Who Killed Themself?

Its left really ambiguous, but I don't think it would be the general because it seems very out of character for him.

As for Alex shooting his father, I'm not sure why he would do that. If anything, I think Alex would feel betrayed by Tischbier for infecting him with AIDS in the first place.

The only thing Tischbier, Martin's handler, knew for sure is that he repeatedly had sex with a person who had been diagnosed with AIDS. He didn't know for sure if he was infected, or if he had passed the virus on to Alex.

Back then, all people could do was to inform their past sexual partners and wait for the first signs of AIDS to show up (such as Kaposi's sarcoma, which only occured in elderly people prior to the AIDS epidemic). The part about the HIV test was an historical anachronism, since it didn't exist in 1983. The medical community didn't even know that AIDS was caused by the HIV virus at the time.

Right. I thought he was being tested. It's not confirmed that he has it yet, so suicide would seem premature. Not to mention it would take a while for symptoms to appear in the first place.

My brother was eaten by wolves on the CT Turnpike

Well, an AIDS test did not exist in 1983 (became available in 1985), but assuming it did exist, I say it was the kid who shot himself. We've seen how impetuous he is, how he never had the support of the Army (or, by extension, his country), who suspected him all along of being a spy and whom he indeed did try and betray, how his "lover" dumped him and left him to be both exposed as gay and to die. I can see him not wanting to face either his father or the rest of his life, totally void of anything meaningful to believe in.

This is my thinking too. Although both characters were interesting (and the actor who played the general did a great job) his characters usefulness had kind of run its course. What would his purpose be in Season 2? His son's sexuality/possible AIDS diagnosis had much more potential. As much as I enjoyed the show it's "adult" characters were more background players most of the time. The show was more about the young cast and I believe that's another reason they would bring Alex back over Wolfgang.

'Let's break it down:

A: Alex shoots himself. Depressed that Tischbier used and abused him, and now he may have AIDS. His best friend is revealed as a DDR mole, and Alex himself may face charges. General Jackson will be looking for a chance to finish him.

B: General Edel shoots himself. Although he sees his family and career disintegrating all at the same time, he is a strong man, capable of facing these trials and whatever else life brings, with stoic resolve.

C: One of them shoots the other. Least likely scenario.

It's possible that it isn't suicide at all, just a frustrated guy shooting his TV, or something. nah!

Most likely: I vote for "A"."

Agreed. At this point Alex basically has nothing to live for and feels betrayed. He's also somewhat jealous of Moritz/Martin...he was a better soldier, spy, and son (Edel definitely seemed to like him better and trust him more than he did Alex) than Alex was. Kinda sad, really.

IIRC, they once showed that Edel kept a gun in his briefcase. That lingering shot of Alex staring at the briefcase seemed telling.

Besides that, Edel seemed to me like the type who would pour himself into his work in times of personal crisis. This is probably one of the reasons he estranged his family members. If anything, I think his family disintegrating would lead him to spend more time and longer hours at work...already seemed to be the case as the series went on. Also, he just didn't seem like the type who would kill himself.