Yes, I thought the same after finishing the season. Dark immediately had the hook "Wo ist Mikkel? / Where is Mikkel?" from the start. From that the character motivations become clear. And despite it involving time travel, the show always felt very grounded.

I was honestly hoping 1899 would be a bit more like The Triangle miniseries, but the eventual twist didn't really do anything for me as of the end of the first season.