The folks who brought us three captivating seasons of the existential time-travel thriller Dark are back with a new science fiction series for Netflix: the dystopian drama Tribes of Europa, featuring warring factions battling over what is left of the European continent late in the 21st century. Brutal and compelling, it's like a German version of The Hunger Games, with bits of Game of Thrones and The 100 thrown in for good measure. In other words, we're on familiar, well-trodden territory here, but the series is still one heck of an entertaining ride.

1. Reviews Europa Report
2. Ua Europa Reviews

(Some spoilers below but no major reveals.)

Hapag-Lloyd Europa Cruises: Read 9 Hapag-Lloyd Europa cruise reviews. Find great deals, tips and tricks on Cruise Critic to help plan your cruise. Top Mentions in Europa Locks Reviews beta COVID Related Reviews (2) no job security (6) career growth (4) work culture (4) politics (4) job security (4) + 4 more posted on 09 Oct 2020. Europa joins UA’s young stability line up of Charged Bandit 2 (road), Charged RC 2 (competition) and Verge Low GTX (trail) as a shoe that the brand says is designed for runners in need of extra stability. The shoe’s control comes in part from Europa’s wide forefoot sole unit. It’s as wide as HOKA Arahi in the front (with a wider upper to match, unlike Arahi) yet more narrow in the. Europa Universalis IV › Customer reviews; Customer reviews. 4.0 out of 5 stars. 37 global ratings. 5 star 60% 4 star 7% 3 star 16% 2 star 7% 1 star 9% Europa Universalis IV. How are ratings calculated? See All Buying Options.

The production company is Wiedemann & Berg, whose credits also include the Oscar-winning film The Lives of Others, in addition to Dark. The six-episode Tribes of Europa series was created by showrunner Philip Koch, who reportedly was inspired by the Brexit vote of 2016. Per the official premise:

2074. In the wake of a mysterious global disaster, war rages between the Tribes that have emerged from the wreckage of Europe. Three siblings from the peaceful Origines tribe—Kiano (Emilio Sakraya), Liv (Henriette Confurius) and Elja (David Ali Rashed)—are separated and forced to forge their own paths in an action-packed fight for the future of this new Europa.

The global disaster in question is known as 'Black December.' In 2029, technology 'started going crazy,' causing a mysterious planet-wide power outage that plunged the world into darkness. Forty-five years later, the survivors on the European continent have divided into various warring tribes, scavenging for the remaining precious resources. The Origines choose to steer clear of the fighting and live in pastoral isolation deep in the forest, trading for additional supplies when necessary with a friendly neighboring tribe. Liv is a feisty Katniss Everdeen type, good with a crossbow, as is her brother Kiano. Youngest brother Elja is more of a sensitive sort and has just passed his coming-of-age trial to become an adult member of the tribe.

Alas, their peaceful existence is interrupted when an aircraft crashes in the forest. It is highly advanced 'Atlantian' technology, and Liv insists that the gravely injured pilot be brought back to the Origines settlement for treatment. It proves to be a serious error in judgment. Meanwhile, Elja has found a strange black cube, which the dying pilot transfers to him, instructing him to return the cube to 'the ark.'

Whatever the cube is, everyone wants a piece of it, since Atlantian technology seems to be the only tech unaffected by Black December. A tribe that can exploit that technology would thus have an enormous edge in battle. A brutal tribe known as the Crow soon descends on Liv's tiny settlement, massacring most of the people. The separated siblings must each navigate the treacherous new circles in which they find themselves to survive—and perhaps even one day be reunited.

Pursued by Crows, Elja escapes with the cube and teams up with a rakishly charming scavenger named Moses (Oliver Masucci, who played Ulrich Nielsen in Dark). Liv is gravely wounded and rescued by David (Robert Finster), an officer with a military tribe known as the Crimson, along with a Crow captive, Grieta (Ana Ularu).

As for Kiano, he and his father, Jakob (Benjamin Sadler), are taken captive and brought to the Crow fortress of Brahtok (what remains of Berlin) as slaves. The hunky, defiant Kiano soon catches the eye of Lord Varvara (Melika Foroutan), who adds him to her elite harem of consorts. Their relationship is... complicated, given that she essentially rapes her consorts, but it also becomes one of the most interesting as the power dynamics start to shift in Kiano's favor. (Kudos to Kiano for being able to, ahem, 'perform' at all with a knife pressed to his throat.) He soon becomes a favorite, much to the dismay of fellow consort—and former favorite—Dewiat (Jannik Schümann).

The show is expertly plotted, well-paced, with strong performances across the board—especially Masucci and Foroutan's Varvara. Frankly, my only criticism of Tribes of Europa is that there is nothing here we haven't seen many times before in post-apocalyptic fiction—at least in this first season—and thus it's a bit predictable. But it's also eminently watchable and a perfect length for binging. Even better, each sibling's quest takes them to the brink of a shiny new adventure—including a big final clue as to the true nature of the Atlantian cube that would drive a second season in exciting new directions.

Reviews Europa Report

Tribes of Europa is currently streaming on Netflix in German and English, with subtitles.

Listing image by Netflix

Summary

Tribes of Europa has enough good ideas and elements to earn a second season, but thanks to thin worldbuilding and a paltry six episodes, it needs one to realize its potential.

This review of Tribes of Europa is spoiler-free.

With the way things are going currently, I wouldn’t be surprised if humanity’s downfall is closer than we think. With that in mind, it can be a bit of a burden to watch another post-apocalyptic series, especially one that blends so many elements from other ones; it’s less escapism and more a reminder of the dystopian future we’re all inevitably hurtling towards. The downside for us is that we won’t have the magically advanced technology of the fabled Atlantians to save us. I doubt it, anyway.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Tribes of Europa is Netflix’s latest all-singing, all-dancing sci-fi series, built on a bedrock of so many successful tropes and ideas that it’s virtually guaranteed to be popular. I got a good helping of Apple TV+’s See from it, especially with the sexually adventurous villainess and the enthusiasm for evocatively-shot woodland. It’s a weaker show than that overall, though, thanks in large part to being too brisk for its own good. Eight or ten episodes of a Netflix series tend to be too many, but it turns out six isn’t enough – at least not for a show like this.

It’s an interesting world that’s teased, too, which I suppose doesn’t help. Set in a 2074 twinned with the Middle Ages, a global blackout known enigmatically as Black December has long-since reduced Europe to tribes of squabbling micro-states with their own beliefs, customs, cultures, and levels of technology. Naturally, they’re almost all fighting over control of what remains, and those that aren’t – namely the Luddite hunter-gatherer Origines, a faction to which our three sibling protagonists belong – have no choice but to be pulled into the fighting regardless, especially when an advanced aircraft belonging to the Atlantians crash-lands within spitting distance of our heroes. Since it contains a device of nebulous importance and power that may or may not hold the key to controlling Europa, the far-flung sanctuary of the Origenes finds itself on the travel itinerary of the Crows, a despotic caste of strung-out, black-clad marauders led by an androgynous Kapitan in platform heels and a lord, Varvara (Melika Foroutan), who is attended to by a coterie of male slaves in makeup and BDSM gear.

See what I mean? Flamboyant psychosexual villains, isolationist outdoorsmen heroes, ruined society, general mistrust of technology… there are a lot of similarities. Tribes of Europa also focuses on a clutch of three characters, though more interestingly they’re separated very early on and mostly busy themselves with distinct plot strands, all roads leading to a finale that realizes at the last minute it has run out of time to tie everything together. The obligatory Netflix cliffhanger continues to blight its original series’, but very few people will expect a conclusive ending here – there’s hardly enough time to set the story up properly, let alone conclude it.

Ua Europa Reviews

The good news, though, is that the story it does manage to tell is pretty strong, and has plenty of long-term potential. In one strand, younger brother Elja (David Ali Rashed) makes off with the Atlantian cube and joins forces with a fast-talking scoundrel archetype in the hopes of delivering the artifact to its people, naturally with a few deviations through the seedier corners of Europa; in the second, Liv (Henriette Confurius) gets embroiled with the Crimsons, a military force who allow the tribes under their banner to retain their cultural identities and have a bone to pick with the Crows; and in the third, Kiano (Emilio Sakraya) finds himself shacked up with the Crows themselves and having to fight for his freedom in a gladiatorial arena.

This constant shifting of settings and perspectives helps with the pacing, ensuring that none of the storylines gets too dreary, and it helps us get to know each protagonist individually. It also means lots of seeds being planted – including some kind of devastation coming from the East that everyone should be concerned with – that won’t bear fruit until a second season; provided Tribes of Europa gets one, since you know how Netflix can be.

I have a strong suspicion people will like this, though. It has solid characters and ideas, interesting dynamics, and one assumes much more interesting mythology than six 40-ish-minute episodes could properly cater for. Such a brief runtime leaves certain elements feeling a bit neglected, though whether that’s a barrier for investment in this season or an ideal setup for the next one is going to depend on the viewer. I tend to think that the good more or less outweighs the bad in this case, and I’d be happy to see more of it. Whether or not we will is anyone’s guess.