adam and Eva" **·** "The Origin" **·** "Life and Death" **·** "Light and Shadow" **·** "Between the Time" **·** "The Paradise"