Grow

I watched all 8 episodes today!

It was thrilling, it was entertaining, it was not "too bad" - as some of us express it in Denmark - when we really like something. Fiction is fiction but it feeds on reality - and the reality is not lost in this Narco-drama.

Large parts of Alfa's action takes place in North Zealand, Denmark, specifically around the city of Helsinge. I live there, and you not only recognize several places, but the series even uses the actual names of several of the locations. As a local, it contributes to authenticity.

There has been some criticism concerning the End.., which perhaps could have deserved an elaboration, but nevertheless it is Okay!. On the other hand, there is a good basis for a continuation (?).

Anyway - in terms of dramaturgy and film language, there are actually scenes in Alfa that are of both national and international class. Enjoy!

Having watched Belgian, Danish, Finnish, Dutch, Swedish and Icelandic series before and thoroughly enjoyed all I thought I'd give this a "go".

Due diligence as always - I checked IMDB and read a few reviews; some were spot on and some a little unfair I think.

The tale as a whole is told in the correct number of episodes and at the right pace. It's engrossing, but easy enough to follow whilst concentrating on the action, plot and the subtitles.

The main characters are believable, and there are women in throughout - it's not all just men.

It's essentially a power struggle between men and women, friends, groups of men and ultimately the police.

It's worth watching, but I would say "binge" it so you don't loose momentum.

I'd have given it a 7.5 if IMDB allowed half stars.

Overall an "okay' show. I love to visit Denmark and have studied a little Danish so every 'dansk tv-serier' is on my radar.

This show has great potential. But somehow it didn't work for me.

It is extremely slow. It contains of 8 episodes but they could have filmed it in 4 or 5.

If you enjoy a slow burn that needs concentration and thought that's just the start. Excellent character building from great actors. Well put together and a story that is a little different from some of the predictable out there. In the UK its on the Channel 4 Walter Presents and with respect he very rarely recommends a duffer. I enjoyed it very much and the actors who play the two brothers, have been chosen so well. Quite brutal at times but so is life. Don't believe the negatives they are obviously those who can't think, don't like to think and those who prefer predictable mind numbing offerings.

The storyline was well conceived and there were plenty of twists and turns, particularly for the protagonist, Adam. The characters were all believable, although I thought Tommy's wife would have been much harder.

But... there were two many long close up shots and slow panning shots that added nothing to the plot and just made the pace of the story falter. There were also a lot of pregnant pauses and nearly every character had a problem answering simple questions, which was very frustrating. The screenplay therefore also meant the story kept losing pace and at times was boring.

A shaper script and less prolonged shots would be a must for a second series.