'Vienna Blood' Serves Surprising Justice in "The God of Shadows"

Vienna Blood's cold open chyron "China 1900" presents the Boxer Rebellion; in a lesser series, it might herald a yellow peril episode. However, the second chyron reminds us how far the series still has to go. "Vienna 1908" was Season 1's setting; this is Season 3. Years have passed. Max wrote a book, started a business, and went from being a harried student to applying to be Head of Neurology. Oskar's met a new woman, and though he's still not over his first wife and child, he's making a run at it. Clara has broken two engagements and given up on marriage. It may seem petty, but the inability to recognize it is not perpetually 1908 is one reason this show stays a second-tier PBS mystery.

Max: Welcome to the case, father.... er, that's just something we usually say round about now.

Despite the timeline issues, Fraulien Linder comes to see Max at the hospital while he's putting in hours; he failed to get the Head of Neurology job, which went to Professor Neumann (Michael Kranz), who seems less antagonistic to Max's Freud methods. Linder asks for help for Captain Georg Steiner (Cornelius Obonya) at Kierling House for Aging Soldiers, who rescued her late father during the Boxer rebellion. Max uses his contacts to meet the head of it, Dr. Wiesinger (Thomas Sigwald). He is unimpressed by Max and refuses to release Steiner into his care, despite the man's condition, where he believes he's been cursed and mutters about panthers and bellies full of water.