Shades of Guilt (2015–2019): Season 1, Episode 1 - Der Andere - full transcript

A married couple's sexual fantasy soon becomes a reality, but they discover one of their erotic adventures has near fatal consequences.

Here's your card
and this is your receipt.

Was everything OK?

- For you.
- Thank you very much.

Well, all the best
and see you again soon.

Oh, have my room cleaned
straight away, please.

Of course, Mr Paulsberg.
Have a nice day.

BERLIN CENTRE

Hello?

It's me.

- Where are you?
- I'm still in Hannover.

- Why?
- Winterberg, he...



wants to show me his new business
and invited me to dinner afterwards.

- Will you be coming home?
- I don't think so.

That's a shame.

Yes.

Listen, I've got to go.
I'll call again, all right?

I love you.

Bye.

SHADES OF GUILT

THE OTHER

Hello, Mr Paulsberg.
Friedrich Kronberg, I'm a lawyer.

Take a seat.

Your wife asked me
to talk to you.

How is she?

Composed.
She sends her greetings.



And...

And how is Rüdiger Timmer?

He's in intensive care,
but he's stable.

Your wife didn't really
tell me much,

just what the police told her,
namely that you, allegedly,

struck and severely wounded
a man in a hotel room in Hannover.

What happened in that hotel room?

I don't want to say anything

about what happened.

I'd like you to tell my wife
that it's up to her to decide

what she wants to say.

That's all.

I'll tell her.

Mr Paulsberg.

- He doesn't want to say anything?
- No.

He doesn't deny having done it
but he doesn't want to talk about it.

He told me to tell you that it's up
to you what you want to say about it.

- Do you know him, Rüdiger Timmer?
- Yes.

He and my husband
went to school together.

We once met by chance
in a hotel bar.

I don't know what happened.

You can call me any time.

That's kind.

Thanks.

Sometimes I think
we should go somewhere else.

Why? What's the problem
if everything's perfect?

- To our weekend.
- To us.

Good evening.

What was that all about?

What would you do
if he were here now?

I'd ask him to kiss my breasts

while you kiss me
between my legs,

and then the two of you
carry me to bed.

Here he comes.

Good evening.

Are you shy?
You're blushing.

Do you like him?

I think for Thorsten
it was just an anecdote.

He turned us on.

We had fantasies, but he wouldn't
have taken it any further.

I couldn't stop thinking
about it though.

I'd discovered something
strange within myself,

like when you suddenly
come across a new room

in your own house.

From next month,
you or anyone who uses your car

has to record
every journey in a logbook.

Departure time and location,
arrival time and destination.

No, you can use
any old notebook.

I will, Miss Baer.

Yes, bye.

- Do you want anything from the Thai?
- No, thanks. I'm not hungry.

What is it?

I have a proposition.

Don't say no straight away.
Hear me out first.

OK.

I want to meet a man.

A callboy.

I keep thinking about the sauna
and how we slept together.

I want you to watch.

OK.

This is your first time, isn't it?

Yes.

And what did you have in mind?

Well...

You have sex
with my wife while I...

I film the two of you.

We'll pay you twice
the amount that was agreed.

Fine.

Shall we get started?

- Let's go to the theatre.
- Yes, why not?

- Shall I get some tickets?
- Yes, do that.

- What are you doing?
- I want to do it again.

Why does it
turn you on so much?

Because you're watching.

It turns you on too, doesn't it?

But it's not without its dangers.

It's just a game.

A fun game.

For both of us.

What are you going to call him?

- Well, it's still Samuel.
- My vote still goes to Balthasar.

- My thoughts exactly.
- I think Samuel is a lovely name.

Lissy, we wanted to ask you

to be his godmother.

Me?

- Katja, no.
- I think it would be great.

I don't even know
how to handle children.

- To Aunt Lissy.
- To Aunt Lissy.

To Aunt Lissy.

Just do your best. You go first.
The professional will go first.

Katja.

So, how are you?

I'LL GLADLY MEET YOU BOTH!

And how's the baby?

Saturday?

Hang on, I'll ask Lissy.

Katja wants to invite us
to dinner on Saturday.

Katja, are you still there?
Let me call you back, OK?

OK, bye.

- What are you doing?
- I've just got us a date.

You don't even ask me
anymore, do you?

It turns you on too, doesn't it?

Yes, but I'm still jealous.

You needn't be.

Just tell Katja

that I'm going to a conference
at the weekend.

It's changing us, isn't it?

If you're not enjoying it,

we'll stop.

I'm afraid
we're losing each other.

I could go alone.

Bonnie and Clyde?

Tomcat Fritz.
Have you been waiting long?

Same again? Same again
and a gin and tonic for me, too.

Thorsten.

I don't believe it,
you're Thorsten Paulsberg from 8A.

It's me, Rüdiger Timmer.
Albert Schweizer School, Hamburg?

- No, I don't believe it.
- I don't believe it either.

And this must be your lovely wife.

Hello, I'm Rüdiger Timmer.

Weird, meeting you here like this.
Little Thorsten from 8A.

- I never thought you'd become so hip.
- Why not?

Although, I could have known.
Remember Annette Senft, Thorsten?

I've got to tell you this.
I can, can't I?

Your husband was in love
with Annette Senft. Everyone was.

She was unattainable, year nine,
but Thorsten didn't care.

He wrote her poems on cards
with birds and flowers on them.

Then one day, Harry Lensen,
the coolest guy in the school

reads the poems out loud
in the middle of the playground.

"To an angel,"
that kind of thing.

Everybody was laughing
and Thorsten just stood there,

listened and did nothing.
He didn't do anything.

Excuse me.
Can I talk to you for a moment?

- Let's leave, please.
- Why? It's fun, isn't it?

- Is there a problem?
- Not at all.

What's the matter?
Where are you going?

- Leave me alone.
- Where are you going?

Are you satisfied now? Is that
what turns you on, humiliating me?

It's just a game, Lissy.
It's just a game.

You know, you were
too cowardly to say no, to leave.

It's always the same.
You make me sick.

I'm sorry.

Lissy, forgive me.
I'm so sorry.

And that was it.

We stopped doing it
from then onwards.

We never spoke about it again.
It was simply over.

We took time off
and travelled to Australia.

It was great and we were happy.

Happier than ever, really.

But then, a few months
after we returned,

Thorsten went
to a fabrics expo in Hannover.

Hey, Thorsten!
What a coincidence.

Where's your lovely wife?
Are you alone?

- I'm here for the expo...
- Stay in contact, OK? See you soon.

Right, Mr Paulsberg,
it's party time.

- Rüdiger.
- Let's celebrate.

Look, I have no time.

Relax, will you? Partying is good.
I've got something really nice.

- Have you ever tried it?
- No.

It's really great,
especially before having sex.

So, are you and
your wife still active?

- No.
- I haven't seen you online, either.

Bonnie and Clyde.

- Do you want to try some?
- No thanks.

God, you're boring.

I'll tell you something.
I often think about it.

It was so good. The fact that you
were watching really turned me on.

Little Thorsten Paulsberg from 8A,
and I was fucking his wife.

It was probably
the best sex I've ever had.

I'm jealous of you. She really
loves it, how horny is that?

I'll be right back.

So you don't want
to say anything at trial either?

Yes. I mean, no. I won't say
anything about how it happened.

I spoke to your wife yesterday.

She told me everything.

My wife is a lawyer.

The problem is that if the partners
in her law firm find out,

they'll throw her out.

Yes, I understand.

You want to protect her,
I realise that.

But you must understand

that judges want
to make sense of a crime.

They want to understand the motive.
If they don't understand a crime

then the sentence
is usually a lot higher.

Well...

It is what it is.

Thorsten Paulsberg is accused of
the attempted murder of Rüdiger Timmer

in a hotel room in Hannover, using
a heavy ashtray to hit him on the head.

Rüdiger Timmer lost consciousness.
He was left with his head on the toilet.

The accused left the hotel,
leaving the victim behind.

Since drugs were found,

the charge is attempted murder
due to intended concealment.

Mr Paulsberg,
do you have anything to say?

My client wishes to remain silent.

Please call the witness,
Rüdiger Timmer.

Mr Timmer, may I remind you
that you must tell the truth.

Lying to this court is a criminal
offence. Do you understand?

Yes.

There are proceedings
against you concerning cocaine

that was found in the hotel room
and your briefcase.

You don't have to say anything here
that might incriminate you.

Your Honour, anything the witness
could say about what happened

would necessarily
relate to the drugs found

and therefore, he would
in all probability incriminate himself.

I agree with the defence.
The witness may refuse to testify.

- Mr Timmer, do you wish to testify?
- No, I don't.

Then you may stand down.

Ms Seeland, had you met
Mr Paulsberg before?

Yes, he always stayed at our hotel
when he was in Hannover.

Did you notice anything strange
when he checked out on September 9th?

No, not at all, really.

He left a 30 euro tip,
like he always does.

I asked him if he'd enjoyed
his stay and he said yes.

Then he asked me to have his room
cleaned as soon as possible.

And he was very friendly.
He always is.

- Thank you. I have no more questions.
- Ms Seeland,

do guests often ask for their rooms
to be cleaned quickly when they leave?

- No, not really.
- Did you have it cleaned quickly?

- Yes, I did.
- What happened next?

The cleaner phoned me and told me
that there was someone lying there.

- And what did you do?
- I called an ambulance.

How long after Mr Paulsberg left
was the victim found?

About half an hour.

And if Mr Paulsberg
hadn't asked you,

how long would it have been
before the room was cleaned?

Well, a good 2 hours,
I would think.

Your Honour,
given Mr Timmer's injury,

he could well
have died in that time.

It was a good day for us,
Mr Paulsberg.

It will help us greatly
that you hinted at your crime.

Let me briefly summarise.

You dragged Mr Timmer to the toilet
and laid his head on the seat,

presumably to hit him better.
But you didn't. Why not?

I had to think of my wife,
about how we met.

It was at a snack bar
at the airport.

She was wearing a coat
which was far too thin.

It was a blue coat
with large silver buttons.

She was freezing
and I offered her my jacket.

I don't usually do that,
but for her...

There was nothing from outside
that stopped you committing the crime.

We call this a golden bridge.

You decided not to go ahead
with the murder attempt.

That means that the judge can't
convict you of attempted murder,

only of grievous bodily harm.

Do you know how my wife is?

No, unfortunately I don't.

The case against Mr Paulsberg
will now continue.

Please call the witness,
Elisabeth Paulsberg.

Please take a seat at the front.

Mrs Paulsberg,
as the wife of the defendant,

you have the right
to refuse to testify.

I'm aware of that.

Nevertheless, I would like
to make a statement.

I met Rüdiger Timmer last March

on a train from Hamburg to Berlin.

It was delayed and
we struck up a conversation.

He offered to share a taxi
into the city centre.

A few days later, we bumped
into each other at a Thai restaurant

where I often have lunch.

I liked him. He made me laugh.
He flirted with me.

He was so very different
from my husband.

Don't get me wrong,

I love my husband,

but we've been married
for 14 years now

and I fancied an adventure.

That's how I became
Rüdiger Timmer's mistress.

We'd meet in the flat
of a friend of mine

who's gone to Paris for a year.

It went on like that
for about 2 months.

It was usually on Thursdays.
I told my husband

that I was doing a yoga course.

Thorsten, my husband,
must have followed me one day.

He rang the bell
and I thought it was Rüdiger.

We had a dreadful argument.

My husband was very upset
and said that he wanted a divorce.

I ended my relationship
with Rüdiger Timmer that same day.

I didn't want to ruin my marriage.

My husband and I decided to take
a break and we went to Australia.

We made up.
We were happy again.

Happier than ever before, in fact.

I became convinced that
we'd safely left the past behind us.

I want to

give you this,

- as evidence.
- What is it?

Rüdiger Timmer and I
sometimes filmed ourselves

having sex.

Fine, I'll have this checked out.
Thank you.

Elisabeth Paulsberg
is hereby dismissed.

I have reached
the following verdict.

I find the defendant guilty
of grievous bodily harm

and sentence him to 3 years
and 6 months in prison.

The costs of this trial
are to be paid by the defendant.

The court has decided

that the sentence for attempted
murder passed on September 9th

is hereby annulled.
The new sentence stands.

The detention period while awaiting
trial will be deducted. My verdict...

WE OFTEN THINK OF YOU.
COME AND VISIT US! THE PAULSBERGS!

A person's guilt
is hard to measure.

All our lives we strive
for happiness but sometimes

we go astray
and things go awry.

Then only the law
separates us from chaos,

a thin layer of ice, underneath
which it's cold and you die quickly.