Ranczo

When it comes to Understanding what Poland is, it is the best thing to watch.

Romantic, funny, fuzzy and very true.

Personaly I think you can't be under 30yo to understand it.

Pani Lucy a Pole who returns to the family lands from the USA, finds the politics and class warfare of pre communist Poland is going strong. She finds allies and enemies cleverly played in one case by the same actor who is both the parish priest and his twin brother the township mayor.

Over the years this show has run Lucy marries, has children and is elected in her own right as mayor. Surrounded by colourful characters and well written stories including a wonderful episode in which the town folk combat the mob, culminating in a pitched battle that has gone down in Ranczo history.

Among the characters you'll meet are the drunk guys on the bench, each one a gem individually, Wojt's daughter who is insane and flighty but determined, the women of the town who have their own peculiar way of dealing with each other, the feisty but initially shy farm wife who makes pierogi and of course Lucy's main foils, her husband the artist, the priest, the politician, the policeman and the doctor.

If you want to have a feel for what modern Poland is like, this is the best way short of moving there.

If you know what you are doing you can watch the show from the start.

Be prepared to be addicted, like marmite, you'll either love it or hate it.

When moving to Poland I was advised to watch the series. The first 4 seasons were great, with a lot of irony and lessons for me on Polish culture. However, with season 5 and later, the series changed rapidly in a (for me) unpleasant "anti-polish man" story, which kept on-and-on.

When the seasons evolve; eventually all men in town are either drunk, useless, corrupt, stubborn or cheating. All the women have the political power, run international company and are the intelligence of town. Where the first 4 seasons address typical Polish situations, season 5, leaves that, and emphasis the differences between the successfull women en worthless men in town.

While I do understand the irony and jokes, for me personally did it lost the original flavour of the first 4 seasons. Perhaps i'm not Polish enough to still like it.