emp-76054

I felt compelled to counter the previous anglo-centric review. This show is from Norway. It's in Norwegian. The cultural references may not translate. The vibe is different but no less entertaining. Subtitles can be a chore but the prize tasks so far have been excellent and easy to follow. Where the UK Taskmaster is untouchable on a throne, the Norwegian contestants are not afraid to get in his face. The first few seasons of TM UK were a little rough just like this series. Having watch the last 2 seasons I've witnessed nudity, gun shots, uncontrolled fire, handing cactus with bare hands and the lighting of fireworks without any goggles or helmets. The tasks span from very clever to completely outrageous and would never pass Health and Safety on Channel 4.

Season 10 brings Aksel Hennie, a movie A-lister in his own right. Give it a chance. I'm bingeing on it right now.

Jen, a 22 year old woman has a near death experience in a car crash. While unconscious she sees the image of her dead 14 year old sister thought to have committed suicide. Is the image an oxygen deprived hallucination or a message from beyond? Jen goes back to her small home town to find out with the help of the retired detective that always had doubts about the case. Jen's mother still owns the seedy motel that holds many secrets.

The series was well acted and well directed depicting small town life in rural Quebec. The lead actress is especially talented. The locals felt authentic and believable where everyone seems to have something to hide. Keeps you guessing without gimmicks and leaves you with a satisfying ending. I give it a solid 7 rating.

Let me preface by saying that I watched the English subtitled version. At the outset we are presented with a familiar old, bad-attitude detective, his hottie sidekick and the semi-genius criminal profiler that everyone resents. Sound familiar? It should, it's been done 100 times before...

What's good are the location shots of a huge, lively and colorful Carnival celebration in some picturesque town somewhere in Switzerland where the serial murders take place. Unfortunately that's the only interesting thing about this series. The story telling just seems to lack energy, too slow in development with clumsy plot misdirections. I had to bail after episode 3. I just didn't care about these characters.