Rex Resolution 76: Der Vollmondmoerder (S6 E1)

Welcome to Series 6. A complicated plot for this first episode!

This episode starts with Brandtner executing a slide show of two murder victim: both women, murdered in cemeteries, laid on flowers/wreaths and with their hair cut rather savagely. Both murders happened at full moon, hence the episode title. The task at hand is a difficult one - how to maintain watch over Vienna's 56 cemetries?

Kunz thinks the problem will be averted. The police operation has been widely reported and should scare the murderer off. Boeck is much more clued-in. He knows the urge to kill will overcome any sense of caution. The team are restless, Rex himself is on the roof, howling at the moon. Of course, when Brandtner joins him in the act, Kunz's eyebrows are raised!

Across town, Judith Geigner is being chased through the woods. Unfortunately, it seems that the planned surveillance of the cemetries did scare the murderer but only enough to change his location. A tomb. When it appears nothing has happened, the team prepare to go home to catch some sleep but, as always happens in Rex, they get stopped by a 'phone call just as they are leaving the office.

A crowd and a tv crew has gathered at the crime scene but Brandtner's in no mood to comment. Despite no sleep, he's still thinking smart though and gets Boeck to arrange for photographs of the crowd scene and registrations of parked cars. He knows the perpetrator could well be watching.

Graf is on hand and confirms that a serial murderer is at large. The details of the killing match the two previous murders.

Someone is watching the tv coverage intently. The suggestion, of course, is that we're looking at the murderer.

Over at the victim's flat, there doesn't seem any obvious clues but, as the woman was an artist, they decide to check up her art school. Funnily enough, Brandtner finds her classmates painting works around the subject of the full moon. Brandtner takes the lecturer, Paul Mandl, aside. He seems shocked when he learns of Judith's fate. Brandtner asks about a painting of Mandl he found in Judith's flat, a painting by someone call Sandra (a fellow student), and a letter referring to her lover, an older, married man.

To complicate matters further, a woman is asking her psychiatrist husband Clemens if perhaps one of his patients could be responsible for the murders. Apparently, Clemens has a patient who is affected by the full moon and who hates women but he is dismissive of it. The wife is concerned but more about their social standing and the possible implications should the murderer were to be one of her husband's patients.

Brandtner is interviewing student Sandra. She'd been with Judith the evening before. She said Judith hadn't been having problems with anyone. When Brandtner asks her about all the paintings of Mandl (the lecturer), Sandra breaks down and spills the fact that Judith and Mandl had an affair. Mandl had left her for someone else.

Clemen's first patient of the day is Schima, the man seen earlier watching the tv coverage. Clemens questions him about his activities from the previous night. Schima admits to having been restless, his medication hadn't seemed to work, he had drunk alcohol and couldn't remember much else. Schima brings up the topic of the latest murder and states his lack of comprehension for such a deed.

Brandtner is back interrogating Mandl, who's getting a little annoyed. Mandl has no real alibi for the previous night but sets one up with Sandra. Brandtner keeps pressing. No wonder Mandl is nervous, his wife knows nothing of his affairs. When pushed, he pulls out Sandra as his alibi and she is asked to make an official statement.

The team are called back to crime scene. The place where the actual murder took place has been ascertained. The crowd is still there and guess who's among them? Yep, Schima. For some reason, Rex sniffs him out and barks at him until Brandtner's interest is raised. Brandtner asks questions. Why is he here?

Clemens' wife is a very pushy number. She's putting pressure on Clemens to build a stellar career like her father. Talk about issues! Their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Schima. Schima's in psychological crisis, fearing he might hurt himself. Never mind that. His ears should be burning for Schima is the current topic of conversation at police headquarters. Boeck recognises the name from somewhere, he has Schima's care registration number and so it's clear that Schima was at the crime scene both days. Schima is a hairdresser. With little hair of his own to fuss over, Kunz gets to check him out for a shave.

In the salon, Schima is mid-discourse on the full moon murderer. Kunz gets freaked by the scissors and shaving implements. Schima seems to know sufficient about the murders to raise Kunz's suspicion and he calls for assistance. When Brandtner turns up, Schima flees, knocking Kunz out with a well-aimed hairdryer. Rex is on the chase and soon has Schima rounded up. Endstation as Rexers often say.

Schima flatly denies any involvement but indicates his treatment with Clemens. While he admits to visiting cemeteries, he refuses to admit to the murders. Brandtner keeps the pressure on. At Schima's flat, Kunz and Boeck are finding potential clues -a necrophiles guide to Viennese cemeteries (must surely be a bestseller!), a moon calendar. What will prove to be the clincher though is a small droplet of blood from a self-wound to the perpetrator inadvertently dropped on the victim. That's enough to convince Schima his game is over and he confesses. As a hairdresser, he just couldn't stand listening to old women rambling on all day. He's bitter because his victims, all young and pretty, had no time for him. However, he denies the murder at the tomb. He visited the scene to see for himself - he had an imitator. As an alibi, he outlines a failed attack on another woman, a woman who managed to escape, and then a drink at the pub. The publican confirms the latter part of the story.

Brandtner, Boeck and Rex head off to the site of the failed attack. Supersnout Rex finds a tied up dog whose owner happens to be the woman who escaped. Alibi confirmed. So, who committed the last murder?

Graf tells them he too believes the last murderer was different because the victim's hair was cut off with scissors, not with a razor as before. Also, the first two victims were strangled with a narrow cord, the last victim with a wide one. A copycat murder. Interestingly, the last victim also happened to be pregnant.

Meanwhile Mandl is asking Sandra if the police have followed up on the alibi she gave him. She's not comfortable with the position he's placed her in. He kisses her. She's momentarily comforted but you can sense it won't be long before she cracks under pressure. When she finds out that the murderer of her friend is still at large, she goes straight to Brandtner and confesses her lie. Mandl is pulled back in. He finally has to admit that Sandra rejected his advances, he left early and spent time with a prostitute instead. Of course, Kunz gets to go to the brothel to check out the story. Oh, poor Kunz, surrounded by all those scantily clad women! Mandl's story stands up and he is let go.

Unwittingly, Sandra provides a clue when she mentions Judith's psychiatrist, Dr. Clemens. The same psychiatrist who treated Schima. When Sandra confirms Clemens is older and married, it becomes apparent that he might be the person mentioned in letters found at Judith's flat. At the Clemens flat, Brandtner explains his visit as needing more information on Schima, saying there is doubt about whether he committed the third crime because the police haven't been able to locate the razor. Clemens says he has nothing to add and Brandtner remarks the police will look further tomorrow. A very subtle plan to flush Clemens out.

It works because on the middle of the night Clemens ducks out. Why? He's looking for the discarded scissors at the murder scene and heads out to the woods. He finds the scissors but, of course, Brandtner and Rex are waiting to round him up. It turns out he had an affair with his patient Judith and murdered her to avoid scandal and the loss of his profession. A last minute attempt at suicide fails as Rex drags him out of the path of a car. Endstation noch einmal.

Other players include Stefan Matousch as Dr. Clemens, Krista Stadler, as Frau Clemens, not credited with IMDB for this episode, Mathieu Carriere, as Mandl, not credited with IMDB for this episode, and Nora Miedler, as Sandra, not listed with IMDB.

A single Recycled Rexer in Viktor Schefe, here as Schima and earlier in 'Blutrose Rosen'.