The Teacher - The Complete 8th Season - DVD

Content: (WARNING: if you don't know the end of season 7 yet, you should NOW immediately skip the table of contents and go to the next paragraph).

5 years have passed since the death of Karin (Jessica Ginkel). Still plagued by deep grief, Stefan Vollmer (Hendrik Duryn) does his best to manage his role as a single father to Frida (Leni Säugling), now six years old, while being there for his students. The fact that his son Jonas (Merlin Rose) is now also starting as a teacher at the Georg-Schwerthoff-Gesamtschule and that Emma (Zsá Zsá Inci Bürkle), a former student, is coming to the GSG as a trainee teacher, doesn't exactly make life any easier for the actually so tough teacher. And while Stefan struggles to cope with his grief and maybe even open up to a new love, he has to deal with the problems of his students at school - and they have it in them again this time.

Truly, no one would have guessed when Der Lehrer launched its first season in 2009, with its transfer to Season 2 in jeopardy due to weak ratings, that it would still be in service after eleven years. In season 8, the makers on the one hand fall back on the proven concept: there is some comedy, a little romance and plenty of drama infused with social criticism. At the same time, they also try to give the whole thing a breath of fresh air. Through a time jump, Stefan now has to assert himself as a single dad of a six-year-old, but at the same time is allowed to open himself up to a new romance, without it feeling like a betrayal of Karin for the fans.

From the beginning, it was always important to the creators to weave realistic problems of teenagers into the plot. This may be the fear of climate catastrophe, everyday sexism, bullying or racism as well as very personal fears or the difficulty to stand as a young person to their own sexuality. Certainly, as in the past seasons, there is simply not enough time to really deal with such problems in depth. The solution usually lies in a clear announcement from Stefan - and unfortunately, that's never quite as simple in real life. Nevertheless, it is good that concerns and fears of students are addressed at all in such an entertainment series.

Not only as a teacher with sometimes quite unconventional methods Hendrik Duryn can convince again. As a single dad he also does his thing very well, but this may also be due to the pleasingly natural play of his series daughter Leni infant. With the right mix of drama, humor and charm, The Teacher can also fully convince in the eighth round. And for this there is then also a clear bottom line: worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The technical implementation is as usual on a good TV level. The picture is pleasantly sharp and can also convince with the detail representation. Real deficiencies such as soiling or strong image noise are not discernible. Colors are attractively mixed, which helps to show off the picturesque landscapes to their best advantage. The sound, presented in a stereo mix, is primarily dominated by the dialogue, but every now and then the music and ambient sounds also provide a coherent atmosphere. Good!

Extras: As a bonus, the third disc features a few Behind the Scenes impressions (approx. 7:19 min.), including a guest appearance by Mike Singer. These clips feel a bit like Instagram stories due to their format and duration, and it's reasonable to assume that they were actually shot for social media rather than the DVD.

Conclusion: The Teacher handled Jessica Ginkel's departure well. The creators have given the series in the eighth season some new impetus, but otherwise remain true to the proven concept. Those who have liked the series so far will continue to love it despite some changes. The DVD box of season 8 presents all episodes in good picture and sound quality and also offers a few short promo clips from the filming. Recommended!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp