Deadwind

I love Nordic/Scandinavian books and movies, this series to me was very enjoyable. It was a little slow at times but not bad. I loved the characters, I felt for all of them and I have to say I knew who the killer was by second or third episode, but the twists kept making me doubt myself. I look forward to the next season! Also how beautiful is Finland!

Nice look into modern day Finland using a murder mystery plot. Gender equality, brainy eco entrepreneurs, sports, sex, drugs, religion, winter, Germans, families. All mixed into a 12 episodes plot. OK maybe some eye rolls, I mean c'mon a 20 year old E31 V12 BMW coupe used as a winter daily driver? Finns curse a a lot in creative ways, bull baska is a new one. And the panoramic wide shots of waterfronts and sunsets are an artistic touch.

The things that work well throughout the series are the filmography and the acting. The lead actor and actress have good chemistry and give nuanced performances. The filmography is beautiful and really showcases the bleak beauty of the Finnish landscape.

Season 1 was okay, I would rate it a 7½. The downfall of season 1 is definitely the lengthy subplots. They should have trimmed it down considerably and focused more on the lead characters and the lead storyline. The 12 episodes could have been condensed into 8-10 episodes. But that said, though it is a downfall, the season carries out satisfyingly enough, it just needed a couple episodes to properly pull me in. If you are expecting this to be like Broen or Karppi to be like Saga, this is not the show for you. And I say that as someone who doesn't think Broen is perfect either, it has its own pitfalls. This is its own series and feels more procedural with enhanced filmography. But if you come into it without Broen-like expectations or an Excel file ready to compile possible plot holes (I can't even remember if there were considerable ones, but I'm pretty good about watching something to my enjoyment and ignoring things so take that into account), I'm sure you will find enjoyment in it as I did. Saga Noren and Sofia Karppi are completely different characters though they may look a bit alike. But a lot of Nordic women have blonde, curly hair, so it's not that unusual.

Season 2 really evolved with how the plot was constructed. There's 8 episodes in total and it's completely sufficient to cover the storyline. There are still subplots that are given due focus, but this time they held a lot more interest to me and they connected to the main plot. I did figure out who did it, but I don't count that as a bad thing as I often do with these series. Overall it was a pleasing viewing experience, I would rate Season 2 8½.

So, rating the series 8/10.

As a sidenote, reading through these comments some people seem properly upset about a boy having long, curly hair. It may come as a shock to some, but in Finland boys are allowed to grow out their hair as long as they want, if they wish. Similarly, girls can have hair that's not gender normative. Also, who cares, I think Karppi's son's hair length has very little to do with the story.

This series is centred on Sofia Karppi, a detective working in Helsinki. She lives with her school-aged son and her step-daughter. Her husband was killed in a hit and run accident in Hamburg. Partnered with Sakari Nurmi, her first case involves the investigation of the murder of a woman whose body is discovered at the site of a somewhat controversial new development. Their investigation will uncover several suspects; some personal some involved in the development. The second season sees the two detectives investigating the deaths of people who were aboard a ship as a secret meeting took place; the meeting concerned a new tunnel planned to link Helsinki with Estonia. Sofia also has to deal with problems involving her children.

I enjoyed this Finnish series with its season long stories. Each case provides plenty of suspects and motives to keep the viewer guessing. While there isn't a lot of action there are quite a few tense scenes where key characters are in danger. The characters are interesting, even if Sofia might be a candidate for Finland's most neglectful mother! The cast is impressive, particularly Pihla Viitala and Lauri Tilkanen as Karppi and Nurmi. The series makes good use of impressive locations without ever feeling like it is sponsored by the tourist board. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of the genre.

These comments are based on watching the series in Finnish with English subtitles.

Many reviewers are unfavorably comparing this show to The Bridge (SE). Except for its being a Scandinavian thriller with a strong female lead, I don't see it. The Bridge's protagonists and villains are broken, while this show's characters are simply odd. Also, The Bridge is severe and intense, while Deadwind is puzzling and rambling. Still, I liked this Finnish procedural. The show's central mystery kept me guessing. Its story goes down many detours, but the detours are intriguing. The show's leads could easily be underwear models, but they nevertheless bring their characters to life. The Helsinki of Deadwind is stark, but also beautiful. In short, Deadwind is not exceptional like The Bridge, but it is certainly better than average. If you like the Scan Noir subgenre- not just the one or two shows that transcend it- then you'll probably also enjoy Deadwind.