Rex Resolution 80: Das Millionenpferd (S6, E5)

Couldn't resist this photo of 'Fuzzy' in flannel from this episode.

Theresa is having a last ride on her horse Sirius before heading off to the airport to fly to the Emirates to take part in equestrian competitions. She's sad to leave Sirius behind and asks stable hand Swoboda to take extra special care of her horse. Sirius can't be taken because of quarantine regulations.

Besides Frau Latzki, her mother, sees an opportunity to get Sirius trained to jump higher. She instructs her stable manager Arthur to use his own training methods, Theresa doesn't like, while they are both away. Arthur readily agrees - anything to get a champion horse. Latzki cautions further that Theresa should never know. This means that trusty Swoboda will need to be ditched and replaced with Arthur's brother Gerhard. As Gerhard is intellectually disabled, the mother is skeptical but Arthur assures her Gerhard knows a lot about horses.

Swoboda is training Sirius when Arthur sends him home early. He's grateful but is surprised to see Gerhard arrive. Training resumes with much rougher tactics than Swoboda was using. When Swoboda returns and sees Gerhard whipping Sirius to get him to jump increasingly higher fences, he's upset but, before he can intervene, disaster ensues. Sirius falls badly, breaking both front legs. Arthur has no choice but to shoot him. Swoboda is beside himself and tries to stop Arthur, threatening to tell Theresa everything. When Arthur tells Gerhard to grab Swoboda, Gerhard accidentally breaks Swoboda's neck in the process. Arthur swears to take care of the situation.

He certainly does. He arranges for Gerhard to dump the body at a neighbouring farm, placing the body in a bull pen so the death seems accidental. He even manages to switch another horse for Sirius. When he manages to fool the insurance assessor and vet, all seems good.

Later that night, a couple are seen spying on Arthur and the fake Sirius. The pair seem to be some kind of animal activists, looking for evidence of ill-treatment.

When the neighbour finds the body, he thinks the bull has killed poor Swoboda. Nonetheless, Brandtner and team are called in to investigate. Graf immediately picks up a broken neck as cause of death and states that even though the bull appears to have trampled Swoboda, he was already dead. With nothing to identify Swoboda, the team have little to go on.

Gerhard is an emotional wreck because of what he's done. He tells Arthur he's going to tell the police everything but Arthur stops him. He sends Gerhard off to Budapest with 300 Schillings to bribe a beggar to send a fax from the post office before returning to his farm.

Graf tells Brandtner that Swoboda had been involved in a struggle. So, basically, it was a lot of bull about the bull and the hunt for the murderer is on.

The fax from Hungary arrives at the Latzki farm. Apparently, it is a kidnap note from someone claiming to have taken Sirius. Arthur is straight on the phone to Latzki in the Emirates.

The victim still cannot be identified, although Arthur is pointing the insurance company in the direction of Swoboda as they investigate the missing horse. The insurance company want the police called in much to Arthur's consternation. He has to give ground and finally tells the insurance company Swoboda's name.

Meanwhile more evidence has emerged. Someone else's blood has been found under Swoboda's finger nails and his clothing is covered in horse, not bull, hair. When Boeck comes in with a story of a missing horse, Brandtner is all ears - especially when it's a kidnap case with the stable hand as suspect.

Brandtner heads out, almost knocking over the animal activists as he arrives. They're soon at work photographing Arthur's mistreatment of the horses in training. Rex is much more direct, going straight to take the whip out of Arthur's hands. Brandtner wants to see everyone in the farm. Arthur tells him there is no one else, Swoboda is gone with the horse and that he needs a new stable hand. You can just sense this is going to impact on Kunz, see photo above.

Brandtner shows Arthur Swoboda's jumper but he denies any knowledge of it and turns the focus back on to the supposedly missing horse. In fact, he tells Brandtner, with the horse most likely gone to Hungary, the chance of it being found is minimal. However, Arthur underestimates Rex. The scent on the jumper leads Rex straight to Swoboda's flat above the stables. Victim identified.

Brandtner looks around. He finds lots of photos of Theresa. Obviously, Swoboda was taken with her.

At this precise moment, Latzki and Theresa return. Brandtner talks to them and tells them he's not there about the horse but about the murder of Swoboda. Theresa is devastated. Latzki is shocked. She had been told by Arthur that Swoboda had stolen the horse, not that he had been killed. Theresa is convinced that Swoboda could never have taken the horse. She wants to see his body. Meanwhile, Latzki is looking daggers at Arthur, she suspects his involvement in the murder.

The animal activists have learnt from the paper that Sirius has been kidnapped but they're not buying it. Of course, the day previously they'd photographed Arthur himself loading up Sirius into a transporter. She wants to go to the police but he's got another idea. He's sure it's a case of insurance fraud and sees an opportunity for them to make some money themselves. Of course, he intends to spend it all on animal welfare...right.

Theresa tells Brandtner that the stud farm used to belong to Arthur and Gerhard but that they mismanaged it, selling it to her mother.

Brandtner gets Kunz excited. An undercover job. He's less than impressed when he finds out that translates to shovelling horse poo. Mist, says Kunz. Genau. He moves into Swoboda's old living quarters as Richard Wagner. First job, put on flannel, sweep out the stalls. It doesn't take long for Kunz to get on to something though. He sees the animal activitists talking to Arthur, They're trying to blackmail him but Arthur sends them packing.

Brandtner is talking to the vet about Sirius. He shows him a photo and asks for confirmation that it is, in fact, Sirius. He then happens to catch the activists leaving the stud farm and asks what they've been doing. He also asks if they were here the day Swoboda was murdered. They deny it. Brandtner then approaches Kunz as Wagner, wanting a blanket from Sirius's stall for its scent. Kunz takes the opportunity to tell Brandtner he saw the animal activitists arguing with Arthur. Brandtner gets Boeck to check them out. They have a record, a past history of property damage while freeing animals.

The female activist is more determined to go to the police now there's been a murder. Her partner is again adamant. Of course, this is the moment where Brandtner turns up. He asks again about Swoboda. They again deny any knowledge. Brandtner shows interest in their photos. He then asks what they were arguing about with Arthur. They say it was simply about the cruelty. The woman tells the man that she won't be part of the blackmail. Her partner has a choice to make - her or the money.

When Kunz is shovelling hay, he notices two full aerosols hidden. What are they? Hair dye - possibly used to pass off another horse as Sirius. Brandtner's on to the insurance fraud.

When Latzki receives another kidnap demand, she calls Brandtner's team immediately. At the same time, love wins out and the animal activitists arrive to see Brandtner. Time to come clean about what they know.

At night, Brandtner takes up position watching Gerhard cleaning out the transporter. Boeck arrives. When they approach Gerhard, he's anxious. He allows them to see his one horse, the one passed off as Sirius. Rex proves this when he follows the scent from Sirius's blanket straight to the horse. A horse complete with hair dye. Game over. Gerhard's not smart enough to give Brandtner a plausible explanation. They leave, although Boeck stays watching. Gerhard sets alight to the barn and makes a run for it. Rex manages to free both the the horse and Boeck (injured inside the barn) in time.

Gerhard has returned to the house but sees that Brandtner and Boeck have freed the horse and escaped. He drives towards them on a tractor before driving into the fiery barn. Endstation Gerhard. When Brandtner finds the body of Sirius in a hay stack, all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place.

Kunz is alerted by Brandtner. At the stud, Latzki is yelling at Arthur. Seems she was in on the insurance fraud but she's angry at him for the murder. Unfortunately, Theresa overhears her mother telling Arthur to settle with the activists.

Theresa is devastated. She confronts them both. The mother tries to explain her rationale for the insurance fraud but Theresa is going to the police. When Arthur grabs a gun to stop her, a struggle breaks out between the mother and Arthur, the mother is knocked unconscious. Arthur is after Theresa, with only Kunz to save her. Kunz is knocked over while Arthur locks himself in the stable with Theresa, threatening to kill her.

Above, Rex takes aim and leaps, creeping up behind Arthur. When he leaps on Arthur, the girl is let go and Arthur is winged by Brandtner. Endstation Arthur.

Other players include Lisa Kreuzer, as Latzki, not credited for this episode but listed with IMDB for the Stockinger episode 'Lebende Schieß-Scheiben ' (1997), Anna Luise Kish as Theresa, Henry Meyer as Arthur Stein, Gunnar Kolb, not listed with IMDB for this episode, Richard Sammel, not listed for this episode but also appearing in Inglorious Basterds, and Alexandra Sommerfeld, also not listed.

Aside: This episode is particularly prone to the hovering microphone!