King of Stonks

Nice touch: in S1E3, Felix looks at a slide deck on his laptop. The scene starts at 00:28, we can see two slides, and the scene is cut 2 seconds later. The funny thing here is that the slides are based on the PowerPoint Slide Master of the company Wirecard (WCD). It cannot be ruled out that the show used original Wirecard-slides. Especially, the 40% CAGR, the world domination map looks all typically Wirecard from the financial year 2016/17. It stands to reason, that someone familiar with the subject and with mischievous ulterior motive used that old template or even a slide deck from that company.

It's corny and the memes are dorky and old fashioned. It's over the top and all over the place. A lot of kitsch. But I liked it. It's fast and funny. You're never bored. I can't help but compare it to a dark/funny Norvegian equivalent called "Exit" which is a stellar series about 4 wreckless egomaniac yuppies, really great plot and great actors. Kings of stonk does not have this, but in some strange way I just enjoy it a lot. It has a certian warmth that I like and it's unpretentious and fast.

As Episode 1 of "King of Stonks" (2022 release from Germany; 6 episodes of about 47 min each) opens, we are introduced to Felix, the VP of Technology at CableCash, digital payment platform whose biggest client is the provider of porno sites. Felix reports to Magnus Cramer, the CEO with a dubious past. The company is working towards an IPO. What could go wrong?

Couple of comments: this German mini-series is inspired by the true story of Wirecard AG, which unraveled in spectacular fashion a few years ago. "King of Stonks" is immediately reminiscent of "The Dropout", as both startups built a house of cards and then it's just a matter of time to see it all come crashing down. Two thoughts: (1) in a way it's reassuring to see that this happens not just in the US, as it exposes a universal human condition (greed), and (2) I found "The Dropout" to be the slightly better mini-series, resulting from the towering performance of Amanda Seyfried. That said, "House of Stonks" is wildly entertaining in its own right. I can't say that I was familiar with anyone in the cast or in the series production team.

"King of Stonks" premiered on Netflix this week, and all 6 episodes are now streaming. I binged it watching 3 episodes on 2 consecutive evenings. I was pleasantly surprised how quickly it all flew by, a sure sign that enjoyed watching this. If you watched "The Dropout" and liked it, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion, as "King of Stonks" revisits familiar territory but now in a European setting,

I really wanted to like this. It's so original and full of ideas. Speed, energy, great acting, it's all there.

But I just can't connect. I hated these main characters so much, it was painful to watch. At times I had to force myself to watch.

Also, everything is so over the top, that I just stay outside. Exaggerated, but somehow not in a good way. The Mafia people, the Hermann brothers, the politician .... so crude, so unbelievable, such caricatures, that it's just not funny any more.

You know, Wolf of Wall street worked because we are WITH Leonardo DiCaprios characters from the beginning. He starts slow, he slides into it, he is kind and good hearted in the beginn, humble even, and corrupts slowly, by money, by fame, by power. That's what drags us into the film. We could be him, it could happen to us. The americans, rhey know how to do it.

None of that can be found in KOS. These types are crooks from the beginning, liars, arrogant and self-impressed, especially the CEO, you hate his guts from the start, what a pretentious solent prick. I cared for nobody. They could all have been shot or jailed, I couldn't care less.

Sorry guys but storytelling just doesn't work this way.

King of Stonks can often be too chaotic for its own good and I'm sure many people will give up on the show partway through because of that. The first episode has promise but episode 2 and 3 are far too scatterbrained to be anything other than a moderately entertaining but very disaffecting distraction. However, if you stick with it from episode 4 onward the show slows down a bit, takes a breath, fleshes out its character, and turns in to a smart, occasionally funny, and surprisingly suspenseful financial thriller that certainly left me wanting more. I hope the show gets picked up for the second season they clealry planned on making.