Okkupert

A bold series with an impactful premise, that was refreshingly enjoyable. At times, melodramatic and tainted with soap opera-ish situations and conversations, but most of the time consistent and true to its base nature and screenplay.

Truthfully speaking, I expected more from it. More character, more shininess and a brighter ending. It was mild, juggled with many sub-plots, got confused on the way, wasn't brought to a satisfying closure and begged for a tying and finishing season 4!

• Screenplay/story: 9
• Development: 9
• Realism: 9
• Entertainment: 9
• Acting: 9
• Filming/cinematography: 9
• Special effects: 9
• Music/score: 8.5
• Depth: 8.5
• Logic: 7
• Flow: 8
• Suspense/thrill: 8.5
• Ending/closure: 7

It was a fun and appealing ride, but could have been more impactful and shocking, had it stuck to a rawer screenplay and development with less dramatization. In one word, needed to be more brutal.

P.S. The Statoil building looks fine, interesting and futuristic to me. A semi-crazy architectural achievement. I guess, it's a question of taste!

It has been criticized by other reviewers, that the plot is not plausible. In a situation, where the energy supply is decreasing it might well be plausible to force Norway to keep supply up. The reason for Russia to do that must not necessarily be an economical one. The force used to direct Greece is an example for what happens in a situation where a small country is not following the dominating powers' interest. The Prime Minister in "Occupied" faces a situation where he cannot keep his promises for the sake of avoiding disaster. This is again a situation similar to what happened in Greece (avoiding the "Grexit"). The point is that the plot is plausible in the sense that is not contradictory and is based on assumptions that are not arbitrary. The series also shows the dilemmas faced by different persons in different contexts. There is a journalist who wants to report the truth but is told by his wife and the prime minister to be responsible. This is a dilemma everyone of us might face (depending on the circumstances).

We seldom binge on any series but we couldn't help ourselves with Occupied. Now in Season 2 on Netflix, we watched every episode available and have nothing to be ashamed/guilty about. The writing is top notch and based on a completely plausible premise. Norwegians have always felt they were more environmentally responsible than their neighbours, thanks to ample renewable sources of electricity. The primary premise is that, having decided to help their European neighbours get off oil by developing a new, safe source of nuclear power, the Europeans don't want help. Another premise is that the US has become insular and withdrawn from NATO. Don't tell me that's far-fetched in the age of Donald Trump. Finally, Russia has a well-planned scheme to take over Norway. I will bet that there is a filing cabinet somewhere in Moscow filled with exactly such scenarios as this. The premises are all more plausible than the Game of Thrones, which is what makes Occupied so fascinating to watch.

Another source of plausibility is a cast that resembles real people rather than talking Barbies and Kens. Foreign film always has a more everyday quality to the cast which is why they can portray everyday situations so much better. Throw in some adultery and miscellaneous sex with knotty ethical dilemmas and you'll watch all 18 episodes without a break.

I passed this by for a couple years because the plot sounded silly, but now that Russia has invaded Ukraine, it doesn't seem so far-fetched. I've been so bored by many series and abandoned them a few shows in, or immediately forget them, but this series is pleasant surprise! It is imaginative, interesting, and I found myself binging show after show. Another great Nordic series! Highly recommend.

Critics seem to be getting hung up on the realism of the set up for this series. Is it realistic that Russia would undertake a 'soft' invasion of a small European country after critical energy production was stopped in response to climate change, and would NATO sit back and allow it to happen on their doorstep? Probably not, but that's not what this brilliant political thriller is really about. If a more powerful country invaded YOUR country, would you resist, would you keep your head down and try to 'get along' with the invaders if they kept promising to leave but didn't, what compromises would you make to try to avoid a full blown military invasion and loss of life. At what point would you decide that 'enough's enough'? When you see someone openly shot in the street by the occupiers? When free press is shut down? Vichy France, Russia's recent forays into the Ukraine and Hong Kong being handed back to China, all spring to mind. Viewers need to get over the likelihood or otherwise of the basic premise of this series, and just enjoy a really well written, well acted mini series that keeps you in a state of nervous suspense. One that makes you think about history, current world events and future possibilities. How far would you allow yourself to be pushed around before you decided to push back?