Die Wege des Herrn

I am normally quite fussy about what I watch and I didn't have high hopes of this one, since there have so many Scandi noir knocks offs just done by the numbers. But this is different. A fine cast, great script even in translation and high production values impressed me. Melodramatic yes, but in a way that draws you in and creates empathy for even the least likable characters. Anyone who has been involved in any kind of organisation will recognise the dynamics at play here. This is not a simplistic heart tugger but plays out the human condition with real heart and nuance. I was so pleased to note that another series exists but don't know when channel 4 will get it...

As I like both Mads and Lars Mikkelsen, I am eager to see as many works with their participation as possible. I also know Danish and have lived in Denmark, but as for this series, I had my doubts prior to watching - being Agnostic and not really fond of long oppressive scenes and events - but then, from the 1st episode, I was captivated and it lasted through the end of Season 1 and mostly in the Season 2 as well (death of a certain character decreased my emotional support, and the pace decreased somehow).

Anyway, Lars Mikkelsen gives his so far best performance here, Ann Eleonora Jørgensen is at least as good as in Forbrydelsen... And all the others, mostly unknown to me, were well up to the task as well, rounding up a bunch of issues one could face in a half-closed community governed by higher power. Still, many topics addressed and human, general, and as Lutherans can start a family and the Danish society is modern to have female clerics as well, the overall picture is more balanced and versatile, surely more interesting than that of in a nonnery or monastery.

For performances - 10, for script - 8 points from me. Another success of the Danish TV world. Please proceed!

At first I wasn't that invested in this show mainly because I'm not either Christian or religious at all. A few chapters in and suddenly I was intrigued. The series of course evolves around themes as faith and God but it is so much more than only God and religion. The show's about people, family, love, hate, despair, pain, human suffering and everything you could image about being a complex human being. I fell in love with many of the characters but not before despising them and resenting their actions first. The cast is so amazing that they with credibility portray their roles in a way that you really believe them and believe in them. It shows the many nuances of a being alive and it deals with the many struggles of being a human being in a way I've never seen before in a tv series. This show, Herrens Veje ( the lords's way or road -in Danish) has touched me nearly in a religious way (and I'm an atheist!) with its tone and it's dealings with the many facets of life -whether you are a believer in God or not. The subtle yet deep portrayal of the human mind and the struggles of being alive dealing with death, depression, hate, forgiveness, love, is simply amazing. It's provocative. It hurts you, moves you. It's warm and loving. It's showing how to love. How to hate. And shows how to forgive and move on in times of despair and loneliness. A very unique series, one of a kind. A God's sent to my television set.

The Danes know how to tell a story and how to bring their characters to life. I slogged through the first 4 or 5 episodes but about then everything started falling into place and I was totally immersed in Danish National Church and life for the next five hours. I even caught myself thinking I understood what the characters were saying without reading the closed captions. Weird. I haven't decided whether or not to watch season two so I'll take some time out and watch a murder mystery. But, Season one was a total smash in my books. Thank you Netflix. I am continually amazed how much I have learned, watching foreign series, especially Danish, Mexican and French. I am a man of the world when I turn on Netflix.

In the allegedly new yet oddly 1980-ish landscape of the old Dickensian format of the Series that is offered by the new era of streaming media; In an age where we are offered nothing new really than the old ballads of cartoon creatures battling for power - This exceptional story stands out a beacon, carried by a miraculous script and an otherworldly performance by lead actor Lars Mikkelsen. This series offers something new, something totally unheard of in its genre: Its arena is not the traditional opera stage with its designed caricatures preforming allegorical roles of intrigues serving to produce the drama. On the contrary, this is the drama of the opposing forces that resides within each individual character; the true stage of the battle of good against evil suitable for a religious topic like Herrens veje, but more importantly this should represent the challenge given us in any depiction of true human Endeavour: To represent the human drama as a drama within. Fear, shame, guilt, jealousy, love, these are not persons - They are aspects of each individual persons life.