Mazhor

This is a brilliant thriller/police drama that will make you cry and laugh. THe characters are brilliantly crafted and unique but also typical Russians. You feel for them, empathize and identify their joy, sadness, fear, etc.

The first season I would give only 6 stars but the second season upped it, the cinematography, the slick editing, the masterful performances. This will thoruroghly entertain you and keep you at times laughing or tearful. It is gritty at times and also intriguing. Second season is a real work of art - Looking forward to Season 3

This Russian series is centred on Igor Sokolovsky, he is the son of an oligarch and enjoys a playboy lifestyle. After a run in with the police his somewhat exasperated father pulls strings to get him off but also gives Igor an ultimatum; he must work with the police or he will be cut off. He is not welcome with the unit he is assigned to... his previous activities caused trouble for two of them. Igor isn't keen but gradually learns the ropes and also decides to use his new position to investigate the death of his mother twenty years previously. Officially she committed suicide but he isn't so sure; as he starts asking questions those who might know the answers start turning up dead. He also starts developing feelings for his boss, Captain Viktoriya Rodionova, which further raises tensions as she is seeing another member of the unit.

I really enjoyed this series; it contains a good mix of humour and drama; this drama is occasionally surprisingly gritty and delivers some genuine shocks. There is a good mix of single episode cases and Igor's ongoing investigations. One does have to suspend ones disbelief at times; most obviously how Igor is placed with a unit which investigates serious crimes without undergoing even basic police training... once things get going this was fairly easy to overlook. The series nicely contrasts the lives of ordinary people with those whose wealth enables them to have what they want when they want without worrying about the cost. The cast does an impressive job bringing the various characters to life. I enjoyed the first two seasons and hope Netflix get the third season soon as season two ended with a shocking cliff-hanger. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of subtitled crime drama.

These comments are based on watching the first two seasons in Russian with English subtitles.

The whole police procedural aside, this is an intimate look into the heart of Russian passion. The camera loves the lead actor. Is it a Russian thing that he can convey a thousand words with just a look and snort and that you want to cry when he gives the camera that self- depreciating smirk that says the world has broken his heart again, but he doesn't care because he is a survivor. Fun. Funny. Informing of all things Russian. A must see

Despite a few pretty obvious inconsistencies between the episodes, the (not much believable) dead rising and annoying love triangle, the series are still worth watching. I left Russia many years ago and it was fascinating to see how the cinematography and Russian story telling involved. It also doesn't hurt, that everyone, specially women, are gorgeous and smart, the summer and winter Moscow/St Peterburg scenes are breath taken and the story is sad and funny at the same time.

I'm guessing most of the Netflix audience might think they should avoid anything from Russia, well, they're missing out, big time. The biggest draw here is definitely the main lead, Pavel Priluchnyy as Igor, the son of a super-rich oligarch. The guy's got a great ability to conjure up a spoiled young man who drives a Corvette but is simultaneously impressive and easy to relate to, believe it or not. This actor is as good as our best young stars, maybe better.

But for me his immediate supervisor, Karina Razumovskaya as Victoria, is just as good, if not even better. What I realized after a few episodes is, she is more real and convincing than any of our current crop of American women in authority, but I'm having a hard time pinpointing why. I guess when she considers what she should have her men do next, you can see the wheels turning in her beautiful eyes. All I know is having seen quite a few of these episodes, there's an odd grasp of reality at play here that's woefully missing from our own mixed gender cop shows.

Honestly, I look forward to seeing new episodes more than I do our usual TV fare. I highly recommend this view from the other side.