hatlad Firstly, who in the hell consulted them on US military uniforms and insignia? Whoever it was really took the producers' money. Staff Sergeant stripes AND 1st Lieutenant bars? Or even worse with Major's oak leaves? Good night! And all the homosexual love scenes was just ridiculous. Nothing more than an amateurist attempt at being so politically-correct as to attract followers just for that and not the amateuristic production.Mostly symbolism and little substance. And really amateur mistakes in wardrobe to boot.

eunicemuir When we have to wait a year or more for the next season of a TV series, it would help if they wrapped up the loose ends and began the next season with a new storyline rather than leave us with a nail biting cliffhanger. By next year we will have forgotten where they left off. They could keep some of the characters non-cliffhanging threads, but leaving everything hanging in the air is frustrating to say the least, especially as there may not be another season. SPOILER AHEAD! My other BIG criticism is the practice of German and some other European studios to only use subtitles when the characters are speaking in their own language. As someone who needs the captions as I am somewhat hearing impaired, when the characters speak English I cannot for the life of me follow what they are saying in their heavily accented English. As a result, I have no idea of a lot of the plot n in 'the Same Sky' or how it ended. I found out from reading another poster's review that Lars was the cousin of the two girls in the Eastern section, and their schoolteacher father was his uncle. OK, and seeing as his father had a photo of twin babies, he must have a twin somewhere, probably in the west. Where was his mother? Why was he brought up by his father alone? Who were the losers building a tunnel and why? Why was the workplace informer brought into the plot? I mention these because the story was incomprehensible to me without the subtitles and a potentially good international thriller was ruined.

afeldma I suppose this could be described as a six-part family drama, set on both sides of the Berlin Wall in the early 1970s. Two brothers live in the same apartment house in East Berlin: one has been raising his 25 year old son by himself; the other has two daughters, the younger being trained as an Olympic swimmer. The older brother is a weary but loyal patriot to the Marxist state (and an informer); the young brother is a schoolteacher, ambivalent and timid. On the other side of the Wall an American intelligence officer, his wife, and their daughter, will become intertwined with the family in the East when the 25- year-old, who is trained as a "romeo" spy, is told to set his sites on American woman intelligence officer. With unflinching force, the series explores the way love can be repulsively distorted and corrupted by political pressures. (Thus lots of images of gloppy food, and crude strategies for seduction.). The irresistible metaphor (implied by the title) is that these two vastly different ideologies co-exist under the same sky, just as lovers, or, indeed, a family, can be brutally divided by different priorities and ambitions. The critique of any and all ends justifying "lofty" means falls more heavily on East Germany, of course, depicted as close to a slave state, but the series does allow space for those who remain socialist idealists to express their ill-conceived hopes too. At times the suspense is riveting, but the writer also takes time, as well, to explore the psychological intimacies of at least half-a-dozen varied relationships, gay, straight, and familial, each affected by this East-West divide. I liked this drama very much as it is, enough to hope there won't be a second season: the final image of this first season says everything about how family fear and dishonesty, and political subterfuge and ruthlessness, corrupt the very essence of innocent human affection and love. So in my view, nothing further needs to be seen or known . . . though a viewer is likely to be thoroughly attached to many of the characters by the end, and would, I suppose, be curious to know the aftermath of what has occurred in detail. Alas, though, very clear vectors have already been drawn.

James Kitsch The show mainly revolves around Lars Weber (Tom Schilling) - A Romeo agent from East Germany sent out to seduce and retrieve information from certain female personnel of the West German government. Though the plot seems deeply rooted in James Bond territory, the show quickly dispels this assumption by deviating from the generic alpha-male lead and instead opting for a young neophyte agent. One whose lack of experience leads him to act like an obedient schoolboy, scarcely questioning his superiors, still prone to rookie mistakes, but undoubtedly capable of maneuvering himself with impeccable finesse and apt vigilance. Apart from Lars Weber is a multitude of well researched and astutely written characters and sub plots that successfully depict the daily struggles and momentary triumphs of Germans during the cold war. And while the story transpires in that era, many of its themes, such as the pursuit of freedom, the willingness to sacrifice oneself, or the unapologetic demonstration of fervent (albeit misguided) patriotism prove to be remarkably relevant to date.The Same Sky is not a facile series that hinges itself on historical clichés and typical Hollywood thrills. It does not carelessly dismiss the east as a stifling communist dystopia nor does it gratify the west as a freedom-bloated paradise. Rather, it is a cleverly crafted opus that tells the story of the people of the cold war through an unbiased lens