Fortitude

Fortitude is not your typical drama. It moves slowly, like the ice locked landscape in which it is set.

Its not a series for the impatient. You have to be willing to invest time in this series and accept long periods where partial knowledge and confusion are the norm. If you can do this then you may "warm" to Fortitude.

Without giving too much away very little in this series is what it first appears to be. A police who dun-nit that ever so slowly reveals other secrets that have a lot to do with time, ice and the preservation of "seemingly" dead things.

The cast is top notch and includes the likes of the wonderful Michael Gambon, for those who remember exceptional series like The Singing Detective.

A well deserved eight out of ten from me.

Season 1 was good .Season 2 was far fetched and Season 3 was ridiculous .I felt like I did when LOST ended - all that for nothing .Started off well and then seemed to lose direction .Nice shots of the snow though !

The best summary I saw here said, "Superb show not for faint hearts or the lazy." That about sums it up. I'm shocked at all the negative reviews here.

I just finished Season 1. The story can be very hard to predict at times. When it's predictable I still wasn't *sure* I was predicting correctly.

Other reviewers' complaints: Character names aren't realistic - I don't care. Characters seem to act stupid or erratic - I agree, but that's part of the mystery of the story. Characters don't zip up their coats properly for the supposed temperature - really? Norway doesn't have sheriffs - this show is clearly intended to attract a global audience, not just Norwegians, so who cares if some aspects get watered down a bit for the general viewing public? Story is boring - I'm sure they didn't watch the same show I did.

There are a LOT of characters in Fortitude. It's the new style of TV, and it works here. There's a lot going on, including a lot of back-story explained along the way. And, most important to me, the characters are easily distinguishable. They look different, dress different, have unique faces (some are actors I recognize which helps). The casting here is superb and really helps one follow the twisting storyline.

Dark, moody, cold and somehow claustrophobic, Fortitude is a very fun show. Sort of like Northern Exposure but with the creepiness of X-Files.

I watched the entire series and thought the first season was an amazing, drama/mystery driven by Sci-Fi. Few series have been so well-written: it had me looking in many different directions - spending as much time trying to figure out the mystery as I did getting to know each character, the environment and the hard science (coupled with fictional science). The first season is easily a 10.

The second season went off the rails. I'd rate it a generous 4. While the central premise remained, it shifted toward pseudo-nonsense (I'm trying hard not to give anything away). The storyline wasn't nearly as tightly written (sloppy at times) while everything was forced through a new lens of pure mumbo-jumbo nonsense.

Many of the core characters remained in place, some just disappeared without a proper ending, some secondary characters were given back stories but it was the segue into mumbo-jumbo that did nearly all the harm. The only reason I stayed the course was because of the strength of the first season and to watch the backstories of some of the characters who were given greater roles. I also held out hope that the season would straighten itself out and shift back into Sci-Fi and tighter writing. I was disappointed...

The third season (only four episodes long) shifted back toward "sci-fi science" but the stench of the mumbo-jumbo, pseudo-nonsense hung in the air, intermingling with the stronger premise established in season 1. I'd rate this season a 5 overall. It doesn't quite close the chapter on all characters but does so on most central/core characters. Not sure why this season was only 4 episodes long, certainly the last episode felt rushed but by this point, I was happy to see the series end. I felt that a continuation would further damage one of the best first seasons of any Sci-Fi show I've ever watched.

Recommend watching the first season only (10 rating). The other seasons will disappoint.

Side notes: (1) I had to look this up: Dennis Quaid was 63-64 years old during the last two seasons. I just couldn't get over how much younger (and fit) he looked. (2) Verónica Echegui: great performance, an uncommon beauty. (3) Stanley Tucci: his character helped define the first season and keep it "real" (4) Michelle Fairley: as a GoT fan, nice to see her here (5) Edvin Endre: as a 'Vikings' fan (the Ragnar Lothbrok years only), it was good to see him here too. He's got an "edge" to his acting which comes across very well on screen (6) Robert Sheehan: great in 'Misfits' and 'The Umbrella Academy'. While Stanley Tucci represented a stabilizing force (made the first season smart and adult-driven), Sheehan (sadly) served as the vehicle that knocked 'Fortitude' off the rails and nearly destroyed the series.

/refers to Season 1/

At present, Brits and Scandinavians (Danes and Swedes in particular) are apparently the most versatile and distinct creator of thrilling crime series; even when clichés available, there are always new angles or approaches, plus competent choice of talented performers, many without global fame. All this also applies to Fortitude, where e.g. always great Stanley Tucci, Michael Gambon, Sofie Gråbøl do not stick out too much, so there is a nice team playing and level differences are conditioned by the "goodness" of a character, not by talent (in my opinion, Gråbøl's character was not too versatile and visible).

As the plot, there were moments when I feared that events would take a too sci-fi turn, but, with the help of flashbacks, mysterious and criminal events found their satisfactory solution (well, a certain scene with flies was too much though). And the Nordic nature, wow... I have had some opportunities to experience it with my own eyes, but it is still magnificent to watch - usually not outside, but inside - as snow is beautiful, but -20 and below C are not...

All in all, another strong brick in the wall of thrilling series. And yes, combining the best from Brits and from Scandinavians can provide a meaty result as well, with inclusion of some other good actors from outside of these areas.

PS Season 2 is even catchier, due to Squaid and Stott.