A Holiday That Turns Bad Quickly
The season 2 premiere of Murder Mindfully, episode 1, “Vacation,” begins with a mistake that could have dire repercussions. A law enforcement officer gets what seems like an important murder confession recording, but a mistake in the recording process taints the evidence and makes it worthless.
We then cut to Björn months later, who is in the Austrian Alps with his wife Katherina and daughter Emily. Another source of frustration is what was meant to be a peaceful family retreat. Beautiful scenery, but Emily is still distant from her father and Björn can’t connect with his family.
A simple lunch break is the first sign that Björn’s emotional balance is on a knife’s edge. His frustration is gradually intensified by the slowness of the restaurant staff, clumsy service, and a mistake with the order. Katherina attempts to smooth things over, but Björn grows more agitated, resulting in a public scene that embarrasses everyone around him.
Katherina tells him to calm down and go for a walk before his temper gets out of control after an argument.
Anger With Deeper Roots
Then the episode cuts between the present and Björn’s therapy sessions with Breitner. In these conversations the therapist makes Björn question why such minor inconveniences evoke such strong reactions.
Viewers learn that Björn’s anger over the disastrous lunch goes far beyond missing food items or bad service. In a rash act of revenge, he sneaks into the service area of the restaurant and creates a dangerous situation that he hopes will inconvenience the owner.
Shortly afterwards, news arrives that the waiter involved in the earlier altercation has suffered a fatal fall into a ravine. The tragedy only adds to the tension between Björn and Katherina, who is increasingly troubled by his behaviour.
In therapy, Breitner explores Björn’s past and finds a memory from his childhood about family vacations. Björn, as a young boy, dreamed of special meals and happy times with his parents. But his father thought such experiences were a waste of money and young Björn was left disappointed and emotionally neglected.
That realization is the turning point. It wasn’t only the bad service on the failed lunch, it was the old emotional wound that never quite closed up.
Facing the Inner Child
One of the key themes of the episode is the theme of the inner child. Breitner discusses how unresolved childhood experiences often return to haunt us as adults and impact how we respond to events that are seemingly small on the surface.
For Björn this means having to rethink much of his life. He begins to realize how much his feelings and actions have been shaped by his parents.
The therapy sessions require him to go back through old memories with guided exercises. He meets a younger version of himself in his mind and tries to give him the comfort, attention and experiences he never had. These moments are surprisingly emotional and are a rare glimpse into Björn’s vulnerability.
Breitner prescribes more exercises, recommends more reading and hopes that frequent self-examination will help him to achieve greater mastery over his emotions.
A Criminal Empire and Growing Up
But Björn is still living a complicated double life, working on himself. He’s still in the middle of two crime families, running both on the down-low, and keeping his day job. This strange set up speaks to the constant pressure he lives under and why his emotional stability is still fragile.
Björn is determined to stay on the move and keeps regular appointments for therapy and applies himself to the techniques Breitner teaches. For the first time he seems really interested in understanding his own behavior, rather than just reacting to it.
That progress is briefly interrupted one night when loud neighbors disturb his sleep. Björn throws ice at the group to break up their gathering, rather than confronting them. The solution works and at last he sleeps a full night.
But any peace is shattered the next morning when Sascha delivers the shocking news that Boris has gone missing from the basement.
Assessment
The second season starts with a surprisingly introspective and contemplative episode that delves into the psychology of Björn’s actions. The story spends a good deal of time examining how childhood can still affect adult decisions instead of focusing entirely on crime and suspense.
The exploration of the inner child concept adds an emotional depth to the episode and provides a believable explanation for Björn’s recurring anger and impulsive actions. His therapy sessions add a new dimension to the character and give him more than just a lawyer who is involved in criminal matters.
Simultaneously, the episode succeeds in combining character growth with continuing suspense. The departure of Boris means bigger storylines will keep being served up, but it also provides a mystery to be solved in the next instalment.
The premiere suggests that Björn’s greatest enemies may not be rival criminals or legal dangers, but the unresolved parts of himself. One of the season’s most interesting questions is whether this new self-awareness will lead to real growth or just more trouble.