Below the Surface

Watched it on BBC iPlayer, saw the whole season in two days. Love Danish tv shows but this is an exception, full of curiosity & compassion! Well done to all the actors.

I'm hearing impaired and need captions in English, my native language, as well as captions that translate foreign languages. Most dialogue is in Danish, so I get captions. But some of the most dramatic dialogue is muttered or quickly spoken in accented English, with no ability to turn on captions in PBS "Masterpiece." C'mon folks, do better and make this accessible!

Now to the show itself. The first episode is intense and traumatic. Try the second episode, and you'll be rewarded with a suspenseful drama with unpredictable plot, well-written dialogue, terrific acting and character development.

15.Jan, 2020: Fantastic, gripping 8 episodes series, 45 minutes each, Totally Binge-Worthy, currently available with a HULU basic subscription. Especially if you LOVE dramas with deep, complex character development, and twists you never would have guessed. Excellent Acting by all of the cast, but especially by Paprika Steen, as an investigative journalist. No Tenth Star due to 'muddy' editing and storyline flow with the past and present scenes of so many of the actors; a Tenth star would have been given if Dates Text boxes had been inserted with the jumping back and forth.

Great micro-environment setting. Jumps into the action quickly and draws out well over the episodes to an intense conclusion. Takes time to personalize the hostages viewpoints. Closes with a moral issue.

As an admirer of various thrilling series, Denmark is definitely one of the countries which related production I follow as much as possible. So I was glad again when I heard about Gidseltagningen - and again, I can say I am contented.

True, it is no Bron/Broen, but its realistic plot (suitable for modern world with its hostage dramas), depiction of decision-making in a democratic country (when comprehensiveness brings about tardiness in harsh situations), not strained characters and performances (particularly supporting ones, e.g. Paprika Steen, Alba August, Dar Salim) make this series interesting to watch. Well, the real reasons behind could have been different, more sophisticated, but then it could have diminished its plausibility perhaps. We have to bear in mind that Gidseltagningen is no American or Asian series, after all, and anti-war mentality and topical mood were so maintained.

All in all, 8 strong points from me, and you are welcome to watch, unless you dislike strong military presence and prefer works with good and bad distinctively marked.

PS Season 2, with events on and around a ferry, is not weaker, and Season 3 is not excluded - with reference to the ending scenes... The only issue is that as the Danes tend to benefit from same film actors, one can easily guess who might die in the middle and who definitely not :)