Stephan Lacant and Francis Meletzky’s German mystery crime series “Sleeping Dog” on Netflix explores the inner workings of the court system through a strange spate of deaths. The series, which stars Max Riemelt and Luise von Finckh, is on former police officer Mike Atlas, who deserts his family and survives on the streets while experiencing memory gaps. Atlas unearths the Judge Herres case following the passing of Mussa Basher, who was serving a prison sentence for the judge’s murder, but he can’t help but believe that something is wrong. Along the way, Atlas teams up with inexperienced prosecutor Jule Andergast, and the two look into the web of fabrications surrounding the Herres homicide.
The series examines morality and trauma topics as well as corruption inside a police department through the frantic conspiratorial inquiry. Therefore, viewers could be perplexed as to how the show’s name, “Sleeping Dog,” fits into that story. If so, this article will tell you everything you need to know.
What Does the Sleeping Dog Title Mean?
In its original German, ‘Sleeping Dog’ is titled ‘Schlafende Hunde’ and explores the difficulties amnesic Mike Atlas has in coming to terms with his role in Mussa Basher’s trial and subsequent suicide. Unnamed remorse motivates Atlas and keeps him from going back to his family and previous life throughout the first season’s six episodes. As the plot develops, Atlas and the spectator eventually learn more about his background and come to the realisation that his memory loss was a traumatic trauma response.
The phrase “Let the sleeping dogs lie” is the source of the term “Sleeping Dog.” The proverb serves as a reminder to stay out of unexpected danger and promotes the idea that unsafe circumstances should be left alone because interfering with them could have unfavourable effects. Similar to how waking a dog up unexpectedly can be harmful or even fatal, there are times when problems should be left alone.
The sleeping dog in the story is Atlas’ and his associates’ abuse of authority and criminal participation in the Basher and Herres case. Atlas is aware that, along with Zari and Socke’s lives, his would also be destroyed if the truth were to come to light. He therefore makes an effort to avoid it, but the guilt never stops eating away at his conscience.
Although the proverb implies that it’s simpler to ignore some circumstances, Atlas discovers that when he attempts to ignore his problems and errors, his life simply becomes worse. Atlas is unable to deal with the remorse of his deeds, in contrast to Zaric and Socke. He first experiences dissociative amnesia as a result of the same. He cannot be haunted by his history if he is unable to recall it. But his deeds still linger, and the fact that Atlas can’t remember them in detail only makes them seem much more unpleasant.
As a result, the title “Sleeping Dog” reverses the metaphor from which it derives and emphasises the significance of admitting mistakes and accepting responsibility. It contends that ignoring your mistakes and, more significantly, your past, won’t make them go away. The repercussions of Atlas’s actions follow him throughout the narrative in the form of a string of fatalities that take place in an effort to conceal the truth.
In the end, Atlas can only stop the killings and cut through the web of deceit by facing the painful truth of his past. The message is easily resonant with the series’ themes and motifs because it largely centres on corruption, especially in the court system. As a result, the title “Sleeping Dog” alludes to Atlas’s internal conflict as a result of his cover-up of a crime with his companions. It calls attention to the need for accountability and rejects the notion that problems may be avoided in order to solve them.
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