Wataha

It seems that my previous familiarisation with a Polish series was in previous century; that is why - when referred to Wataha - I was curious how the cinematography of a big European country had evolved and varied.

In general, I should say I am contented: performances are decent and realistic (although I found no performer to be fixed in my memory for the future), the plot has several twists, and one can get a good overview of life and people in a distant Polish border area. Besides, as for mood, background, camera-work and some characters, there are obvious references to similar Nordic crime series; well, it is not bad as such - as Nordic series deserve even more attention - but the result is a bit homespun, and the ending was not a good match to the prior thrilling events. The pace was a bit slow as well, but the breaks were often a prolongation of the obvious, rather than meaty accentuation of atmosphere or thrill. But, still, Wataha is a versatile creation for those fond of the mix of crime and conspiracy.

PS Season 2 is catchier, but still somewhat over-sophisticated, and the pace is uneven and includes too many side/supporting characters. Plus I surmised the real wrongdoer towards the end... The issue, however, in light of recent events, is still topical, and the depiction of beautiful nature is a pleasant supplement.

Set on the border between Ukraine and Poland we meet an elite team of Border Guards who try to stop traffickers from smuggling illegal immigrants across the border and also try to save some lives. Then on a night of celebration a bomb is set off, killing all but one of the team, This is Captain Viktor Rebrow.

He is badly injured but the pain caused from losing his friends and girl friend is harder to bear. With his life in free fall he goes back to work with the single purpose of tracking down those responsible for the murders. He also has a new team and the concomitant tensions that such a situation can bring. Worst of all there is a hotshot DA on his case – he is the sole survivor and so must be in on the whole thing – is her premise.

What unravels in the six episodes is truly entertaining. The acting is all high end and the feel of authenticity is held throughout. Animals feature heavily here – especially wolves – but there are scenes that some will find upsetting, so do be warned. Mixed with the spine of the story are many sub plots and the sort of things that you would expect from a Nordic Noir and it does not suffer in any way by that. This is original in most parts and had me gripped for nigh on every episode, but the ending may let some viewers down – to say why is a bit of a spoiler. That said I still really enjoyed this and hope HBO continue to make great television of this ilk.

As always with shows like this, the first season was great - interesting characters, coherent plot, good tension and organic stories. I enjoyed it very much, it was truly atmospheric.

And like always in shows that only planned to have the one season, in the very first episode of season 2 it all went downhill - the characters from the first season were retconned, the plot became incomprehensible and convoluted into losing all sense, the characters became generic nothings that I couldn't care less what happens to them, it's as if in the quest for escalation, they lost sight of the down to earth approach that made the first season good.

And as always in these instances, there was no need for graphic sexual violence to depict how bad the bad guys are, season one accomplished that perfectly.

I'm not going near the 3rd season, it's going to be more of the same nonsense.

Likes Polish series / movies But sometimes they get a little weird and embarrassing.

Wataha is good but sometimes it gets a little tiring A lot of time is spent filming when they smoke cigarettes, which means a lot in the context of the series.

Then a lot is filmed as one of the main roles Wiktor Rebrow is out walking in the woods and terrain.

He also does not seem to be that smart, but goes more on emotion and sudden whims.

Be smarter in the first season, feel strange development of that character in the series.

This production has proven enlightening, depicting the problems of border control between Poland and the Ukraine, along with many historical underlying differences between both nations, present prejudices, etc. It is a delight, as well as absolutely frightening. And best of all, it is very fast-paced, so no boring moments!