Mephisto Waltz
Season 4 Episode 1 | 46m 58sVideo has Audio Description, Closed Captions
Oskar needs Max’s help to identify the high-powered traitor with the code name Mephisto.
Vienna, 1909. Oskar needs Max’s help to identify a high-powered traitor who threatens the very existence of the Austro-Hungarian empire and goes by the code name Mephisto.
See all videos with Audio DescriptionADFunding for Vienna Blood is provided by Viking.
Mephisto Waltz
Season 4 Episode 1 | 46m 58sVideo has Audio Description, Closed Captions
Vienna, 1909. Oskar needs Max’s help to identify a high-powered traitor who threatens the very existence of the Austro-Hungarian empire and goes by the code name Mephisto.
See all videos with Audio DescriptionADHow to Watch Vienna Blood
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship♪ [Crystal jingles] [Ticking] ♪ [Bell tolling] ♪ Max: Freud teaches us that we relive our childhood again and again.
Some of us are stuck in a nursery world, an obsessive need to play games.
♪ An adult addiction to gambling is often a long-buried childhood fixation.
Gambling's not simply a vice.
It's an expression of our humanity.
It is the way we behave towards each other in our relationships.
Play, win, lose... and we sometimes take immense risks, and in the most devastating circumstances, we can lose everything.
Von Bulow: Gentlemen, Franz Burgstaller is one of the most notorious criminals in this city.
An infamous arms dealer, with links to thieves and criminals throughout the Empire.
Well, gentlemen, as of now... his monstrous reign is ended.
[Men laughing] [Chains rattling] ♪ ♪ [Applause] ♪ Franz Burgstaller is finally in our custody.
[Applause grows louder] ♪ Von Bulow: Some of you... [Applause subsides] Some of you did assist me with his arrest last night.
I will, of course, mention you in my report.
Perhaps not all by name.
Anyway, to show my gratitude, beer for everyone!
[Loud applause] Need to get out of here, can't stomach this.
Meier: Gentlemen, the prisoner wants to talk, says it must be to you...alone.
♪ Oskar: So... look at you.
How the mighty have fallen, hmm?
When I give evidence at your trial, it will be a personal pleasure.
♪ Of course, it may not get that far.
Half the criminals in the city will be after your blood in order to protect themselves.
♪ I need to see Strasser.
What?
Right now.
It's important.
What's this about?
Just deliver this message.
♪ Tell him...
I know where to find... ♪ Mephisto.
♪ Strasser: Mephisto?
Oskar: That's what he said.
I didn't know quite what he meant.
From Goethe.
"Men's wretchedness in soothe I so deplore."
Mephisto is the devil.
Hmm.
Where is Burgstaller now?
In custody.
Awaiting trial.
He says he won't talk in the station.
Says it needs to be elsewhere.
I told him it was impossible.
What's going on, Herr Direktor?
[Approaching footsteps] Do you need anything, Papa?
Strasser: Er, no, thank you.
Fraulein.
Who else knows about this?
No one.
I came straight to you.
I assumed you'd want to know about it.
Bring him here.
What?
The castle, the ruined castle, just beyond the house.
Obviously, I can't have him home.
No, but Burgstaller is a prisoner, we can't have him paraded around Vienna.
Bring other officers if you must, men you trust, but tell them nothing.
I must object, Herr Direktor.
I've spent months on Burgstaller's trail.
I have him under lock and key finally.
The Empire's under threat, Rheinhardt!
This meeting is vital!
♪ Mephisto is our deadliest enemy.
He goes only by his secret code name.
I've been trying to track him down for years.
If Burgstaller is telling the truth, then this is my first proper lead on him.
♪ I will sign a release order, your authorisation to bring the prisoner to me.
Burgstaller's dangerous.
I'll be armed.
If he tries to escape-- Agreed.
♪ [Children laughing] You know Goethe?
Read it at school.
Do you remember about Mephisto?
Gave a man magic powers.
Yeah, in exchange for his immortal soul.
Ach!
I hate this new automatic.
We need another officer to drive the carriage.
What about Meier?
He's keen, always comes in early.
Fine.
Don't tell him anything.
Go and get him.
♪ It was getting hot in there.
You know, Inspector, I can read your expression.
I can see the contempt that you have for me.
No.
I'm hardly hiding it.
The irony is... we are not so different, you and I.
♪ We both use violence to achieve our ends.
We both understand its power, right?
♪ A young woman was gunned down in Leopoldstadt last week, 19 years old, a robbery, killed in cold blood with a gun that you sold, Franz.
Don't you ever compare yourself to me.
You understand?
♪ Oskar: Meier, go out on the road.
Make sure no one's coming.
Keep alert.
♪ If it had been left up to me, we'd have skipped the trial.
Burgstaller: Oh?
What would your approach have been?
Time alone with me in these woods, no spectators.
Rheinhardt, if you will allow me...
I'm Strasser, the Director of Security.
You told the Inspector you have some information for me.
[Spits] Information?
It's treasure.
I found out Mephisto's real name.
You met with Mephisto face to face?
Mephisto's man came to do business with me, and afterwards, I followed him.
[Grunts] I saw them together.
Give me a name.
First, we need to talk about what you're prepared to offer me.
Rheinhardt, you and your men can step away, and, er-- Click.
One false move... do you understand me?
[Gunfire] Oskar: Take cover!
They're shooting!
Agh!
♪ Strasser: Dammit, Rheinhardt.
You were followed!
♪ [Gunfire continues] ♪ Protect me!
I'm a dead man!
♪ [Gunfire continues] [Grunts] [Gunfire continues] ♪ Oh...mm.
Dammit!
♪ No, no, no, no, no!
Stop him!
♪ No!
Herr Direktor!
Don't!
♪ What-- No.
[Gunshot] Meier: You're under arrest!
Don't move!
[Gunshot] ♪ Max: As every psychoanalyst knows, since we haven't gone through the experience of death ourselves, death doesn't exist in our unconscious... Oskar... Max: so we can't actually fear death.
♪ Remember... ♪ the castle.
Find him, find him.
Mephisto, promise me you will find him.
♪ I promise.
I promise.
♪ Max: We effectively pretend death isn't there until, of course, reality intrudes.
♪ Gentlemen, we're all shocked by the tragic death of Director Strasser.
As his Deputy, I have accepted the appointment as the new Director of Security.
♪ [Knock on door] Oskar: Commissioner?
Is there any news on the Burgstaller murder?
It's not your case, not anymore.
I know.
I was just curious.
[Clears throat softly] We've identified the killer-- Thomas Hofer, one of the Hofer gang, thieves from the Meidling district trying to stop Burgstaller informing on them.
Why?
You have any other information?
No.
Why did Strasser want to meet with Burgstaller?
I'm sorry, Commissioner, didn't tell me.
Your name is on this, Rheinhardt.
You were the one who took Burgstaller from his cell.
The Director gave me written authorisation.
Yes.
Well, can't help you now, can he?
As far as I'm concerned, your career is over.
Of course, I will miss you when you're gone.
♪ [Coffee beans clatter] ♪ [Doorbell rings] ♪ Sorry for what happened to your father.
He was a good man and a fine police officer.
He lived for his job... devoted himself to the Empire.
I need your help, fraulein.
Something happened before he died... a case we were both involved in.
Did he ever mention the name Mephisto?
♪ I'm sorry to ask.
Could I have a look in his private things?
♪ Strasser: The castle... Mephisto... promise me you will find him.
♪ I remember this.
I remember every detail.
Laxenburg.
A bomb was planted to disrupt the Russian summit by a Serbian nationalist-- Lazar Kiss.
♪ Your father and I, we were both there that day.
Kiss died a few months later in a fire.
♪ But why was your father still obsessed by it?
My father, he collected them-- disasters, errors of policing.
Did he tell you why?
No.
It's important, fraulein.
Anything you can remember, anything?
I'm sorry.
I need to take these clippings.
I--I do recall him saying one thing.
Yes?
One night when he had been drinking, he kept repeating, "Someone in Vienna is giving away our secrets."
♪ "Someone"?
♪ A traitor?
I know where to find Mephisto.
He's our deadliest enemy-- Mephisto... Mephisto... ♪ [Telephone rings] Commissioner.
[Grunts softly] Inspector?
You wanted all the Laxenburg files?
Shh shh shh.
Unofficial.
Oh.
That's everything, I'm afraid.
No mention of the name Mephisto.
Oh, and there's the cigarettes you found-- two different types, probably two different people.
Seems like our killer has someone alongside helping him.
Hmm.
This is cheap, hand-rolled.
This is expensive.
[Sniffs] Can make some enquiries.
The paper or the tobacco mix may be traceable.
[Clears throat softly] Are you going back into the case again?
I'm not sure, fraulein.
Maybe.
♪ What I really need to do is get into the mind of a dead man.
What?
Once Burgstaller is in his grave... Mm-hmm?
there's someone I need to pay a call on.
♪ Mendel: Ah!
Here he is at last!
The weary traveller come back to us at last!
Oh, my love.
Welcome home.
How was it?
How was America, Max?
I've scarcely had a chance to sit down.
My hands ache from all the palms I've been pressing.
My jaw aches from the lecture tour.
Was New York wonderful?
I stayed at the Vanderbilt!
No idea what that means, but it sounds impressive.
It's a famous hotel.
Ah.
Fancy our son Max mixing with New York society.
Leah!
Look who's back!
Leah: Oh, hurrah.
It's Little Freud.
We can all look forward to being analysed again at dinner.
You know, I've missed you.
Gosh.
It actually sounds like you mean it.
Come in.
Come in and have something to eat.
She prepared a banquet for your return.
Rachel: I hope you haven't had dinner yet.
Max: Well, I'm sure I could force something down.
♪ Rachel: Clara said she had a postcard from you.
Two, in fact.
Max: Stop fishing, Mama.
Rachel: Who's fishing?
You are.
We're friends again.
Can't we just leave it at that?
Do I detect a change of image?
Yes.
I noticed it, too, actually.
It's Lord and Taylor, New York fashions.
Did you meet lots of famous people?
I signed a lot of books.
And probably made a bit of money.
Well, some.
Don't be modest.
Doesn't suit you.
Yes, alright.
Rather a lot, as it happens.
Mendel: Your apartments are still let, I gather, until the end of the month.
Rachel: We've put you in your old room.
Max: That's fine.
Leah: Yes, isn't it splendid?
Mama can come up and tuck you in bed each night, just like old times.
[Laughter] Rachel: Oh, Leah, stop teasing the poor boy.
At least let me get my breath back before you start.
Mendel: Yes, Anna?
What is it?
Anna: A policeman at the door, sir.
♪ Here we go again.
Oh dear.
Has someone died?
Sorry.
I meant, "Hello, Oskar."
♪ It's been too long.
How have you been?
Mm.
Well, my career has had its twists and turns.
How about you?
I've been reading about you in the newspapers.
Ah.
Head of Department at the hospital.
Yes.
Well, after that business with Neumann, they had no choice but to promote me... Yeah.
and there really was no one else willing and available.
And now your fame has spread across the herring pond-- New York, so I hear-- preaching the gospel of Freudianism.
Yes.
They seem to love it over there, which reminds me, I have this for you from New York.
♪ Max... ♪ For your little coffee bean habit.
That is incredibly generous of you.
Thank you.
♪ So, to what do I owe this pleasure?
Well, you're right.
I came about a case.
Mm.
It's a murder case-- Franz Burgstaller.
Actually, the case has already been closed.
The killer has been gunned down.
Right, so... what's at stake?
♪ Max: A traitor?
Diplomatic missions sabotaged, destroyed.
These missions were covert.
It would need to be someone at the centre of political power.
And Strasser was chasing him?
He was murdered because of this, I'm sure.
He tried to unmask the traitor.
The police think it was a street criminal who shot him.
But you know different.
Alright.
There's one person who can identify the traitor-- Excellent.
Franz Burgstaller.
I see, and he's dead.
♪ Oskar: We just need to talk to you.
How long were you with Franz Burgstaller?
Valentina: Over a year, nearly two.
And you were his lover?
I'm not naive.
I know exactly how Franz made his money... but he was charming, he flattered me, spent a fortune on me.
Did Franz perhaps have contact with someone high up in society?
I don't know.
He was a crook, an arms dealer.
His friends were thieves and criminals.
♪ Something else?
What?
Something you were about to say... ♪ No.
No.
It's nothing.
a piece that doesn't quite fit, something that surprised you about him.
♪ He had a friend he spoke about, someone he sometimes visited at the palace.
Palace?
That's what he said.
They were involved in some sort of enterprise-- a singer.
Do you have a name?
Senor Carrillo, a Spaniard.
♪ ♪ Im truben Licht ♪ ♪ Verschwinden schon die Berge ♪ ♪ Es schwebt das Schiff ♪ ♪ Auf glatten Meereswogen ♪ ♪ Worauf die Konigin ♪ ♪ Mit ihrem Zwerge ♪ ♪ Sie schaut empor ♪ ♪ Zum hochgewalbten Bogen ♪ ♪ Hinauf...♪ The tempo is too fast.
Take it slower, please.
He's good.
Mm.
Let's find out why Burgstaller liked him so much.
Carrillo: Name?
Elias.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
Name?
Oskar Rheinhardt-- Inspector, Leopoldstadt Constabulary.
I need you to accompany me to the station.
Oskar: Franz Burgstaller.
Hmm, I don't know that name.
No reason why you should, except we believe he was a fan of yours.
He came to meet you when you sang in Vienna, so we're told.
I have many devoted fans, Inspector.
Why would this one be of special interest to me?
He was shot and killed.
Maybe you read about it.
♪ I'm afraid I don't know this man.
You've been misinformed.
Max: Someone close to Burgstaller told us you were involved in an enterprise together.
♪ Do you ever perform for royalty, Senor Carrillo?
Ever summoned to a palace?
No, never.
What, exactly, is all this nonsense about?
♪ Franz Burgstaller was killed because he threatened to reveal someone's secret identity.
Might you be in danger also?
Is there anything further?
I have a concert to give.
Of course.
You're free to leave.
Constable?
♪ Palace.
That's what she told us.
Doesn't make any sense.
rook like Burgstaller would never get access to a royal residence.
Sorry for dragging you in here again.
I needed you with me.
I needed you to meet him.
Mephisto must be someone at the centre of political power.
How could Burgstaller enter his orbit?
♪ It's me.
I need to talk to you.
As far as I am concerned, our business is now settled.
♪ Damn you!
Why don't you answer me?
Tell me the debt is paid!
♪ [Church bell ringing] ♪ Therese?
I...er... Oskar.
How are you?
I'm well.
It's good to see you.
What are you doing here?
I, er... You remember my husband Wenzel.
Of course.
What's going on?
Therese, can we just go?
Can you wait for me?
I'll just be a moment.
♪ He was drunk last night, got into a fight, spent the night in the cells.
Is everything alright between you?
Yes.
Please don't worry about it.
It's not your concern.
♪ How's Hannah?
She's fine, growing up.
Does she still like books?
Oh, yes, more than ever.
She's started to write poems now.
Oh.
Smart girl.
I should be going.
He's waiting.
♪ It's good to see you again.
♪ Take care of yourself, Oskar.
♪ [Door opens] [Door closes] You, too, Therese.
You, too.
♪ [Oskar sighs] Rheinhardt.
Herr Direktor.
We've not had a chance to speak.
I was Strasser's Number Two at the Ministry.
Yes, of course.
We all miss him, big shoes to fill.
They identified his killer.
Oh.
No need for a trial now.
Still, there are some questions unanswered.
I'm no longer involved in the case, Herr Direktor.
♪ We both know the Commissioner relies on you.
♪ If you have any information, I'd be obliged if you'd bring it straight to me.
♪ What?
A death.
Suspicious.
I thought you might want it.
Von Bulow won't let me have any murder cases.
You'll want this one-- the singer.
♪ Rheinhardt, Leopoldstadt police.
I've cleared the building.
Good.
Where's the body?
Hm.
♪ Who found him?
I did.
♪ I came in early and saw the body.
♪ You keep a record of who goes in and out?
Most clients prefer to remain anonymous.
No wallet.
No possessions.
Just this.
♪ A very deep cut, like the French revolutionary who died in his bathtub, no other signs of bruising, no evidence that he fought back.
Oskar: The day after we interview him, Carrillo gets killed.
Does that sound like a coincidence to you?
No, sir.
No.
♪ Mephisto.
He knows we're coming for him.
♪ These are all the personal belongings we found in Carrillo's home.
Thank you, Meier.
Of course.
[Whistles] Evidently, he earned a great deal on tour.
Here, Inspector.
Look at these.
Mm-hmm.
Letters from admirers, hundreds of them.
What's this?
Lisa: It's a ciphertext, used for deciphering codes.
What would he be doing with it?
Hand me a letter, please.
[Snap] Lisa: D... R... S... ♪ C... K... H... "Cjleh..." Doesn't make any sense.
Try another.
♪ Lisa: It's like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Ohh... ♪ Here.
♪ [Sniffles] [Sighs] ♪ [Sighs] Uh... Oskar: We've been through them all.
Lisa: Maybe they are all just fan mail.
♪ This stamp.
What?
It's postmarked Vienna, just arrived.
The letter was unopened.
Why so valuable?
It's expensive for a small letter like this.
This is the stamp my parents used when they sent me letters to America.
Someone wanted to make sure he got it.
Why, Oskar?
There is nothing special about the letter.
♪ We should check again.
♪ Oh, where is it?
♪ Oskar.
♪ Oskar!
Hmm?
♪ [Lisa muttering] ♪ A-M-2-2.
♪ "Riegersam 22nd."
♪ Hold on a moment.
Here.
Rieger's Palace.
It's a casino.
Maybe whoever sent the message doesn't know he's dead.
Maybe they'll still be expecting him.
Wait.
♪ A gambling token?
Seems like Mephisto has a network, and Rieger's Palace is the rendezvous.
♪ We need an undercover operation.
"We"?
Yes.
Why not?
We've done it before.
I can play a role.
You?
Yes, a wealthy gambler, an English lord, old money.
You can be my valet.
What?
Or maybe not, maybe an Austrian nobleman.
But you can't show up like this.
You'll need to blend in with the crowd.
Dress up a bit.
Oh, and we need cash in order to make the deception seem real.
I can't just go to the Commissioner and ask.
We need to keep this investigation secret.
Your lecture tour.
Hmm?
Didn't you say you made some money?
Well, I'm not eager to gamble it all away.
We just need to spend enough to make it look convincing.
Alright.
I suppose.
Yes.
Welcome to the case, Doctor.
I think it's my turn to say it.
It's definitely my turn.
♪ ♪
Funding for Vienna Blood is provided by Viking.