El deshielo

I am at episode 3 now and am still interested in the plot of this series.

My biggest compliment is that this has been dubbed into English so I do not have to read it. It seems like Poland and Norway do not have any problem dubbing their series or films.

I like the series and films coming out of Europe a lot, but I do not like to read the dialogue while I am trying to watch the action on the screen.

There should be a way for viewers can opt to have all films and movies dubbed just by clicking in icon. I am sure the technology exists somewhere.

Anyway, I do like this series and the mystery within the story line. I do also agree that it was not necessary to add a daughter to the main character.

But just hang in there and keep watching even if it gets a bit slow sometimes.

The Thaw is well-written and acted, esp. Kataryna Wajda as Det. Zawieja. The cinematography featuring a dreary Polish port city is suitably creepy. My main criticism is the "bad mother" motif. The single mom detective who can't look after her child is the most tired trope in Euro-Noir. It slows everything down and adds nothing except canned bathos. There's always a dead husband who the woman is grieving and the kid is a mess because of it. Then there's the mother or grandpa guilt-tripping the bad mom. Really annoying and unnecessary. Grieving and torment are fine for noir leads but the whiney kid has to go.

The story is concise and goes straight to the point. Which is both good and bad, good because it doesn't feel stretched and you don't get to be bored, bad I will cover below.

The shots are nice, most of the time you can feel immersed thanks to the camera work, it doesn't feel static.

The setting is good, it creates a gritty mood and that works great with the story that's being told.

My main problems with this show are:

The ending, which I don't think was thoroughly explained, even though I had watched this show in two sittings, so I don't feel like I forgot or missed much.

There were no fillers and sometimes it felt a bit rushed. We didn't get to know anyone on a personal level, apart from a few flashbacks for the main character.

And while we're at it - the all-knowing main character. It felt like every call she made, even by coincidence, was correct and pushed the story forward. There was not a lot of mystery solving, it felt like she was supposed to find clues and answers and she did that easily, without much thought.

Overall I believe it's worth giving it a shot. Are there any better, short shows? Sure, but I don't think you will have a bad time with the Thaw.

Deep characters, wonderful scenery and very engaging plot. The case of the missing child and a female detective who is looking for any piece of life in her job - This series will surely stay with me for a long time.

... good Polish crime drama... entire cast is very solid and production values equal any top notch shows being made anywhere today... yet this series works as well as it does because of Katarzyna Wajda... she is outstanding through each and every episode... guarantee you'll be searching for some-any of her other screen work... ending was slightly muddled and predictable, but overall it's a series well worth searching-out-watching.