The Valhalla Murders

A good start. "sloppy dubbing & nonsensical close captioning" Well take the option to have English subtitles then. That's why it's there.

I don't get why people complain about dubbing if your serious about your TV never dub always watch it in the original language. The subs are fine. Dark looming feel, great cinema photography with beautiful landscapes of Iceland. Scandi cops are always flawed and this guy doesn't break that mold, he's so dark I'm wondering if he's the killer. It's got a great feel and look I'm upto ep 3 and glued

The murder mystery is fairly typical, the twists expectable but ok-ish, the acting good, although the effort by Nordic shows to say 'hey, we have problems too' is a bit obvious. Enjoyable enough to watch, but nothing special.

Well-realized homicide show from Iceland. The austere scenery is breathtaking and the cinematography topnotch (although far too dark indoors, sometimes obscuring important clues) and the writing brisk and plot-driven. Like other dramas from Iceland, some of actions of the characters (phones conveniently left in cars, cops inexplicably turning their backs in dangerous situations etc.), are questionable and a bit lazy. Perhaps Icelanders are a bit more naive than the rest of us? The acting is wonderful and sincere, rarely overdoing it. Despite these minor flaws, I binged the series and was fully engaged from beginning to end. Looking forward to another season.

This Icelandic crime drama opens with two apparently unrelated murders; the way the bodies were mutilated suggests a single killer. A police woman named Kata is put on the case. An expert, Arnar, is flown in from Norway; he is an Icelandic native who left Iceland some time ago. Investigation into the victims' pasts leads to the Valhalla Boys' Home; a long-closed institute for troubled boys in a remote part of the country. Here another body is found. It becomes obvious that somebody is targeting those who worked at Valhalla; who and why will take some investigation though... an investigation that will unearth old secrets that some in power would rather remain secret.

This might not be the fastest moving series but it is gripping with a good number of twists and turns leading to an exciting conclusion. This conclusion provides a real sense of danger for our two protagonists. From start to finish there is a great atmosphere with snow covered settings and a 'cold look' even when indoors. The lead characters are interesting; each has their own problems, which some might consider a little cliché, but that didn't bother me. The cast is solid; most obviously Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir, who plays Kata; and Björn Thors, as Arnar. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of Nordic crime dramas.

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