Spider’s Web

Theodor Lohse endures personal and national humiliation as the German Empire collapses and the 1918 Revolution reshapes the country. The upheaval drives him to resent the new order and fuels a craving for power and revenge. This moment seeds his later determination to influence or overturn the system that betrayed him.

From that moment Lohse vows revenge against the groups he blames for the empire’s downfall. He targets Democrats, socialists, and Jews as enemies to be removed or controlled. This vow marks his turn toward radical right wing activity that drives his future actions.

Lohse becomes a full member of the right wing underground organization S II, climbing up under the supervision of Baron von Rastchuk. The organization pursues anti democratic plots and calculated violence to destabilize the Weimar Republic. Lohse uses the network to expand his influence while learning the rules of the underworld.

Baron von Rastchuk arranges a meeting with Prince Heinrich to advance Lohse. The Prince demands one time bodily obligingness as a condition for employment, and Lohse yields out of opportunism and fear. The episode reveals the corrupting power of privilege and the moral compromise Lohse accepts to climb the ladder.

Lohse grows into a full time spy for S II, relentlessly pursuing Communist plots and undermining the democratic experiment. He also discards rival right wing figures when they threaten his ascent. His unscrupulous methods reveal how his loyalty is to power rather than to any ideology.

In his covert work Lohse encounters Benjamin Lenz, a Jewish information broker who supplies data on criminal and political deals. Although Lohse despises Jews, he finds Lenz useful for gathering leverage and insights. The alliance becomes dangerous as Lenz learns enough to threaten Lohse's schemes.

Lenz learns more about Lohse and decides to confront him with what he knows. This realization sets up a perilous dynamic where a dangerous secret could topple Lohse. The tension shows how fragile Lohse's grip on power can be when confronted by a person with hard information.

Lenz confronts Lohse over the pogrom against the local Jewish ghetto, beating him nearly senseless in private. He tries to force Lohse to take his own life by threatening a fall from a window. The moment exposes the brutal reality of their dealings and shows Lohse as vulnerable to moral leverage.

Sensing that Lenz knows too much, Lohse orders his henchmen to push Lenz in front of an approaching train. The killing removes a dangerous witness and consolidates Lohse's control over the spy network. The act confirms the ruthlessness that Lohse will use to preserve his power.

With Lenz out of the way, Lohse continues to manipulate and eliminate rivals to secure his standing within the right wing networks. He hones a ruthless reputation as he inches toward a top position in the factional politics of the era. The consolidation foreshadows a larger anti-democratic push.

The film closes with Lohse leaving a conservatives' gathering and declaring that restoring the monarchy is now old hat. He speaks of a 'new man' preparing a putsch in Munich and identifies Adolf Hitler as that figure. The moment foreshadows the rise of the Nazi movement and the coming end of the Weimar Republic.