Posted on August 24, 2025
Karachi:
In a city buried deeply in the Austrian Alps, death is not the end – it is the beginning of secrets that are unleashed, revenge take place and corpses whispering their truths.
Long after watching Woman of the Dead (Wotd), I could not get the images of the majestic terrain, but hard from the Alps, the corpses speaking, an artistic ski resort in a very snowy valley, dead and motorcycles on smooth roads through steep mountains and deep valley would not leave the mind.
I found the Netflix series fascinating for several reasons. Located in Tirol, Austria, the story of a funeral director in a small ski resort aligns well hidden secrets of the small town, where her husband is killed right in front of her. Often, the mysteries of small town are dense of eccentric characters, but here the most eccentric character is the director of the funeral herself. Yes, it is a woman who dresses, undresses, cuts, cuts, corpse of corpses to make them adapted to coffins and presentable to humans and to God! More details later.
The backdrop is perfect for the story of a Undertaker – the hard Tyrolean Alps, with their ruthless terrain and their cold and permanent snow, reflecting the sinister and impartial work of The Undertaker, throwing a frightening atmosphere during the series. Second, discovering that The Undertaker was a woman, my mind is wound by a mixture of intrigue and disbelief. The idea of anyone manipulates the cold and disturbing reality of death, especially a woman, struck me as strange and disturbing. [Especially when she imagines, the corpses are talking to her!] His dark profession, a striking contrast with my own sensitivities, felt deeply against nature, almost defying the typical roles that I had imagined. And thirdly, the character of The Undertaker Brunhilde Blum who is known in the city under the name of “Blum”, played by Anna Maria Mühe, who is exceptional in her three -part role as a wife who is looking for revenge, and a detective who has a big instinct has a boost for the secrets. While she approaches more deeply in the case, she enters increasingly dangerous situations. As a mortician, she knows how to hide murders and who can get rid of corpses better than her!
Mühe is an award -winning German actress, with a long list of films to her credit. The role of Blum as a Undertaker must have intrigued it, because it is known for having chosen roles that involve strong and complex characters, for which she has received distinctions for her performances in films like “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Love in Thoughts”.
That was it Combination of factors: the intrigue of engaging revenge, strong female lead, impressive cinematography and the captivating atmosphere that keeps you stuck on the screen. Especially the eccentric mixture of criminal drama with black humor, held me through the two seasons.
Based on the Totenfrau novel, by Bernhard Aichner, the series starts with a quiet visual of a Outdoor sailboat. A woman wearing headphones listens to an old iPod as she lies on the sun on the bow. Ah, you instantly sniff trouble. It is the peaceful scene that tries fate. Two seconds later, people cry for help. The visual flashes several times in the series, at least in the first season for sure, until you start to link this incident with other developments that occur later.
Wotd could be a simple and simple thriller, if it was not for the character in Blum layers, his background frame and the dark edge of the show, which gives him an advantage on the long list of thrillers on the streamer these days, most of them around missing girls, which seems to be the fastest of Netflix’s essential idea for the criminal genre.
Imagine the scene where Brunhilde Blum does routine stuff around her funeral home in her small mountain town. Her assistant, Reza Shadid (Yousef Sweid), told her that the family of the person on which she works bought a standard size coffin which was too small, that does not bother Blum. With the ease and impassiveness that a cook adds more salt to a pan on the stove, Blum takes out his bone saw and cuts one foot after the other from the corpse so that he can hold in the coffin. Does that make you shiver or do you totally panic? It may not be a spoiler, maybe I just did it!
Yousef Sweid, who plays Reza Shadide, brings a convincing presence on the screen. His mysterious eyes and stoic behavior are a perfect fit for the character, which serves as a confidant, a combat coach and a Blum protector. Reza, a Syrian refugee taken by Mark, secretly helps Brünhilde in his quest for justice, saving her life and meticulously hiding the murders she commits. However, an error by covering Puch murder finally leads to an investigation into Blum, putting their common secret secret. The choice to make Reza a Syrian refugee adds a crucial layer of social and political context to history, highlighting the themes of movement and survival which resonate deeply with the mysterious actions of the character.
Blum’s husband, Mark Thaler (Maiximilian Kraus), is a local cop, but his relationship with Mark is wrapped in the tragedy that killed his parents, so there are all kinds of implications in his death. When he comes back from a trip, Blum sees him talking about a yellow phone she has never seen. When she underlines the new phone, he simply says that he bought a new case. While climbing on his Ducati to go to work, he struck as he introduces himself on the road, and the Range Rover who struck him moves away after stopping only for a minute, which is enough to create intrigue and curiosity. While Blum is in shock, you too are gaping on the screen asking yourself what has just happened!
Before going further, let’s take a break to dress a little on the dark, cold and silent world of entrepreneurs, a profession not specifically seen in our part of the world. This is where the character of Blum transports us. Also funeral directors or known morticians, these professionals manage the practical and emotional aspects of funeral arrangements. They help families plan and organize commemorative services, ensure that the deceased is taken care of with dignity and providing support for a difficult period.
As we can see in films and series illustrating Western culture, entrepreneurs help families choose a place, coordinate with the clergy or celebrants and organize the transport of the deceased and participants, similar to the work of ENT planners. The difference is an environment of muffled tones, soft lighting and a certain silence.
In their preparation room, the clinical and impartial work of embalming, dressing and the preparation of the body for visualization takes place. With scientific precision and methodical care, a Undertaker focuses on the restoration of dignity to the deceased and prepares them for visualization. This may include embalming, dressing and body preparation for visualization or cremation, which may not be done for each deceased person, because embalming is generally done if vision or visit with the body is involved before burial or cremation. For example, The bodies of presidents and celebrities are generally embalmed for public views, and behind flowers, crowns and crowds or queues of people in funerals and commemorative services, a funeral entrepreneur has diligently accomplished the dark duties around the dead.
To become Undertaker, also known as a funeral or mortician, it is generally necessary to finish formal education in mortuary science, followed by learning and a license of state. This path is to study the technical and commercial aspects of the funeral service industry, to acquire practical experience and to meet the specific requirements of the State.
Are there funeral women’s pumps? Yes, for example, the 528 entrepreneurs from Austria, often work for family businesses. They have a wide range of knowledge, ranging from local social practices and symbols to individual design options, in order to accompany bereaved people in the best possible way during their mourning time. These include, for example, covering the coffin with a white cloth, the installation of incense and charcoal, and do not sound bells with Buddhist funerals. Entrepreneurs’ knowledge also encompasses the preparation of the possibilities of the last place of rest for the deceased. Sharing and supporting a person’s last trip have significant social and community significance for bereaved and entrepreneurs play an important role in this area. Their support also extends to the continuous management of death in the context of human life.
Knowledge of the funeral and the culture of the cemetery is transmitted from one person to another. There are several additional components which contribute to the safeguarding and expansion of knowledge, including training possibilities such as the Academy of Business, more in -depth training, meetings and exchanges of frequent regulations between federal provinces and specialized group meetings and museums. They also have an association and their own specialized newspaper.
Although the funeral industry has traditionally been dominated by men, the proportion of women working in the field increases. In Austria, around 36% of people employed in the funeral sector are women, according to a report by Kronen Zeitung, the largest newspaper in Austria.
Returning to the series, the writer’s full marks for the unique premise of the series, featuring a woman as a sectioning. It is a really convincing and original idea. No wonder, the two seasons were lapped by the public. After three years, the second season of the series, originally in German, returned with more secrets to exhibit and discover. If you thought it could not be better than the first season, you are wrong, because the second season gave the first point for his money.
Blum, the central character advances the story. It’s been two years now since the events of the first season she lost her husband. If you thought Blum had resolved all the mysteries and exhibited all the ugly secrets of the small town, and would now live a peaceful life with her daughter, Nela (Emilia Pieske), you are mistaken again. Having even more enemies, in the police and on the local scene now, this time, she must attack the abduction of Nela.
While season 1 was led by Barbara Albert and Stefan Ruzowitzky, the second season was led by Daniel nextka and written by Marcel Kawental and Timo Lombeck, relying on the forces of the first, and adding new layers of complexity and darkness. However, there are parts where you think that season 1 was tighter and more concentrated, but season 2 went wider in its story exploring the trafficking of human beings and tobacco films. It is also described as darker and more threatening. But that said, the two seasons offer captivating scenarios, powerful performances and an intense mystery, re -editing the few minor faults.
The two seasons are worthy of bingers, the cinematography of the simply spectacular Alpine region. He surely indicates a third season under production. Will you dare to go back to the cold, grainy and dark world of Blum?
