Keizersvrouwen

The way this series plummeted from being good to being bad truly hurt. It started out as an interesting and enjoyable character study about a madame and the girls in her escort service (with some tedious side stories regarding organized crime, political corruption, and a dysfunctional relationship with her teenage daughter). Unfortunately, it morphed into a "crime drama" and it was all downhill from there.

***Below might be considered spoilers for some***

It ended up being chocked full of unlikable characters who I wanted to see walk off a cliff; chief among them being: 1. Lulu, the teenage daughter - almost every scene with her mad me cringe. 2. Said daughter's grandmother, Sylvia - evil through and through, but good for a few laughs. 3. Ralph, a crime boss - Your stereotypical mafioso. 4. The police inspector (I can't even remember his name) - The crusading "crime fighter" who wanted to win no matter the cost.

Read the review by clsi-19102 and had to chime in. Plot? Nope. Cast acting? Nope. I gave it a 7 solely due to Karina Smulders. From fully in control of situations in an understated subtle manner to lost emotionally, I thought she was spot on. The series only worked when she was on screen. As I said: ViewPoints !

I got caught up in this series and really engaged with the main characters and then did something I never do: I quit with only two episodes left. It's visually attractive and Holland is a fascinating place but I finally got fed up with the characters always, always making the stupidest choices.I'd like to see Karina Smulders in some other production but life is too short for me to stick with a story I can't be invested in.

Unfortunately I just saw the first two episodes.... this is delicious storytelling with superb acting in a high tension realistic and horrific Amsterdam scenery. A blast. Highly recommended!

This show is underated and definitely NOT tame. Lots of innuendo. Very accurate depiction of real life in that world. Do not watch this as just a crime drama. It isn't. It's also not quite NC-16 given some of the themes. It's dark. Some scenes will leave your skin crawling.