All That Matters: A Difficult Coming Out in the Kickboxing World

In the current episodes of the RTL daily “Alles was zählt,” the character Nick Lippmann (Raphael Kalkowski) stands at a pivotal moment: he comes out to his father Dragan Petrovic (Florian Thunemann) as bisexual and speaks for the first time about his feelings for Luca Perez (Orlando Lenzen). Because father and son are active in the kickboxing scene, where homophobia remains a daily reality, the conversation costs Nick a great deal of courage.

While Nick finally gathers the courage to come out at the end of Episode 5057 (airing on Tuesday), his father’s immediate reaction in Episode 5058 (Wednesday) initially appears unhappy. Dragan is surprised — also because Nick had flirted with a woman just moments earlier — and, in his search for the right words, expresses himself in a way that can be easily misread. When Dragan asks whether Nick and Luca are already a couple, Nick even thinks he hears relief in his father’s voice that that isn’t the case. Disappointed, Nick ends the conversation.

After taking a suggestion from Isabelle Reichenbach (Ania Niedieck), Dragan recognizes his mistake and seeks out his son again at the snack stand in front of the Steinkamp Center. Through an unusual everyday analogy with their order of fries — mayo, ketchup or “Pommes Schranke” with both — he breaks the ice. Dragan finally makes it clear that he fully supports Nick and that his son’s happiness is all that matters to him — regardless of whom he loves.

The corresponding episodes 5057 (“Love Surprise for Dad”) and 5058 (“Doctor Love”) air at 7:05 p.m. on October 20 and 21 on RTL. On the streaming service RTL+, paying subscribers can already stream both episodes in advance.

Even in the following episodes, the coming-out and Nick’s and Luca’s relationship continue to play a central role — in early November, a gay-phobic kickboxing rival appears. This leads to a showdown in the November 6 episode 5070, titled “Provocative Lips.”