Matroesjka's

This series takes you deep into the Belgium Underworld. Murder, assault, extortion, but above all: women trade for the sex industry. The series starts in Russia and the east of Europe where women are recruited with false promises and stories by a group of Belgium criminals. This group exploits a sex club back in Belgium and they intend to let the recruited girls strip and work as prostitutes or else sell them to business associates. The club has always been top of the bill until the new group of girls starts to rebel against their 'owners'.

THe series has a lot of violence, strong language, and nudity and is therefore very realistic. The use of different languages and dialects only adds to this.. But unless you speak Russian, English (with strong Belgium and/or Russian accents), and "Flemish Dutch", subtitles are a 'must'.

All in all a great series, if you enjoy series like the Soprano's and Oz.

In Eastern Europe, a group of hopeful, poor women are asked to sign a contract that they will dance in clubs in Belgium(which is where this was produced... note that hooking appears to be illegal there). They are being tricked, however, and find themselves victims of human trafficking. Let me make it absolutely clear that this is a subject that demands attention, and I applaud their intention. I wish I could say the same unreservedly for their execution. Honestly, if they had made this as a documentary, perhaps with, if possible, real testimonies from those who have made it out and are safe(names kept secret if need be), I think this would have been spot-on. Part of the problem is the exploitative use of the girls(who remain naive throughout, disbelieving that they may be forced to prostitute themselves, *even after one of them IS*)... you don't need to constantly show what they are being forced to do merely to establish that it's happening, and the amount and presentation of nudity and sexuality in this is counterproductive. The very intro, with the theme tune of half-heartedly thought out lyrics, is one long display of erotica. Did I mention that it takes up several minutes(who told these people that credits can't run over early scenes?) of the 43 minute running time of all ten(that tend to contribute to the overall events as well as be reasonably separate) episodes(and that's after each one starts with a 3 minute summary of, well, most of the time, only the one immediately preceding it, even showing things that have no impact on what we're about to see)? Do I hear you calling that a nitpick? No, what I mean to point out here is that they did not have enough story(why ten episodes? Several of them could easily have been excised), and the stretching of it is obvious and grating. I fear that the script-writers lack experience, because they make rookie mistakes(other than believing that sequences of people yelling at one another constitute drama, or that audiences will tolerate one anti-climax after another), leaving countless plot(and don't get me started on the holes, it's like Swiss cheese) threads dangling(or have them be cancelled out rendering them useless), introducing characters that make no impact to "keep the pot boiling", and seeking to have *every awful thing that happens(and a few that I am quite certain hardly ever do) to those trapped in this situation happen to this one small group*. We don't know enough about what's going on, including motivations(I cannot overemphasize the importance of that), they make a big deal out of money and passports early on, then they disappear and aren't brought up again, and the utterly untrustworthy(seriously, no one would go along with what Count Dracula and Grinning Psychopath ask them... and why are they always making ridiculous mistakes, how could they have lasted this long if they forget such obvious, basic aspects of their "business"?) keep getting away with doing things in broad daylight? There are too many roles in this, and you find yourself forgetting even names and what little personality they do have. This has some incredibly unrealistic things take place. The dialog tries to be clever, and sometimes really succeeds(this can be pretty funny). With all that said, this does present vital issues at the heart of this problem, such as the corruption, the stigma, the mafia methods utilized by the men in charge, etc. And when this goes for psychological accuracy, it tends to hit the mark. It can really surprise you, and that along with the tension it musters up at times does have you watching closely, a good deal of the way. And not only are the actors actually from the countries their parts are supposed to be, they speak their native tongue when it makes sense(meaning, Lithuanian, Russian, Dutch and English)... and the performances are outstanding. I'm not even sure I could say that anyone didn't live up to the rest. And this is filmed well. I would love to catch something else from some of these immense talents(the only ones that I don't extend that to are the authors). The grittiness of the environment comes across. There is a moderate amount of brutal, disturbing and violent content, as well as a tiny amount of gore, in this. I recommend this to those looking for a manipulative piece on something where we shouldn't need this kind of mini-series to get infuriated and demand action be taken. 7/10

Following the huge success of the first series, mostly in its native country Belgium but on the international export market as well, a second series of "Matroesjkas" was inevitable. Most of the story lines were even readily written when the first series still aired on TV, for that matter. But still, the last thing anyone can claim is that this second series is simply a continuation and cash-in on the popularity of the original. The second – and undoubtedly final – series has a much more internationally orientated character, more convoluted plot outlines, the atmosphere is even more disturbing and there's a lot more violence (especially when approaching the finale). Several characters of the first series return, but there are also numerous new ones that get introduced; often even viler and more malignant than the original crime syndicate members. If you haven't seen the first series, it isn't of much use to watch part two. Even if you don't necessarily require the main characters' backgrounds and previous crimes, there still are loads of references towards stuff that happened in the first season.

The story picks up again three years later, with the earlier than expected release from prison of Ray Van Mechelen and Eddy Stoefs, two of the gang's most prominent members. They meet up to search for their former pal Jan Verplancke, who stole all their money and disappeared towards Thailand to open a sex club. They also intend to boost new life and energy into their former activities, but the Belgian sex industry has changed severely during their three years of absence. There are new and relentless players on the market (Belgian as well as Russian mob organizations), docile and "cheap" girls can only still be found in poor Eastern European countries and the relationships between the former partners have watered down into sheer hostility and complete distrust. The Antwerp police continuously try to disable the organization but perhaps they don't even have to, as they are likely to kill off each other first. The carefully researched and elaborated scenarios, courtesy of Guy Goossens and Mark Punt, still pay and extended deal of attention to character development and human emotions. It's a remarkable and highly praiseworthy accomplishment – especially for a Belgian production – how the numerous and often extremely versatile story lines and sub plots merge together throughout all ten episodes. Whether it concerns the hopeless situation of the girls or the downwards spiral into utter madness of the villains, everything is near perfect to the greatest detail. Even more the case than in series one, part two of "Matroesjkas" isn't always suitable for viewers with a sensitive nerve system or easily upset stomachs. There's a lot of misogynic violence, brutal executions, rape, extortion, excessively foul language, mental agony and revenge. But, as I stated in my review of the first series already, what else do you expect from an allegory focusing on the sex industry! If you want it to come across as realistic and plausible, extreme violence and exploitative sleaze are fundamental.

I'm currently watching this series of SBS TV in Australia. We're currently in between episodes 7 & 8.

I really cannot speak highly enough of this series. I'd give a run through of the general plot but that has already been well and truly canvassed by previous posters.

This series is streets ahead of US and most Australian dramas in the same vein. When I watch a US drama like this I find it they often come across as fake and over the top. Matroesjka's, or Russian Dolls as it is translated into English manages to maintain a high level of excitement and keep the viewers interest whilst keeping entirely realistic and believable, offering an honest portrayal of the plight of Eastern European sex slaves.

I really hope that this series is put to DVD, with English subtitles. In Australia we are lucky to have a brilliant team of subtitlers at SBS TV, it'd be nice if SBS acquired the rights to produce a DVD, wishful thinking no doubt.

If this is the standard of Belgian TV, then I'd better book myself a plane ticket.

Wow!! The first Belgium TV series I've seen & i'm already impressed by the 1st episode. The production standards were indeed high. And the subject matter...Wheewe! Heavy stuff. Now that is what television should do, educate, while entertain (for want of a better word). We always read about the European slave trade with girls vanishing from Eastern European countries & I've seen a few documentaries on the subject, but to see it scripted as a drama is altogether another thing. I must express my ignorance in that i didn't realise that criminals from Belgium were involved, I thought it was mainly a Russian mafia thing.

Very impressed & I'm glad we have a station like SBS that show intelligent programs like this from around the world. I definitely will track down the DVD & lend to friends too lazy to watch it late on Friday nights.

The Danish crime show, Rejseholdet is also screening & is also of high standard. The stories are more realistic & don't necessarily end upbeat like the US shows. More meat & potatoes than fairy floss.

Do these kind of programs ever show on US television?

Fantastic, I just had to vent my approval somewhere... Ha!