Der Bulle von Tölz

An artist comes to Bad Tölz – the painter Vincent. With his hippie looks he gains the favor of a number of women in the town, including Resi. And as Vincent picked Resi for his painting class, unfortunately, one of his acquaintances is murdered. The investigation goes on as usual, Resi picks on Benno, saying he is going to be forever alone, and also creates a painting for him, so he can parade with it in the local pubs. A relaxing episode with everything it entails. (28.01.2018)

Sergeant Pfeiffer is the main suspect in this episode. And that is more than suspicious, especially as the murder is investigated in Berlin, four hundred kilometers away from Bad Tölz. The basic story, however, is typical Der Bulle von Tölz – fun, full of delightful squabbles between the inhabitants of Tölz and Berlin experts. Plus we’ll meet the love of Benno’s life, there’s even a sex scene and Benno gets interrogated about being a part of Stasi. I don’t know about you, but in my opinion that’s quite a lot of absurdities for one episode. So I find it entertaining enough for four stars. (15.11.2019)

Benno’s mother is visited by her schoolmates, she accommodates them in her guesthouse to get something out of it, they get drunk and tell each other a lot of not very nice things. And all this partying ends up with one of them dead. Benno is desperate because he has to sleep in his office and even interrogate the women who don’t even remember when was the last time they had to use a bathroom. A great chill out piece and an episode that has everything that classic Der Bulle von Tölz has to offer. (13.10.2020)

The main premise of this episode is death in plastic surgery milieu, the secondary premise is an advertisement for Rezi’s guesthouse starring Benno. I chilled during this episode, I had a few laughs and moreover there were even a few horror aspects which I normally wouldn’t expect in this series. (13.10.2020)

The start of this episode is very special, because it deals with a murder of a man who looks incredibly like Benno. Everyone is so shocked by this that they don’t even check his identity. Then, however, the true Benno appears and the case starts to stir new emotions. Then there is a standard investigation, but with some really good lines. Especially when Resi starts to talk about her uncle who used to be in charge of SS groups. Sergeant Pfeiffer also has a nice moment when he shoots himself in the knee. I just can’t help liking this series… (05.02.2020)

The Italian character was the funniest from the whole episode. The boss fires the arrogant good-for-nothing guy at the beginning and he is then taken under the wings of her biggest rival. Meanwhile Benno falls in love with the boss (from my point of view this was brought on by the beer he drank, because she is not much of a beauty) and spends a hell of a night in her bed. The investigation is standard, the environment pleasant, and sometimes I had a feeling that the murderer is the whole village. And that’s the way how it should be. (23.12.2018)

A very decent episode. At the beginning there is a coffin and while it’s being put into the grave someone inside starts to bang on the lid. After opening it they find out that the person in the coffin was probably wasted as hell because they wanted to bury him with a bottle of liquor in hand. But oh! Death catches up with him and he’s found frozen the next day in a ditch with a hole in his head made by a stone. The investigation begins. Benno makes fun of the obesity of his relative who moves into the bed and breakfast, which is rather ironic. Sergeant Pfeiffer drinks a lot of beer and overall, this episode has a nicely relaxed atmosphere. A really good chillout for a rainy Sunday afternoon. (10.03.2019)

After many years of waiting the fans of Der Bulle von Tölz finally got a dubbed new season on TV, which begins with this episode. It would not be possible any other way than with dubbing, as after listening to the original I would say that Bavarian is possibly the worst of the European languages. Even though it is only a dialect. However, as for the episode itself, it jumps right into the story. There is a competition for the best bull in Bad Tölz and bulls gather from far and wide. But it is not really about bulls, because a murder is committed. And not just any murder; the victim is the secretary of state, who played his part in the show over the years and was often the source of fun. His cadaveric spasm is really hilarious and from that point on the fun begins, during which Ben drinks about four boxes of beer and eats (unknowingly) about half a dozen of steroids, which results in him carrying the four boxes home by himself. I was satisfied. It was truly relaxing and an honest return to fun. (10.07.2018)

A sex guru enters the scene and Resi is all over him. An average storyline with just the right amount of fun. This time it is provided by constable Pfeiffer and I already know I am going to miss him in the following episodes. His absent-mindedness was always great, especially in this episode. (12.07.2018)

The only thing worthy of interest in this episode is the fact that constable Pfeiffer appears there for the last time. After filming at the beginning of 2006, he bumped his head against the corner of a table in a restaurant and suffered such injuries that he did not live to see more episodes. Sadly. His role was so fundamental for this crime series that he is going to be missed in the following episodes. Nevertheless, this episode is not a big hit. Sure, Resi doesn’t miss any opportunity to pick on Benno, but the investigation is a bit boring, even though it was supposed to be an Ein erstklassiges Begräbnis – “first rate funeral”. (14.07.2018)

One of the more serious episodes that unfortunately lacks in quality. Sure, the creators looked for atmosphere in the convent of Saint Erentrude. The whole episode has a spirit of religiousness, which gives it a really distinctive atmosphere. Even the killer is properly deranged, so you would guess this would be one of the properly made crafts, but sadly not. In the end it was rather mediocre. (14.07.2018)

You can’t deny the fact that this episode was great in setting up the Christmas mood. Around Christmas I would happily watch this episode again and I am sure it wouldn’t be a mistake. It wasn’t as much about murder this time but rather about fun. Santa may be dead, but a love triangle is at the center of the story and Ben also has a suitress. Originally, I wanted to rate it three stars for a dull storyline, but in the end I will rate it four stars for the fun and a beautiful Christmas atmosphere of Bad Tölz. Even though objectively, this episode is more of a caricature of a good crime drama than a good crime drama. (12.07.2018)

After a long time, they made a bad, even substandard episode. The production was completely amateur. At first, the title enticed me. I had hoped that the episode could be fun since it’s about a professional critic, who are rarely any decent, but the murder was inferior. It seems like everybody wanted the critic dead and that everybody had something to do with. The plotline was far too Agatha Christie. Then when you come to the unravelling, you realize it’s exactly like Agatha Christie’s. It’s a shame that the only fun thing about it comes with a side character connected to the murder. She’s a cook (and a porn star, too) and Ben eats absolutely everything she cooks. His appetite is probably the only funny thing. This is the last episode with Sabrina before she got replaced with a different investigator by the ORF TV station. She wanted fame equal to Benno and his character’s mom and so she was removed. (07.08.2018)

This is the first episode without Sabrina and so it’s most likely the most melancholic episode of Der Bulle von Tölz. Ben reminisces about the times with Pfeiffer, who might have annoyed the hell out of him, but his lines were priceless. They also say goodbye to Sabrina quite awkwardly – she just gets pregnant and moves to Berlin, no goodbye, no nothing. It was a little obvious that the ORF TV station hasn’t parted on good terms with her. But even despite the melancholy and the new constable and investigator, it wasn’t that bad. The new investigator comes from East Germany so that presents the opportunity for some fresh jokes. However, I get the feeling that it won’t get any better from here and that Der Bulle von Tölz’s best days are over. (11.08.2018)

You can tell that the producers are trying hard. Benno’s partner has really come through as a character and so some of the scenes have more action to them than the usual retirement home party. That’s apparent in the very first scene of this episode. The investigation is standard, the jokes alright. A decent episode. (11.08.2018)

A very pleasant surprise in the form of the final season’s best episode. There’s a new investigator and even a new constable that’s supposed to replace Pfeiffer but he’s nothing but a drunken idiot. The flawlessness of the episode doesn’t lie in the murder, it lies in the side character who turns out to be a German Native American. Probably a fan of Karl May… He comes over to Benno’s as an old high school friend, but he’s become somewhat of a Cherokee. Resi is shocked and shuns him away like he’s a beggar. He eventually turns out to be the best janitor in the whole show, because Resi finds out he’s penniless and so she makes him scrub the entire inn clean. Once again, she behaves like a total slave owner and it reminded me some of the very best episodes. There’s also room for plenty amazing lines (like the one with the dragon mom) and beer, which I can always appreciate. Overall, a great episode and a proof that German screenwriters can work wonders when they put the effort in. (13.08.2018)

Since Benno is well-liked in Austria, the writers obviously had to do at least one Vienna murder. After watching it, I felt like it was a shame the writers didn’t also do Prague, since the Czechs are such fans of the show. It could have been fun. Anyway, everything started out svery innocenlyt. Resi (who else) got an invitation to a concert in Vienna and so she goes there with the new investigator Nadine. The very first night, she gets lost and goes missing. Late at night, Ben finds out and immediately flies to Vienna. He’s scared – not only is he used to her, but he’d probably never get a full belly ever again without her. He gets involved in the investigation and just like that, Resi appears out of the clear blue the next day. Unfortunately, she’s gotten mixed up in her best friend’s murder. And here we go. I loved the comments about the Austrians. I was pleasantly surprised that the Bavarians were pretty unforgiving and gave them what for. It was as if they were saying: you wanted Benno in Austria, here he is! I liked it a lot. The investigation was mediocre, but I’ll rate the episode a bit a higher for the environment. (13.08.2018)

If there already weren’t enough new characters-centered episodes, the producers have written up a more serious one this time. I may be only giving it three stars, but the murder and its investigation were at a whole another level. I’m not sure if that’s because I’ve been to Bad Tölz this year and so I’ve loved the Isar river scenes, or if I’ve simply liked the motor camp and the castle environment. The victimless murder was really something. A viewer gets to see a very interesting premise with an evenly interesting denouement. Interestingly, the humor was set aside for this one. (13.08.2018)

One of the episodes of the renowned Der Bulle von Tölz, unfortunately affected by the loss of sergeant Pfeiffer and detective Sabrina. I’m not saying that the new characters are bad, but their roles are not written so well so it’s not much fun. The only reliable moments are those with Benno and the Tölz priest, which serve as a reminder that this series has a potential for more. (10.03.2020)

The last ever episode of Big Ben has a relatively nice air to it. The writers have moved Benno’s and his mom’s relationship a bit forward, so now she tries to make a living on Mallorca selling meatloafs and meaballs with a Tyrolean twist. It’s not going very well though so – as it happens – she gets mixed up with Rambold’s mistress’ kidnapping. Rambold’s character is done very well and you can see him enjoy the role. The final episode has been a surprise for me. It may be a simple kidnapping, but the fun moments take turns with the serious ones, and it’s nice to watch. A perfect final episode, it’s even made me a little bit sad. (20.08.2018)