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)

It was nice to see Ben's mother back after a bit of a hiatus. She’s been absent from recent episodes, but here she gets involved in a case surrounding a talented bobsledder with a suspiciously similar last name to the Berghammers. Naturally, she finds a way to profit from it, as only she can. But things take a darker turn when the bobsledder dies the next day, and Ben steps in to investigate. Sabrina and Officer Pfeiffer were missing from this episode, and you could feel their absence, but Mr. Secretary made up for it. It reminded me of that scene from earlier episodes where he was caught in his long johns during a risqué moment. Overall, a decent episode. (20/11/2020)

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)

An episode that kicks off at a newly opened swingers club sounds promising, right? Especially when Rési, as usual, happens to witness a murder. But after that dramatic scene, the investigation quickly loses steam and becomes pretty dull. Even the usual banter between Ben, his mother, and Sabrina lacks its usual charm this time around. The plot gets tangled up in politics and so-called influential figures, which ends up being more of a snooze than entertaining. (28/10/2020)

I've definitely seen better episodes. There were so many funny references to Ötzi, the ice man, that I should have been cracking up, but the investigation itself was a total snooze. The only real highlight was the scenes where Ben crashes at his investigator friend Sabrina’s place. It started off with the usual promising vibe but quickly became a pretty standard episode. Honestly, it flirted with being a two-star contender at times. (28/10/2020)

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)

A nice, relaxing watch. The prelate isn't just sparring with an evangelical priest from a different denomination; he also finds himself smitten with a lady, giving her a picture of the Virgin Mary and even dancing a lively czardas with her. Ben can hardly believe it! I thoroughly enjoyed this one, with plenty of lighthearted moments featuring Pfeiffer, the ever-charming Rési, and Sabrina, who delivers her classic witty remarks that never fail to entertain. (29/10/2020)

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)