Aahana Swrup
Season 2 of Netflix’s German show, ‘Woman of the Dead,’ presents a return to a dark and violent world for Brunhilde Blum. Two years after avenging her husband’s death—and uncovering a sickening human trafficking ring in the process—the local undertaker and her assistant, Reza, continue to remain under the law’s radar. Nonetheless, the past catches up to them again when the sudden discovery of the dead body of an old enemy opens up a police case again. As a result, federal officer Wallner quickly grows suspicious of Blum and her buried past. Simultaneously, a more pressing problem emerges when her daughter, Nela, gets abducted. Thus, with trouble rising from all sides, Blum finds herself in a race against the clock to save her family and prevent her tarnished past from overtaking her life. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Woman of the Dead Season 2 Recap
Brunhilde Blum and Reza have kept their past firmly in the dark for almost two years when new trouble finally knocks on their door. As it turns out, one of the caskets in which the undertaker and her assistant had hidden the evidence of their past crimes is going to be exhumed due to some legal issues. Consequently, it’s bound to unravel a damning thread that will inevitably reveal Blum’s involvement in the death of multiple men. Even though they try to solve this issue by graverobbing in the middle of the night, it only accelerates things when a witness nearly catches them. As a result, they end up leaving some of the chopped-up body parts behind on the scene.
One of these body parts belongs to Edwin Schönborn, heir of the lucrative Schönborn family. This leads to the reopening of his murder investigation, which brings federal agent Wallner to the small town. From the get-go, the detective remains suspicious of Blum, certain that the undertaker had the means and the motives to execute the murder. For the same reason, she adamantly follows the same angle, even jumping the red tape at times to get results. Thus, she ends up arresting the woman without a warrant. However, bigger complications are brewing on Blum’s horizon. Earlier, her house was broken into by a trained criminal who was on the hunt for something.
While in custody, a lawyer, Herbert Wagenschaub, visits Blum under the guise of being her attorney. Through a recorded message, he reveals that her daughter, Nela, has been kidnapped by a mysterious group who are willing to ransom her for the video recording of Edwin’s vile torture porn footage. Nonetheless, the frazzled mother isn’t actually in possession of the video. Consequently, she ends up having to find a way to track her daughter down and save her from a cruel fate. While she follows up on various leads to find her daughter—even turning to Johanna Schönborn for help—Reza makes an extreme decision. He takes the fall for her and confesses to Edwin’s murder.
Meanwhile, Johanna also finds herself in some hot waters. The reopening of her son’s murder case has cast unwanted light on her company, especially from within. Badal Sarkissian, who is also behind Nela’s kidnapping, is vying to snatch away Edwin’s shares and overtake the company as a whole. Yet, his search after the heir’s incriminating video isn’t actually for his own purposes. Instead, Lange, who is currently running for mayor, has asked the businessman/crime boss to retrieve the footage. In turn, he’s also being blackmailed by another party with a similar video of him engaging in raping and killing a woman.
In time, Blum’s situation worsens, especially after she loses a crucial bargaining chip—Tamar, Sarkissian’s sister. As such, she has no option but to reach out to the police for their help and surrender herself. Still, she chooses to employ Wallner’s help, believing her to be trustworthy. At the time, the cop is dealing with issues of her own—particularly the murder of a colleague in self-defense and subsequent suspension. However, her investigation has also made her suspicious of Sarkissian. Therefore, when Blum promises to reveal the truth about Edwin’s case, Wallner agrees to help her catch the businessman. The duo make a great team together and manage to find Nela’s location in the nick of time. As a result, they find themselves searching for an abandoned estate while fending off Sarkissian and his hired hand.
Woman of the Dead Season 2 Ending: Is Blum Dead?
Throughout the season, Blum remains under threat of being arrested for her past crimes. Nonetheless, her storyline is vastly overshadowed by the more horrifying danger around Nela’s life. Previously, Nela was only a hostage, which kept her relatively safer than the alternative. However, now that Sarkissian’s sister, Tamar, is dead and he’s out for revenge, the teenager’s fate is all but sealed. For the same reason, near the end, turning herself in becomes a sacrifice that Blum is willing to make. Thus, she teams up with Wallner—a decision that bears fruit rather quickly as it brings the mother to the estate where her daughter is being held captive.
Sarkissian is planning on taking his revenge on Blum by making her daughter into one of his victims through rape, torture, and finally death—all of which will be recorded to be circulated amongst his sick circle. While the mother is looking for Nela, Wallner locks Sarkissian up in her car. However, his henchmen eventually manage to get him out of his confines. As such, soon enough, simply finding Nela doesn’t remain the biggest challenge. Instead, walking out of the estate with their lives becomes the women’s real obstacle. Once Blum finds her daughter, Sarkissian and one of his goons attempt to incapacitate the mother to make her witness the young girl’s torture.
Nonetheless, Blum refuses to go down without a fight. As such, she overpowers Sarkissian’s goon before using his gun to engage in a confrontation against the other man. Even though she manages to shoot at him, buying herself and Nela enough time to escape the torture chamber, she also sustains a fatal stab wound in the process. Furthermore, once the duo is almost in the clear, Sarkissian catches up to them, engaging Blum in another fight in which he relieves her stab wound of the blade’s pressure. In the end, Nela’s intervention helps her mother gain the upper hand and beat her attacker to a pulp with a pipe. Yet, the reality of her stab wound remains.
Without the blade’s pressure, Blum is more likely to bleed out to her death. Thus, even though the authorities are on their way, it seems like this might be the end for the undertaker. For the same reason, she resigns to her fate and tries to say her bitter goodbyes to her daughter. Nonetheless, Blum’s story doesn’t end there. As the narrative transitions into the epilogue, the woman can be seen surrounded by her family—apparently alive. Ultimately, Blum survives, even if her mobility seems to have been sacrificed in the process. Yet, the woman has to continue living with the reality of her existence and how it never seems too far away from death in some way or another. In the end, she is starting to realize that she can never truly put these horrible things in her past. As such, the most she can do is ensure her loved ones are safe and distanced from it, even if it ends up taking them away from Blum.
How Did Johanna Get Lange’s Video? Why Was She Blackmailing Him?
On the heels of Nela’s rescue, the criminal case around Sarkissian blows wide open. The police discover the remains of various women on the estate, which promises big trouble for the newly elected governor, Lange. The businessman has been a long-time supporter of the politician—both publicly and financially—and their connection went so deep that the estate was originally in Lange’s name. As such, the case brings a lot of unwanted attention to his own possible connections with sex trafficking rings. Eventually, the governor realizes that there’s no way he’s escaping from this situation without the extent of his involvement in the circulation of the torture porn videos. Therefore, he commits suicide before the police can get to him.
However, an interesting revelation arrives in the aftermath of Lange’s death. As it turns out, Johanna had been the one blackmailing the politician from the start. The interest in Edwin’s video emerged once his remains were discovered, leading to the reopening of his unsolved case. Johanna knew that the police’s scrutiny—especially that of a federal agent like Wallner could only spell trouble for Edwin’s image, given his unsavory past. For the same reason, she decides to blackmail Lange, the shoo-in future governor. She figures that he can find a way to locate the video effectively, allowing her to wipe its dark shadow over the Schönborn family name. Fortunately enough, she had the perfect tool to use against the politician to make him do her bidding.
Much like Edwin, Lange had also participated in the gang rape of a human trafficking victim, which was recorded to be circulated in sickening circles. However, during this particular instance, the politician’s mask had momentarily come off, exposing his identity on tape. Edwin had kept this video on his computer, which Johanna had found in the wake of his death. Given Lange’s promising political trajectory, she had plans to hold the footage over the man’s head for a long time for her own benefit. For the same reason, his unexpected suicide throws a wrench in her plans. Still, the woman has intentions of keeping a hold over political power in the town—even if it means she may have to run for governor herself.
What Happens to Nela? Does Blum Kill Sarkissian?
Nela remains in perpetual danger throughout the storyline, as she becomes one of Sarkissian’s hostages. Yet, she never truly grasps the context of her abduction. Since Blum prefers to keep everything about her more dangerous escapades a secret from her children, the teenager has no idea why her mother’s past has put her in danger. Fortunately, the mother manages to save her daughter in the nick of time. Furthermore, as she’s dying, she tries to advocate for her innocence, telling her daughter not to hate her once the police dig out things about her past. Despite her motives and the immorality of her victims, Blum is still responsible for many deaths. Therefore, she’s expected to invite some of Nela and Tim’s hatred for it.
Nonetheless, as the epilogue reveals, Nela hasn’t grown any more distant from her family. Given the fact that Blum survives her near-fatal wound, it’s likely that in her recovery, she shared some of her more adverse truths with her daughter. However, unlike before, when secrets drove Nela to become distant, the reality—regardless of its darkness—has compelled the teenager to fight beside her family. Therefore, she has given up on her dreams of escaping the small town. Still, there is a certain detachment between the mother-daughter duo that showcases Nela’s transition from a teenager to a young adult. Her continued relationship with Alex—which has gone from a whirlwind romance to a stable possibility of a future together—also symbolizes the same.
Does Wallner Arrest Blum?
Unlike Nela and Blum, Detecive Wallner decidedly does not receive a hopeful conclusion. The cop had been intent on solving the case of Edwin’s death and proving the undertaker’s guilt. In order to achieve this, she bypasses many rules, bends conventions, and even comes close to losing her job. Still, she never backs down from her goals. Even while she helps Blum rescue Nela, Wallner makes it clear that she expects the mother to come clean about her past in exchange. Therefore, it is likely that Blum’s future would have involved a prison cell if the detective had her way.
However, unfortunately for Wallner, she never actually makes it out of Sarkissian’s estate alive. While Blum goes looking for Nela, the detective covers for her by taking on the businessman’s highly skilled henchman. Over the past few weeks, this man has killed numerous people, establishing his startling competency as a professional killer. Consequently, he becomes a daunting adversary. In the end, she managed to trick him into a corner, which allowed her to open fire at him. Nonetheless, while he becomes a victim of her shot—Wallner also catches his bullet. Thus, the operation ultimately leads to the detective’s death, leaving her case cold and unsolved.
