Abhiroop Das
Created by Paul Coates, Netflix’s ‘Unfamiliar‘ tracks Simon and Meret Schäfer, two former spies who left the life of shadows behind a full sixteen years ago, and have been leading a simple family life since. The duo still has its fair share of secrets, however, both the kind they keep from their daughter, Nina, and each other. When a mysterious figure from their past comes back to haunt them unprompted, all of these half-buried truths come out in one go, showing Simon and Meret just how unprepared they are for a calamitous chain of events. Season 1 of this German spy thriller series ends with the duo having a close call with Koleev, but ultimately surviving with no injuries.
In a last-minute twist, Simon’s aneurysm flares up once again, forcing an emergency trip to the hospital, where he is ultimately saved from the brink of death. There is still one major surprise left, however, as Katya ends up alerting the BND, leading to Simon and Meret’s surprise arrest, and Katya’s complete control over Nina’s fate. While Netflix has not confirmed a season 2 for the show as of writing, in the best-case scenario, fans can expect a sequel to this mystery to be released sometime around early 2028.
Unfamiliar Season 2 Will Likely Build off the Knotty Cliffhanger Ending
Following the cliffhanger ending of ‘Unfamiliar’ season 1, a potential season 2 is most likely to continue right where the story left off, with Simon and Meret getting arrested. Although Nina is technically in BND custody now, she is also the most unsafe she has ever been, given that Koleev’s mole, Ben, is now within inches of her and Katya. As such, Simon and Meret have no choice but to collaborate with like-minded individuals within the agency, possibly Julika, to dig through the secrets of the BDN and rescue Nina before it’s too late. In the process, Julika might also come to realize the truth about Alice’s death, which means that the stage is set for her to go up against her senior, Ben.
Another ambiguous element in the final moments of the first season is Koleev’s fate, as we last see him standing at gunpoint inside an isolated room. However, the fact that we are given no indication of his death suggests that he is most likely alive, and potentially even has a backup plan in place. In such a scenario, his next step is almost certainly the agency, where Nina still doesn’t know the truth about her parents. If, when, and how she gets to the truth is a plot point that has been in the making since the start of the show, and it is most likely to find its payoff in the next chapter of the story. From there, whether Nina chooses Simon and Meret or Koleev and Katya as her parents is ultimately her own choice.
Unfamiliar Season 2 Can Expect Some Major Departures
Given that family dynamics and spy action go hand in hand in ‘Unfamiliar,’ a potential season 2 is likely to focus on its existing cast of characters, with whom we are closely familiar. To that end, actors Susanne Wolff and Felix Kramer can be expected to reprise their lead roles as Meret Schäfer and Josef Koleev. On the other hand, there is a fifty-fifty chance of actor Samuel Finzi reprising his role as Josef Koleev, given the uncertainties regarding his conclusion. Fans can expect Koleev’s wife, Vera, to take on a more prominent role going forward, which means that Genija Rykova will have a more prominent screen presence, going forward. Actors Maja Bons, Natalia Belitski, and Seyneb Saleh are also likely to return to the screen as Nina, Katya, and Julika, respectively.
One of the biggest shakeups in the cast list is undoubtedly that of Andreas Pietschmann, who plays the role of Jonas Auken in the show. Given his character’s death in the season finale, Andreas isn’t likely to reprise his role in a hypothetical sequel, but might still find a place in the larger narrative through flashbacks, specifically to his time in Morocco. Another big departure in the show is that of actor Henry Hübchen, whose character, Gregor Klein, dies in the middle of the season. While Alice Belmont, Julika’s ex-partner in the show, is also met with a crushing fate in the finale, her death is likely to become a major plot point going forward, which means fans can expect actor Sina Martens to reprise her role in potential flashback sequences.
Unfamiliar Season 2 Might Amp up the Tragedy of its Central Families
The title of the show, ‘Unfamiliar’, is effectively a wordplay that unfolds on two levels. While it is primarily asking the question of Nina’s familial relations, between her biological and her adoptive parents, another interpretation can also include the larger secrets characters keep from their partners in the series. As such, despite their seemingly unshakeable bond, Simon and Meret consider ending their relationship mere moments before they are arrested. While this plot beat is likely to take a backseat for the time being, it is bound to resurface in subtler ways, provided that the story is greenlit for continuation. As such, a hypothetical sequel can tap into the nitty-gritty of the show’s central dynamic and what it truly means to be in love and to be a family.
Koleev’s arc in the story ironically lines up with that of Simon and Meret’s in that his last on-screen appearance marks the end of his married life with Vera. However, this also means that Koleev is now a man with nothing to lose, and that can easily spell bad news for Meret and her family. Katya’s role in the larger narrative is also thrown into complete ambiguity, given that her last-minute betrayal doesn’t come from a position of malice, but urgency. Regardless, with everything stacked up against her, the only person Katya can truly trust is Julika, who is now arguably the character with the highest agency left in the larger, web-like narrative of the show.
Read More: Is Unfamiliar a True Story? Are Simon and Meret Based on Real Spies?
You must be logged in to post a comment.