The Trap (2026) s01e01 Episode Script

[upbeat club music playing]
Ain't nobody loves me better ♪
Makes me happy, makes me feel this way ♪
Ain't nobody… ♪
[woman] There was a time
when I was so very happy.
I had a sister who was three years
younger than me.
Her name was Anna.
And I loved her… more than anything.
Hey! Smile!
Smile.
-Smile? Smile!
-Like, yeah. Cheese!
[song distorts, warps]
I should have looked out for her better.
[haunting music playing]
[music trailing off]
In the psych ward,
they told me I needed to be patient.
That all I needed… was time.
[gentle, forlorn music playing]
Months later, I made a decision.
I picked a new publisher.
I chose a new name for myself,
and… I didn't tell anyone
about what happened to my sister.
Come on in.
[door closes]
This is the publishing house's
guest mansion.
I can sell it to you
for a reasonable price.
Let's say…
50% of the royalties
of your next five books, hmm?
Hmm.
[woman] That was ten years ago now.
And the killer is still at large.
And I… Well, I haven't stepped foot
out of the house since I moved in.
And I'm okay with that.
I feel safe here.
Only those closest to me
know where I live.
And my therapist, she's the only one
who knows about my sister's murder.
Hey. Did you have fun outside?
-Did you?
-[dog whines]
I'm still writing.
And while my imagination is
a good way to pay the bills,
it's also a wonderful way to travel.
[vibrant, intriguing music playing]
[bell tolling]
Buongiorno, signora.
I have the best table for you today.
Grazie.
Madame, good morning to you!
Here, I have something for you.
Wonderful peppers. Please, try one.
Or maybe a tasty olive?
[dog whines]
[woman chuckles]
Anna!
[loud crash]
CAPITAL PRESS CONFERENCE
[shudders]
[dog whines]
Aw.
Hey.
[man on TV speaking faintly]
[man on TV] It is our duty to recognize
when perseverance becomes stubbornness…
[uneasy music playing]
[uneasy music intensifying]
Thank you. I'd like to know
what, if anything,
your office thinks can be done
to alleviate the crisis we're facing.
ARES PANTOS - CAPITAL RADIO
…or is this another volley for attention
ahead of the upcoming elections?
We've taken several listener polls,
and most people are concerned
that not enough attention
is being focused upon the actual matters.
Your own press secretary
has said numerous times
that they would be open
to more transparency
-around the stance your office has taken.
-[doorbell ringing]
[knocking]
[woman, echoing] Anna?
I'm coming in now!
[door opening]
[hyperventilating]
["Somebody That I Used to Know"
by Gotye playing]
Anna?
[door closes]
-[glitchy static]
-But I don't wanna live that way ♪
Anna?
-[glitchy static continues]
-Reading into every word you say ♪
You said that you could let it go ♪
And I wouldn't catch you hung up… ♪
[music halts abruptly]
[muffled, rhythmic thumping]
[static squawks]
No, you didn't have to stoop so low ♪
Have your friends collect your records
And then change your number ♪
I guess that I don't need that…♪
[song trails off]
-[panting]
-[dog barking]
And this is the promise that I made
when I started liaisons
between our offices.
I wanted everyone to share
the responsibilities
of addressing this crisis…
How do you intend to negotiate
a cease fire,
when you haven't even called the experts…
ELLEN DEMIR - NETWORK BERLIN
THE TRAP
[mysterious intro music playing]
THE MONSTER
[woman] Lisa?
[dog barking]
Lisa?
[dog whining]
Yuma?
Are you okay?
Yes, I think… I think I'm okay.
From your agent.
She asked me to bring them
and check on you.
A sort of gentle reminder from her, right?
Can you find a nice vase
for the flowers and--
-You all right?
-Yes.
And then please put the groceries away,
and… Bukowski needs to be fed.
Yeah.
-I won't be needing anything else.
-Mm-hmm.
-I'll come back on Wednesday, okay?
-Mm-hm.
-And if you need anything--
-Yes, thank you, Yuma. I'll call you.
Okay.
I stopped by your P.O. box
and put your mail in the kitchen.
I'll take your laundry, if you want?
That'd be great.
Okay.
Come on, Bukowski.
[low growling from TV]
[suspenseful music playing]
[roaring echoes]
[Lisa] Network Berlin…
ELLEN DEMIR
CORE AREA - POLITICS/SOCIETY
CONTAC
687 FOLLOWERS, 128 CONTACTS
[suspenseful music intensifying]
ROBERT LENZEN
JOURNALIST - BERLIN
JOURNALIST AT REFLEKT BERLIN
ABOU
CONTACT DETAILS
Robert Lenzen, journalist. Born 1974.
Worked at The Guardian until 2010.
Then on the foreign desk
at The Münchener until 2015.
Then freelanced as a Middle East
correspondent until 2023.
Now, he's a senior editor stationed on
the investigative desk at Reflekt Berlin.
A passionate chess player,
marathon runner,
and a generous supporter
of Amnesty International.
He's fluent in four languages,
and until 2016,
he was married to Alexandra Faust,
the daughter of the publisher
of The Münchener.
And he's the father
of a 12-year-old daughter.
AGE: 51 YEARS
GERMAN JOURNALIST AWARD
[tense music playing]
MS. LISA KONRAD
MUNICH
CALLING…
[line ringing]
[officer] Criminal Unit One, K11.
Akbari speaking.
Hello?
Hello, is Leon Weber in, please?
Chief Detective Weber is out.
Who's calling, please?
Who's calling, please?
It's about an old case file.
Can you tell me more?
It's about a murder investigation
from 10 years ago.
Ten years ago?
Okay.
Tell me.
What if you got new information
from a witness who believes
they know who the killer is?
Well, if you want to make a statement,
you can come by anytime.
You have to be able
to prove the allegation.
What do you mean, "prove it"?
Your statement will have to be verified.
Anyone can accuse anybody.
For now, it's an allegation.
How many old cases are solved?
I can't give you an exact figure.
Miss…?
I mean, it's not that uncommon for…
for old cases… to be solved,
thanks to genetic fingerprints,
DNA, new technology. That kind of thing.
HOMICIDES/DCI LEON WEBER/ 2014-2016
We now have all DNA data
stored nationwide…
JULY 5, 2015 - WILKING, ANNA
INVESTIGATION CLOSED
…from as far back as 1998
in our databases.
So you have that
for all the cases since then?
Yes.
Are you Ms. Wilking?
Ms. Wilking, my colleague has explained
to you many times
that the investigation
into your sister's murder is closed,
and that we will contact you
if any new information is…
[breathing heavily]
[disconnect tone droning]
[Lisa] They'll never believe me.
And nobody will.
I must get his DNA.
[uneasy music playing]
[doorbell ringing]
[footsteps echoing]
Calm. Stay calm.
Just breathe.
[Robert] Hello.
Robert Lenzen.
Thank you for giving me this interview.
-[Bukowski barking]
-[gasps]
[Yuma] Come on. Come here.
Come on, sweet boy.
[Lisa clears throat]
You feeling better?
Yes, much better.
[doorbell ringing]
Um, can you make Dr. Anger a coffee
before you leave?
I'll be ready in five minutes.
Sure.
[doorbell ringing]
Rainer, how are you?
-Hey.
-Leon.
Lisa Wilking called for you earlier.
Ah.
Last time was almost…
was almost two years ago.
Mmm.
Uh huh.
Something happen?
No. I just checked to see.
And there aren't
any new charges against her.
Hmm.
-I'll log it then.
-Mmm.
[Leon typing]
Ms. Konrad, I understand
that your fantasy vacations are
an important way
for you to escape reality,
but you can't isolate
yourself from the world entirely, so…
-Are you all right?
-Huh?
You don't look so good.
I think I must have
eaten too much earlier.
Mmm.
[recorded birdsong playing]
[Lisa clears throat]
So, how was your last holiday?
So nice. Italy was inspiring.
I love the food and the music,
and Rome is my favorite city.
So, did you meet anyone?
My sister.
It was only briefly,
but I was really happy to see her.
And did you see any blood?
Only her Vespa was red.
[Dr. Anger] Hmm.
[uneasy music playing]
[Bukowski whines]
I did see the monster again, though.
[music halts]
In the same dream?
Mm-mmm.
Was it the usual flashback
where you black out afterward?
No, that's not it. I recognized him,
right away, and it's been 10 years.
[Dr. Anger] Ah.
Did he look older than before?
That's new.
Interesting.
-In the dream, did you ask him--
-It wasn't a dream.
What's that?
I saw him on the news.
I'm positive it was him.
I do believe
that's what you think you saw.
However, what you're saying
is also concerning to me.
So I'm a crazy lady
who watches too much TV?
A traumatized woman with too much anxiety.
I can adjust your medication
at any time, to help.
If you ever feel
another episode coming on--
I have plenty left.
We still have time.
I'd like to get back to my writing now,
if that's okay with you.
Is this a new book you're writing?
Okay, sure.
If you're in the creative zone now,
then I guess that would explain a lot.
You know what?
I think we should finish early
so you can get back to your new book.
-What do you think?
-Yes.
Then good.
See you next week.
Good luck with the writing.
Thank you.
[door opens]
[door closes]
[disorienting, intriguing music playing]
[Robert] Living room,
or do you prefer the dining room?
Dining room.
[disorienting music building]
[music trails off]
You've never given
a personal interview before me.
You maintain no account on Facebook
or on Instagram or on LinkedIn or Bluesky.
In short, if it weren't for your books,
I could almost say
Lisa Konrad doesn't exist.
"Lisa Konrad, born 1987."
"Was awarded the German Literature Prize."
"Lives with her dog just outside Munich."
And that's all.
And so, the whole world begs you
for a personal interview,
but somehow, I of all people get one,
even though I didn't ask for it.
And so I wonder.
What's the reason?
[Lisa] The reason?
I wonder why I am here today.
What is the reason?
[suspenseful music playing]
[Lisa] The reason.
I'm going to write the reason.
My Sister.
A crime novel
by Lisa Konrad.
"On that morning, Lisa had…"
Hmm.
"On that morning,
Sophie had, strangely enough,
not screamed right when she woke up."
"Her usual scream of horror was…
the sound that would awaken her
since the murder of her only sister."
"And rip her from her sleep."
[officiant] Let us pray together
as we remember her.
For the life of this young woman,
who was taken too early
from her friends and family…
[Lisa] "But waking up silently
is all the more strange."
"Because today is the day
of Anna's funeral."
[officiant] …which we cannot control,
and to grieve together…
"But Sophie feels nothing."
She must have seen something.
She was right there. She must know.
Sophie, Sophie.
Let it go, it's okay.
Let it go.
[officiant] And now this earth
shall be the resting place for your body.
But we will keep your soul
and your love alive,
deep within our hearts.
"The petals fall through the air.
Red, like Anna's blood."
"Does he even know
that Anna hated cut flowers?"
[inhales deeply]
"Did he know her before?
Before… Before he…"
"Was she just a random victim?"
"Or did he choose her for a reason?"
"Sophie's boyfriend will vanish
from her life soon after."
"As if their relationship had only been
a fleeting hobby or fling for him."
"But for now, he's still there,
providing his support."
"Sophie's parents won't visit her anymore.
They'll call from time to time,
exchanging a few pleasantries
on Christmas or birthdays."
"Perhaps her parents would see it
as a betrayal of their dead daughter."
"Sophie…
does not know the reason."
[church bells ringing]
"She's almost…"
"She's almost grateful
when the detective asks her
to stay back from the other mourners."
I know this is a bad time, but I…
I have to ask
if you knew everyone at the funeral.
That's the detective, right?
Did you notice anyone who looks like this?
No.
Anyway, he didn't look like this… this…
Doesn't matter how much
I try to describe him.
I just can't remember what he looked like.
It's frustrating. I know I saw him.
[Lisa, Sophie]
And at the same time, I didn't see him.
"That will make him nervous."
"Did she recognize him or didn't she?"
I should give you
a different job from me, I think.
You're a painter, why don't you try
drawing us a picture?
Have you even seen my paintings?
No, I just thought that maybe you could
draw the guy you think you saw…
Think. Think I saw?
I know I saw him.
I know it was him.
Why don't you believe me?
Well, believing isn't
part of my job description.
You don't believe me, right?
And your partner doesn't either.
That's not true. That said, you can't keep
calling us every day, asking if--
It's been weeks.
Detective, it's been weeks,
and you still haven't found anything.
All you told me is that she was stabbed
eight times, all over her torso.
He butchered my little sister!
[hyperventilating]
[serene, calm music playing]
Isn't it nice here?
A little too shady, don't you think?
I will die first, so I get to choose.
I'll go first 'cause I'm older,
so I get to choose.
But for when I die,
I have a last wish too!
It's that I want to be buried with you.
Really with you!
Not in a different casket.
That's my wish.
I wanna be buried just like this.
[Lisa] But now,
Sophie had left her sister on her own.
Alone in that box,
in that hole in the ground.
And she knew how much
Anna would have hated it.
[low whirring outside]
Ugh.
[Lisa knocking on window]
Mr. Steinmayr.
[intriguing music playing]
Yes, I'm happy to hear
that you've started writing again.
Although, why a crime novel?
I'm not sure what it is yet,
but I wanted to tell you, just in case.
I set a deadline for June 30th.
Really? That soon? Why put yourself
under that kind of pressure?
Uh, my therapist thinks
it might be good for me.
Okay, so now you do
what your therapist says? News to me.
A deadline will be good.
Then I'm on the hook for it.
And I won't procrastinate.
And also… I will choose him myself.
Choose who?
The journalist.
For the publicity interview.
You'll be giving an interview?
And what does your publisher
think about that?
A Chardonnay with lots of ice, please.
Be right there.
So sorry, I'm at this agents'
meeting thing with my competition.
Pia, don't tell anybody
about my new project, okay?
Of course not! I won't. [Pia chuckles]
And, hey, does… does your therapist know
which paper will be interviewing you?
Thanks for the flowers.
Mm.
-Very lovely.
-Mm-hmm.
So, should I draft a contract for you?
-If you want.
-Good.
-Please take care of yourself. I mean it.
-I will.
Ciao.
Baller.
[tense music playing]
Like I said, I'm sorry.
No. I should apologize.
I didn't mean to criticize your art
or question your credibility.
I did it first.
Is that finished?
-Yes, it's already sold.
-Mmm.
Lisa K.? You use a pseudonym?
[Lisa] Am I revealing too much?
No, he'll find out anyway.
Lisa Konrad is a pseudonym.
"Tell me, Detective."
"Do you have a cigarette for me?"
Why do you ask that?
Do I smell like smoke? [sniffs]
I saw the bottom of your shoes.
Ah.
You're very observant.
Yeah, but a lousy sister.
Just 'cause you can't describe
the murderer?
"No, because I should have
been there for her."
I'm the older sister,
that was my job, and…
[Leon] "Guilt is
a natural stage of grieving."
Yeah, but I came in late.
I had told Anna I'd be back home by 9:00.
If I'd been on time,
Anna would still be alive today.
-But how were you to know?
-I wasn't there. That's all that matters!
What happens now?
[moody, suspenseful music playing]
Keep investigating.
Your sister's apartment
is a forensics nightmare.
We found 60 sets of fingerprints.
Anna's birthday party
was the weekend before.
Prints from a party can stay for weeks,
no matter how much you clean.
What about the knife?
That only had your fingerprints.
He must have wiped it clean.
And…
on Anna?
What… What about her body?
Yeah, there were
two different samples of DNA found.
None matched any of her friends
or any of the samples
from the party that night.
Except for your DNA.
[Leon] But I'm not allowed
to tell you any of that.
"Allowed to tell you…"
That means the remaining DNA
has to be the murderer's.
[suspenseful music playing]
And it's yours.
[suspenseful outro music playing]