Pimping Post: Alles Was Zählt (The EKP Version)
Why you should all be watching German soap operas about ice-skaters with issues:
Background
Welcome to the (fictional) German town of Essen - a town that consists almost entirely of the Steinkamp Sports & Wellness, a bar/restaurant called the No. 7, a fry stand which serves really good chips, a few flats and a mansion or two (there are rumours of clubs and airports but we have yet seen those so they may be a lie).
The first thing to say about this show is that I don't speak German. At all. This is not a problem for one reason - three dedicated and wonderful fangirls known collectively as the EskimoKissProject (EKP) who take selected scenes, translate and subtitle them and then make them available on YouTube. What I am pimping here is the EKP version of the show (as that is the one I can understand) which obviously is a lot like the actual show but with a slightly different emphasis - namely Roman Wild.
Characters
While not the main character of the 'real' show, one of the leads of the EKP!AWZ is Roman Wild.
When we first meet Roman he is 'out' to his friends but in the closet as far as the international press are concerned (if you look around hard enough there are actually some earlier clips translated by someone else showing the brief relationship that Roman had which resulted is his coming out to his friends). Roman is a figure skater and a pretty good one. He skates for the Steinkamp team, initially as a soloist and later as a pairs skater. Most of the time he is funny, cute, sensible, loyal to his friends and generally awesome. He is not however perfect by any means, he can be obsessional, especially about skating and his career, bitingly snarky and occasionally a bit of a diva (although sometimes with reason). He pushes himself hard and expects recognition and respect for that which he doesn't always gets which is when his combination of ego and self-esteem issues start causing problems. On the whole though, he is sinned against more then he sins.
Roman has three best friends:
His 'evil best friend' (and he does refer to her as such because she is) Jenny Steinkamp. Jenny is the scheming, selfish, bitch princess of Essen and totally rocks in her evil scheming ways. Another figure skater she is not above cheating to try and nobble the opposition (although she is a very good skater in her own right, just not necessarily the best and she needs to be the best). She does occasionally pull Roman into her schemes and the rest of the time he has more sense than to get involved. She and Roman have been friends for a long time (not least because it is better to be her friend than her enemy) and not only get on well but in later episode pair up on the ice and skate together beautifully. She is attractive, manipulative and there isn't much she won't do (including trying to sleep with her half-brother). She also is desperate for her parent's love and approval (and just love in general), and has a really bad track record with her boyfriends ditching her for other women which is when she really turns dangerous. She has been played by two actresses (both shown below) and they do a great job of showing how broken the character is.
Roman's good best friend is Annette Bergmann who runs the fry stand with the occasional foray into the creative arts such as make-up, hair styling, and costume design. Annette is best friends with Diana Sommer (the original main character of the 'actual' show), ice-skater extraordinaire and rival to Jenny. Except for one brief period as a pod-person, Annette is awesome. She is funny, loyal, sweet, occasionally disorganised and really cool. She can also be deeply stubborn and sometimes her loyalties to one person cause her to neglect others (or refuse to forgive them). She shares a flat with a number of different people over the course of the show including Roman, Diana, her sister Lena and Ingo, on whom she has a long term crush. It is possible she and Roman have had sex having got very, very drunk and woke up together naked (except for the feather boa) however neither of them can remember what happened, the condom packet was probably because they were making balloons and that is the story they are both sticking to.
Ingo Zadek is Roman's straight best friend. He is often described as a cowboy and he loves country music, BBQs, beer and playing the guitar. He works as a physio, aqua-aerobics and hockey coach at the Steinkamp center and is totally adorable, with only occasional lapses into idiocy. While it takes them a while to get together (including his briefly dating Lena), he and Annette have something special and are really wonderful couple. He keeps a (dead ?) pot plant called Olga whom he has had for 18 years and is a genuinely nice guy. He gave Roman the nickname 'Bunny' (mostly used just by him and Roman).
Other important people around Essen include:
Marian Öztürk was originally from Turkey (and has a growing list of relatives back there) and moved to Germany as a teenager. He runs the No. 7 bar (he won it gambling) and has a bit of a dark past that he doesn't like to talk about (although it involves safe-cracking and a dashing and suave French thief named Etienne). Normally one of the more sensible of Essen's residents, he has his moments of idiocy and the occasional flares of trouble from his macho, traditional upbringing. Married young and divorced he has a couple of children, the oldest of which is Deniz.
Deniz Öztürk comes to live with Marian when he is 17 and brings a few issues with him. A bit wild/immature initially, his mother is thankful to get rid of him (which doesn't help his issues when he finds this out). He plays ice hockey and has a tendency to speak before he thinks and then to keep digging when he gets himself in a hole. When we first meet him he is arrogant, troubled and a bit of a twat and gets away with way to much due to his puppy dog eyes and sincere (at the time) apologies. After being accidentally, and innocently, involved in outing Roman to the press, he reacts badly to the teasing he gets and becomes friends with some homophobic jerks on the hockey team. His guilt over what happens to Roman leads to the two getting closer and some revelations about his own sexuality (he is probably bi although the character has a tendancy to define himself by whoever he is dating at the time). His first raft of relationships (Nina, Roman, Vanessa) are a total disaster (all his fault) and he briefly gets into drugs, 'escorting' (really!) and other stupidity before growing up and getting pulled into figure skating. Over the episodes he really matures (although he still has a tendency to lie his way into trouble even while having the best of intentions). He and Roman are complicated, mostly good for each other (especially in later episodes), sometimes tragic/heartbreaking and sweetcutehotomg (see below).
Vanessa Steinkamp, Jenny's younger sister and the daughter of Simone and Richard, is a ice-hockey playing, no-nonsense sort of person (again, except for brief attacks of pod-personness). She likes metal, isn't obsessed with looks/image and speaks her mind. She briefly goes out with Deniz (under the impression he has broken up with Roman, then continues the realtionship after she forgives him for lying to/cheating on her - see early pod-person comments). Sadly she has a really unlucky streak when it comes to the men in her life, notably Ben with whom she was in love but had to split up when it was discovered he was her secret half-brother.
Nina Sommer - step-sister to Diana she is obsessed with parties and celebrity and gets most of her 'wisdom' from Hollywood movies and American TV shows. When we first meet her she is a thoughtless, idiot teenager but over the course of the series she develops into someone surprisingly likable. She has a doomed relationship with Deniz (he is more interested in proving he likes girls than her), crushes on Marian (ends really badly) and she is on a continual search for love. This search eventually leads to Dr. Axel Schwarz with whom things become complicated. After living with a bunch of different characters she ends up sharing a flat with Roman and is a better friend than might be expected from the above description.
Dr. Axel Schwarz is the controller at the Steinkamp centre and is something of a total twat. Obsessed with money and getting ahead in business he is lacking in empathy and any finer feelings (they will make him weak). He has a score to settle with the Steinkamps and is always looking for the main chance. Despite his best efforts he does have a soft spot for Nina. He also ends up having a sports-drink and alcohol fueled snog with Roman while stuck in a lift (the security footage is a hit when it leaks around the center) and they have an almost-moment when (at Nina's request) Roman tries to test whether Axel is gay. He has also slept with various other people around the town and regards himself as something of a ladies-man.
Mike Hartwig is the skating coach at the Steinkamp centre. Good friends with Ingo and friends with Roman and the other skaters he is often abrasive, insensitive, cynical and occasionally unprofessional. He has a thing with Lena and is very much there for her (and her baby) when she ends up pregnant. While a lot of the time you want to slap him he does have moments of awesomeness. Don't get too attached.
Diana Sommer is an amazing ice skater who is Jenny's rival. She was the original main character in the show although she has left after tragedy and amazing ice dancing.
Julian Herzog was the Steinkamp PR guy. He was engaged to Jenny before leaving her for Diana. This does not go down well. He is sweet and lovely and dies tragically.
Oliver Sommer is the doctor at the Steinkamp centre. He is quite quite (although rather cute) and occasionally goes off to do things like Doctors Without Borders.
Stella Coretti is the perky blonde they brought in after Diana has left. She is the next great ice-skating hope for the Steinkamp team. She is Marian's Goddaughter, Deniz had a heap big crush on her and she used to work in a circus. She also ended up swiping Jenny's boyfriend (why, yes, we have seen that plot line before). I think we are supposed to like her and think she is great, although I could be wrong.
Lars Berger is an recovering alcoholic choreographer. He had a bad history with Jenny (she ruined his career) and has a tragic past (his wife was killed). He has a relationship with Jenny (and they are quite adorable together until Jenny starts losing him) but then ditches her for Stella. This does not go down well. Lars ends up sharing a flat with Nina and Roman. When Nina moves out he argues against Stella moving in with them and invites Oliver to be their roomie instead (the look on Roman's face is priceless when Lars is making breakfast and it is Oliver in a towel who comes out of the bathroom rather than Stella).
There are also a bunch of other characters including Lena, Annette's sister who keeps getting kidnapped and has a baby by Max, the half-brother of Jenny and Vanessa, and Richard and Simone Steinkamp who own the center and are ruthless business people etc.
Ships
The main pairings:
Canonically there are a number of cool pairings (and some others).
Diana/Julian - Sweet and tragically doomed
Annette/Ingo - This pairing rocks and they are adorable.
Jenny/Lars - Surprisingly sweet (until it all goes really, really horribly wrong)
Stella/Lars - Deserve each other.
Nina/Axel - Weirdly right
Jenny/Marian - So very wrong and yet so right. You just hope it will last but know it probably can't.
Deniz/Vanessa - Bad for Vanessa and Deniz just isn't ready for any relationship, but if you want angst, confusion and heartbreak then this is the right place. They are great friends though.
Roman/Deniz - These two are the reason why EKP is known as the 'gay boys with issues' channel. Whether they are together, split up (and accidentally falling on top of each other naked), snarking at each other or being sweet they are never boring.
There are also a number of pairings that haven't happened but really should, there are just too many characters with great chemistry. For the non-slashers... actually there aren't too many combinations that haven't happened yet and they probably will if you wait long enough. For the slashers, Vanessa and Nina would probably both be happier if they just gave up on boys and found each other instead and Roman has chemistry with pretty much everyone (Oliver, Mike, Lars etc) although (dis)honourable mention has to go to Roman/Ingo. If I didn't love the open, easy, physically affectionate friendship that Roman and Ingo have in the show I would ship these two so hard (although only while Ingo and Annette are not together, otherwise threesome is the only answer). They have no compunctions about touching each other, dancing together (see clip below) and generally being adorable together.
Why you should watch (other than the pretty)
Yes - it is a soap opera so the plot lines do sometimes head into WTF territory (Lena's abductions, Diana stripping, dead people getting in contact, voodoo, Deniz as an escort, the deadly virus etc) but that being said some of the characterisation and development is actually damn good. The evil characters are fucked up and fucked up for a reason rather than just cardboard cut out evil and even the good characters get to screw up and have reasons and motivations and blind spots. Which means that they become characters you care about. And there is actual character development even if the show is very good at totally nailing the story that isn't the one they think they are telling!
Then there is the skating. Actual ice-skating and occasionally some really good ice-skating. The show is lucky enough to not only have some good skaters who can act (as well as some actors they have picked some skating up) but some good doubles and and one notable occasion a number of well-known German skaters take part in a full ice show.
The acting is generally good and in some cases especially so as the actors really sell their characters and what they are going through.
And on a totally shallow note. The guys are hot and the girls are gorgeous without being unreal and plastic. And being a European soap, while not being gratuitous it doesn't shy away from nudity or sex (and you get as much, if not more, skin shown on the male characters as the female ones). And possibly more unusually, the gay relationships are treated in much the same way as the straight ones with their ups and downs (in every sense) and in having the little moments between the characters which are not about sex but are about relationship and connection (okay, that could just be they way Roman and Deniz are acted but it still happens).
Tasters
As much as I would love to be able to show you just the snippets without the context I can't. The links below are to the relevant episode sections and, while I have tried to put the time stamps in where it is just one small section there is still intercut scenes so you will get bits of the rest of the episode which will contain spoilers (occasionally quite big spoilers with regards to the fates so some of the characters). Sorry about that. If you don't mind that though, the clips below are worth watching to give you a taste. If you want more then I suggest you watch through the EKP playlists (you can skip Playlist 2 (the dark years) without missing too much but it is worth watching the angstfest that is Playlist 1 (Deniz and Roman) before you go on to Playlist 3 (Current) because the background is quite important).
As tempting as it is to just put links to all the episodes with the boys being all over each other that seems too easy (although if you want the list you can always ask in the comments). Okay, there might be a little bit of that, but only a little.
Roman sees Deniz: Episode 231 (2:24-3:43)
In which Deniz might be hiding a little (or not so little) interest in Roman and innocent things are misinterpreted: Episode 270 (9:09->) & Episode 271 (->1:19).
Roman has some (then a lot of) trouble after he comes out but he also has support from his friends: Episode 278 (2:20-6:47)
Well most of them, but Deniz comes clean eventually (With angst, angst and a little bit of angst): Episode 288
Roman helps Deniz get a clue (with added tongue): Episode 296 Part 2 (6:39->)
Deniz helps Roman face the ice again: Episode 299 (1:45->)
See the pretty skating:
Diana - Episode 260 (6:25->), Episode 261/2 (4:05 - 8:00)
Roman - Episode 260 (->2:55)
Jenny - Episode 790 (4:00-6:09)
The Ice Show - Episode 516, Episode 517, Episode 518
Roman and Jenny - Episode 615 (3:38-5:50), Episode 630 (1:20-3:55)
Deniz And Stella - Episode 747 Part 2 (->3:11)
Roman and Deniz - Episode 748 Part 2 (4:32-8:10 - with bonus Jenny and Marian making the clip NSFW), Episode 812 (6:50-9:24)
Ingo and Roman Dance: Episode 420/1 (6:44-6:57)
What happens when you lock two men in a lift with a drink which (unbeknownst to them) has slight slide effects when mixed with alcohol: Episode 693
First times and morning afters: Episode 306 (5:08->) and Episode 307 (->0:44, 2:28-2:54)
The Red Couch: Episode 321 (1:25 - 2:00), Episode 526 (740->)
The Locker Room: Episode 357 (->2:50)
Roman tries to discover whether Axel is gay (at Nina's behest) but just proves that it is possible have a deep and poignant conversation about Baywatch while just wearing a towel (well mostly wearing a towel): Episode 714 & 715 (7:27-8:06, 8:33->), Episode 716 Part 1 (->3:05)
Ingo's on ice striptease: Episode 374 (->2:06)
The shower scene (which everyone has probably seen before): Episode 751 (->1:10)
A flat share with possibilities: Episodes 795 & 796
Vids
These contain some spoilers:
Not Fade Away - Diana skating.
Oh my God! - General vid taking a humourous look at some of the video editing in AWZ.
Das Eis lügt nicht - Roman-centric vid. Slightly heartbreaking and beautiful.
Ooops - Deniz-centric vid. Deniz doesn't meant to lead Roman on.
My Evil Friend, Jenny - Roman and Jenny conspire and Deniz looks worried.
At this moment - Roman/Deniz heartbreak.
My Happy Ending - DeRo 0.1 - the good parts version [NSFWish]
All Coming Back To Me Now - Roman remembers why falling for Deniz can be both a good and a bad thing.
World Exploding Touch - Deniz/Roman + locker room. [NSFW]
Originally posted at http://fides.dreamwidth.org/3910.html. There are
comments there.
Background
Welcome to the (fictional) German town of Essen - a town that consists almost entirely of the Steinkamp Sports & Wellness, a bar/restaurant called the No. 7, a fry stand which serves really good chips, a few flats and a mansion or two (there are rumours of clubs and airports but we have yet seen those so they may be a lie).
The first thing to say about this show is that I don't speak German. At all. This is not a problem for one reason - three dedicated and wonderful fangirls known collectively as the EskimoKissProject (EKP) who take selected scenes, translate and subtitle them and then make them available on YouTube. What I am pimping here is the EKP version of the show (as that is the one I can understand) which obviously is a lot like the actual show but with a slightly different emphasis - namely Roman Wild.
Characters
While not the main character of the 'real' show, one of the leads of the EKP!AWZ is Roman Wild.
When we first meet Roman he is 'out' to his friends but in the closet as far as the international press are concerned (if you look around hard enough there are actually some earlier clips translated by someone else showing the brief relationship that Roman had which resulted is his coming out to his friends). Roman is a figure skater and a pretty good one. He skates for the Steinkamp team, initially as a soloist and later as a pairs skater. Most of the time he is funny, cute, sensible, loyal to his friends and generally awesome. He is not however perfect by any means, he can be obsessional, especially about skating and his career, bitingly snarky and occasionally a bit of a diva (although sometimes with reason). He pushes himself hard and expects recognition and respect for that which he doesn't always gets which is when his combination of ego and self-esteem issues start causing problems. On the whole though, he is sinned against more then he sins.
Roman has three best friends:
His 'evil best friend' (and he does refer to her as such because she is) Jenny Steinkamp. Jenny is the scheming, selfish, bitch princess of Essen and totally rocks in her evil scheming ways. Another figure skater she is not above cheating to try and nobble the opposition (although she is a very good skater in her own right, just not necessarily the best and she needs to be the best). She does occasionally pull Roman into her schemes and the rest of the time he has more sense than to get involved. She and Roman have been friends for a long time (not least because it is better to be her friend than her enemy) and not only get on well but in later episode pair up on the ice and skate together beautifully. She is attractive, manipulative and there isn't much she won't do (including trying to sleep with her half-brother). She also is desperate for her parent's love and approval (and just love in general), and has a really bad track record with her boyfriends ditching her for other women which is when she really turns dangerous. She has been played by two actresses (both shown below) and they do a great job of showing how broken the character is.
Roman's good best friend is Annette Bergmann who runs the fry stand with the occasional foray into the creative arts such as make-up, hair styling, and costume design. Annette is best friends with Diana Sommer (the original main character of the 'actual' show), ice-skater extraordinaire and rival to Jenny. Except for one brief period as a pod-person, Annette is awesome. She is funny, loyal, sweet, occasionally disorganised and really cool. She can also be deeply stubborn and sometimes her loyalties to one person cause her to neglect others (or refuse to forgive them). She shares a flat with a number of different people over the course of the show including Roman, Diana, her sister Lena and Ingo, on whom she has a long term crush. It is possible she and Roman have had sex having got very, very drunk and woke up together naked (except for the feather boa) however neither of them can remember what happened, the condom packet was probably because they were making balloons and that is the story they are both sticking to.
Ingo Zadek is Roman's straight best friend. He is often described as a cowboy and he loves country music, BBQs, beer and playing the guitar. He works as a physio, aqua-aerobics and hockey coach at the Steinkamp center and is totally adorable, with only occasional lapses into idiocy. While it takes them a while to get together (including his briefly dating Lena), he and Annette have something special and are really wonderful couple. He keeps a (dead ?) pot plant called Olga whom he has had for 18 years and is a genuinely nice guy. He gave Roman the nickname 'Bunny' (mostly used just by him and Roman).
Other important people around Essen include:
Marian Öztürk was originally from Turkey (and has a growing list of relatives back there) and moved to Germany as a teenager. He runs the No. 7 bar (he won it gambling) and has a bit of a dark past that he doesn't like to talk about (although it involves safe-cracking and a dashing and suave French thief named Etienne). Normally one of the more sensible of Essen's residents, he has his moments of idiocy and the occasional flares of trouble from his macho, traditional upbringing. Married young and divorced he has a couple of children, the oldest of which is Deniz.
Deniz Öztürk comes to live with Marian when he is 17 and brings a few issues with him. A bit wild/immature initially, his mother is thankful to get rid of him (which doesn't help his issues when he finds this out). He plays ice hockey and has a tendency to speak before he thinks and then to keep digging when he gets himself in a hole. When we first meet him he is arrogant, troubled and a bit of a twat and gets away with way to much due to his puppy dog eyes and sincere (at the time) apologies. After being accidentally, and innocently, involved in outing Roman to the press, he reacts badly to the teasing he gets and becomes friends with some homophobic jerks on the hockey team. His guilt over what happens to Roman leads to the two getting closer and some revelations about his own sexuality (he is probably bi although the character has a tendancy to define himself by whoever he is dating at the time). His first raft of relationships (Nina, Roman, Vanessa) are a total disaster (all his fault) and he briefly gets into drugs, 'escorting' (really!) and other stupidity before growing up and getting pulled into figure skating. Over the episodes he really matures (although he still has a tendency to lie his way into trouble even while having the best of intentions). He and Roman are complicated, mostly good for each other (especially in later episodes), sometimes tragic/heartbreaking and sweetcutehotomg (see below).
Vanessa Steinkamp, Jenny's younger sister and the daughter of Simone and Richard, is a ice-hockey playing, no-nonsense sort of person (again, except for brief attacks of pod-personness). She likes metal, isn't obsessed with looks/image and speaks her mind. She briefly goes out with Deniz (under the impression he has broken up with Roman, then continues the realtionship after she forgives him for lying to/cheating on her - see early pod-person comments). Sadly she has a really unlucky streak when it comes to the men in her life, notably Ben with whom she was in love but had to split up when it was discovered he was her secret half-brother.
Nina Sommer - step-sister to Diana she is obsessed with parties and celebrity and gets most of her 'wisdom' from Hollywood movies and American TV shows. When we first meet her she is a thoughtless, idiot teenager but over the course of the series she develops into someone surprisingly likable. She has a doomed relationship with Deniz (he is more interested in proving he likes girls than her), crushes on Marian (ends really badly) and she is on a continual search for love. This search eventually leads to Dr. Axel Schwarz with whom things become complicated. After living with a bunch of different characters she ends up sharing a flat with Roman and is a better friend than might be expected from the above description.
Dr. Axel Schwarz is the controller at the Steinkamp centre and is something of a total twat. Obsessed with money and getting ahead in business he is lacking in empathy and any finer feelings (they will make him weak). He has a score to settle with the Steinkamps and is always looking for the main chance. Despite his best efforts he does have a soft spot for Nina. He also ends up having a sports-drink and alcohol fueled snog with Roman while stuck in a lift (the security footage is a hit when it leaks around the center) and they have an almost-moment when (at Nina's request) Roman tries to test whether Axel is gay. He has also slept with various other people around the town and regards himself as something of a ladies-man.
Mike Hartwig is the skating coach at the Steinkamp centre. Good friends with Ingo and friends with Roman and the other skaters he is often abrasive, insensitive, cynical and occasionally unprofessional. He has a thing with Lena and is very much there for her (and her baby) when she ends up pregnant. While a lot of the time you want to slap him he does have moments of awesomeness. Don't get too attached.
Diana Sommer is an amazing ice skater who is Jenny's rival. She was the original main character in the show although she has left after tragedy and amazing ice dancing.
Julian Herzog was the Steinkamp PR guy. He was engaged to Jenny before leaving her for Diana. This does not go down well. He is sweet and lovely and dies tragically.
Oliver Sommer is the doctor at the Steinkamp centre. He is quite quite (although rather cute) and occasionally goes off to do things like Doctors Without Borders.
Stella Coretti is the perky blonde they brought in after Diana has left. She is the next great ice-skating hope for the Steinkamp team. She is Marian's Goddaughter, Deniz had a heap big crush on her and she used to work in a circus. She also ended up swiping Jenny's boyfriend (why, yes, we have seen that plot line before). I think we are supposed to like her and think she is great, although I could be wrong.
Lars Berger is an recovering alcoholic choreographer. He had a bad history with Jenny (she ruined his career) and has a tragic past (his wife was killed). He has a relationship with Jenny (and they are quite adorable together until Jenny starts losing him) but then ditches her for Stella. This does not go down well. Lars ends up sharing a flat with Nina and Roman. When Nina moves out he argues against Stella moving in with them and invites Oliver to be their roomie instead (the look on Roman's face is priceless when Lars is making breakfast and it is Oliver in a towel who comes out of the bathroom rather than Stella).
There are also a bunch of other characters including Lena, Annette's sister who keeps getting kidnapped and has a baby by Max, the half-brother of Jenny and Vanessa, and Richard and Simone Steinkamp who own the center and are ruthless business people etc.
Ships
The main pairings:
Canonically there are a number of cool pairings (and some others).
Diana/Julian - Sweet and tragically doomed
Annette/Ingo - This pairing rocks and they are adorable.
Jenny/Lars - Surprisingly sweet (until it all goes really, really horribly wrong)
Stella/Lars - Deserve each other.
Nina/Axel - Weirdly right
Jenny/Marian - So very wrong and yet so right. You just hope it will last but know it probably can't.
Deniz/Vanessa - Bad for Vanessa and Deniz just isn't ready for any relationship, but if you want angst, confusion and heartbreak then this is the right place. They are great friends though.
Roman/Deniz - These two are the reason why EKP is known as the 'gay boys with issues' channel. Whether they are together, split up (and accidentally falling on top of each other naked), snarking at each other or being sweet they are never boring.
There are also a number of pairings that haven't happened but really should, there are just too many characters with great chemistry. For the non-slashers... actually there aren't too many combinations that haven't happened yet and they probably will if you wait long enough. For the slashers, Vanessa and Nina would probably both be happier if they just gave up on boys and found each other instead and Roman has chemistry with pretty much everyone (Oliver, Mike, Lars etc) although (dis)honourable mention has to go to Roman/Ingo. If I didn't love the open, easy, physically affectionate friendship that Roman and Ingo have in the show I would ship these two so hard (although only while Ingo and Annette are not together, otherwise threesome is the only answer). They have no compunctions about touching each other, dancing together (see clip below) and generally being adorable together.
Why you should watch (other than the pretty)
Yes - it is a soap opera so the plot lines do sometimes head into WTF territory (Lena's abductions, Diana stripping, dead people getting in contact, voodoo, Deniz as an escort, the deadly virus etc) but that being said some of the characterisation and development is actually damn good. The evil characters are fucked up and fucked up for a reason rather than just cardboard cut out evil and even the good characters get to screw up and have reasons and motivations and blind spots. Which means that they become characters you care about. And there is actual character development even if the show is very good at totally nailing the story that isn't the one they think they are telling!
Then there is the skating. Actual ice-skating and occasionally some really good ice-skating. The show is lucky enough to not only have some good skaters who can act (as well as some actors they have picked some skating up) but some good doubles and and one notable occasion a number of well-known German skaters take part in a full ice show.
The acting is generally good and in some cases especially so as the actors really sell their characters and what they are going through.
And on a totally shallow note. The guys are hot and the girls are gorgeous without being unreal and plastic. And being a European soap, while not being gratuitous it doesn't shy away from nudity or sex (and you get as much, if not more, skin shown on the male characters as the female ones). And possibly more unusually, the gay relationships are treated in much the same way as the straight ones with their ups and downs (in every sense) and in having the little moments between the characters which are not about sex but are about relationship and connection (okay, that could just be they way Roman and Deniz are acted but it still happens).
Tasters
As much as I would love to be able to show you just the snippets without the context I can't. The links below are to the relevant episode sections and, while I have tried to put the time stamps in where it is just one small section there is still intercut scenes so you will get bits of the rest of the episode which will contain spoilers (occasionally quite big spoilers with regards to the fates so some of the characters). Sorry about that. If you don't mind that though, the clips below are worth watching to give you a taste. If you want more then I suggest you watch through the EKP playlists (you can skip Playlist 2 (the dark years) without missing too much but it is worth watching the angstfest that is Playlist 1 (Deniz and Roman) before you go on to Playlist 3 (Current) because the background is quite important).
As tempting as it is to just put links to all the episodes with the boys being all over each other that seems too easy (although if you want the list you can always ask in the comments). Okay, there might be a little bit of that, but only a little.
Roman sees Deniz: Episode 231 (2:24-3:43)
In which Deniz might be hiding a little (or not so little) interest in Roman and innocent things are misinterpreted: Episode 270 (9:09->) & Episode 271 (->1:19).
Roman has some (then a lot of) trouble after he comes out but he also has support from his friends: Episode 278 (2:20-6:47)
Well most of them, but Deniz comes clean eventually (With angst, angst and a little bit of angst): Episode 288
Roman helps Deniz get a clue (with added tongue): Episode 296 Part 2 (6:39->)
Deniz helps Roman face the ice again: Episode 299 (1:45->)
See the pretty skating:
Diana - Episode 260 (6:25->), Episode 261/2 (4:05 - 8:00)
Roman - Episode 260 (->2:55)
Jenny - Episode 790 (4:00-6:09)
The Ice Show - Episode 516, Episode 517, Episode 518
Roman and Jenny - Episode 615 (3:38-5:50), Episode 630 (1:20-3:55)
Deniz And Stella - Episode 747 Part 2 (->3:11)
Roman and Deniz - Episode 748 Part 2 (4:32-8:10 - with bonus Jenny and Marian making the clip NSFW), Episode 812 (6:50-9:24)
Ingo and Roman Dance: Episode 420/1 (6:44-6:57)
What happens when you lock two men in a lift with a drink which (unbeknownst to them) has slight slide effects when mixed with alcohol: Episode 693
First times and morning afters: Episode 306 (5:08->) and Episode 307 (->0:44, 2:28-2:54)
The Red Couch: Episode 321 (1:25 - 2:00), Episode 526 (740->)
The Locker Room: Episode 357 (->2:50)
Roman tries to discover whether Axel is gay (at Nina's behest) but just proves that it is possible have a deep and poignant conversation about Baywatch while just wearing a towel (well mostly wearing a towel): Episode 714 & 715 (7:27-8:06, 8:33->), Episode 716 Part 1 (->3:05)
Ingo's on ice striptease: Episode 374 (->2:06)
The shower scene (which everyone has probably seen before): Episode 751 (->1:10)
A flat share with possibilities: Episodes 795 & 796
Vids
These contain some spoilers:
Not Fade Away - Diana skating.
Oh my God! - General vid taking a humourous look at some of the video editing in AWZ.
Das Eis lügt nicht - Roman-centric vid. Slightly heartbreaking and beautiful.
Ooops - Deniz-centric vid. Deniz doesn't meant to lead Roman on.
My Evil Friend, Jenny - Roman and Jenny conspire and Deniz looks worried.
At this moment - Roman/Deniz heartbreak.
My Happy Ending - DeRo 0.1 - the good parts version [NSFWish]
All Coming Back To Me Now - Roman remembers why falling for Deniz can be both a good and a bad thing.
World Exploding Touch - Deniz/Roman + locker room. [NSFW]
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