Harriet Wolff is the main villainess in one episode of SK Kölsch (“Kunst kommt von Können”; ‘Art comes from ability/skill’). She is portrayed by the German actress Geno Lechner.
Harriet appears to be a sexy and flirtatious journalist specialized in covering the fine arts who tries to help the detectives from SK Kölsch (Special Squad Cologne) during their investigation of smuggling and forgery of works of art culminating in the murder of an art dealer in Cologne. She actually seduces one of the male leads (“Kommissar” [detective] Jupp Schatz) as he visits the attractive reporter in her apartment while his colleague continues to gather more information on the case. As Harriet and the detective get to “know” each other more, she even complains: “it’s a pity that you forgot to bring the handcuffs...”, a line already prophesizing the end: thanks to the investigation, it becomes clear that Harriet and a henchman are behind the forgery, smuggling, and the murder. As Ms. Wolff tries to get rid of her accomplice, drawing a gun on him, the detectives just arrive in time to stop her: she is held at gun point and forced to surrender. As the disarmed murderess is arrested, her former lover Jupp Schatz shows her the cuffs, telling Harriet: “You asked for these, didn’t you?” She gives him a rather flirty and excited smile while he restrains her hands behind her back. It is supposed that Harriet Wolff goes to jail for her crimes.
What kind of villainess is Harriet?[]
This character shows some rather conventional traces frequently associated with “evil babes” in popular culture: she is sexually aggressive (not the ‘good’ and passive girl waiting for Prince Charming) and she knows exactly what she wants; her interest in handcuffs points to her kinky, respectively ‘dark’ and ‘perverse’ sexuality, so it makes sense to have the ‘good guy’ (the detective) decline her offer: as a response to her insinuation of using handcuffs on her, he says something like “I don’t need this” or “I come along without”, what makes him appear ‘sane’ in contrast to her ‘dubious’ preferences; she has absolutely no problem with using violence; she is a smoking femme fatale and sports (dark) nail polish.
Trivia[]
SK Kölsch was a slightly ironic crime series with some interesting aspects: one of the detective duo is portrayed as homosexual, for instance, while the already mentioned Jupp Schatz frequently shows some (stereo)typical macho attitudes (being slightly homophobic, flirting with many women, drinking beer...).
The series’ title “Kölsch” alludes to Cologne, but it is also the name of a beer coming from this German city. As a series, SK Kölsch is not to be confounded with Soko Köln, a rather ‘serious’ crime series also located in Cologne (see the entry for Juliane Wiegand).
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