Kleo 

Netflix series – 8 episodes

Premiered Aug. 19, 2022

Starring Jella Haase

Someone whose opinion I value recommended Kleo to me. Was it one of my sons? He described it as “great but quirky.” As in: “You may not like it. If you don’t, it’s because you are not sophisticated enough to appreciate its subtleties.”

I was not disappointed.

Kleo is a German spy/revenge thriller/comedy TV series. It is smart. Stylish. And clever.

It is also unique. I’ve never seen anything exactly like it. Yes, Killing Eve was an inspiration. So was Kill Bill. Ultimately, Kleo is sui generis.

 It takes place in the late 1980s. Kleo, the lead character, is an agent working for the Stasi, the East German secret police. On the eve of the collapse of her country, she is arrested and imprisoned by her own people without an explanation. After the wall comes down, she is released. And she wants to find out why she was targeted. The series is about her mission.

Kleo works as a spy thriller. It has the necessary twists and turns and the suspense. It also works as a revenge drama. She has the motivation. And all her killings are well deserved. It provides plenty of references for movie buffs and TV enthusiasts. And, finally, it works as a parody – a likeable spoof of what I assume was German pop culture in the 1980s.

 Critical Reception 

* “There has been a litany of revenge thrillers over the years, especially those told from a female perspective. From Kill Bill and Hard Candy through to Carrie and Killing Eve, this genre has been mined to death. This automatically puts Netflix’s new German thriller, Kleo, on the backfoot. Somehow though, this show manages to both feel refreshingly new and overly familiar at the same time, taking a simple but effective formula and spinning that into a bloody, twisty-turny thriller.” (Greg Wheeler, The Review Geek)

* “The series is a definite watch. Jella Haase completely owns the show and is the main reason behind the captivating drama. Her acting with diverse expressions really humanizes the character and makes the audience relate & empathize with her. Unlike many spy revenge drama leads, she is equally scary & dangerous as a lethal assassin but also displays deep emotions & vulnerability.” (Ameen Fatima, Leisure Byte)

You can watch the trailer here.