Stella Blómkvist

If this series is representative of modern day Iceland, it certainly does not portray it in a very "likeable" light! A lawyer who sleeps around with any and everyone, incompetent police, corrupt leaders and a superpower trying to buy the country, are all not pleasant to see but is what seems to be happening in that country. While the series is entertaining at times because of its modernity, it does have the potential to become formulaic and tiresome. Best enjoyed until that happens, but be prepared to watch a series that does not seem to have boundaries on sexuality or sexual situations!

I can't believe that I rated this so highly, but I wound up loving it. Despite being extremely cynical, it's too over-the-top and too post-modern to be noir. Stella, the protagonist, is a piece of work. One has to look very closely and snatch at a few brief moments to find any redeeming qualities in her at all. The police, politicians and financial elite aren't any better. Occasionally, I'll read a review off something complaining that there were no likeable or admirable characters. If you have that issue, this is NOT a show for you! Stella is likeable, but only in a very nasty way, as she wreaks havoc among her friend (singular) and acquaintances. She frequently breaks the fourth wall and talks to the audience, with scenes inserted that display what she's talking about. Sometimes characters in those scenes look straight at the audience and smile. The show has a very dark sense of humor, and if people get what they deserve, it's by accident. It's very stylishly filmed. It's a hoot. imdb seems to think that a 2nd season is in the works, but gives no details. I really hope that's the case. Streams on Sundance Now in the US, which is how I bumbled into it.

This is an entertainment! Right ? And fiction. Right? And ironic. Right? Just enjoy it. 😁

Didn't know what to make of this one at first, has a stylish look about it (think last year's 'Atomic Blonde' with its neon lights and bright colours?) and contains the wonderful Heida Reed (Elizabeth in Poldark!) in the lead. 3 sub-plots within one, 'Stella Blomkvist' doesn't really click for me until late on when there's a whole web of Scandi-crime-noir intrigue. It felt like the makers were new to the medium, so trying out lots of things, not everything working. Fair play to them though, by the end I was a lot more involved, in some measure thanks to the quality of the acting. Reed is fun as the renegade cop (though she could use a a few more rough edges), Kristín Þóra Haraldsdótti good as her long-suffering geeky sidekick Gunna and Sara Dögg Ásgeirsdóttir great as the sexy scheming government minister Dagbjört, ably assisted by lots of others (an ensemble of Chinese actors caught up in the plot, too). 'Stella Blómkvist' takes chances just like its chief protagonist, and the plot hinges on China's use of both soft and hard power in its foreign relations, so very 'topical' these days. It's worth continuing ...

I just finished season 1, and to be honest I only started this show because of the actress playing Stella. The storyline was okay, but some scenes were really just questionable. I'm going to watch the next seasons though lmao.