The Darkness

Everyone who reviewed this series so far has a valid point and, taken their individual pint of view, is accurate in his or her review. Not much to add here other than, for me, it was a huge disappointment. Only the addition of Jack Bannon, kept me from watching the series to it's torturous end.

What really got to me was the incredibly bad depiction of the Icelandic police force. If taken at face value, every policeman and policewoman is either an utter moron or too lazy to work. Everything in this series related to police work, police procedures and internal police management is so wrong, one questions the sanity of the person who wrote the script.

This could have been an excellent psychological twister-thriller, if the writer(s) wouldn't have assumed that the general viewing audience is comprised of morons as well.

3 Stars for the otherwise good, not great, performances of the lead actors and, of course, Jack Bannon.

You'd think that a combination of Ragnar Jonasson, Lasse Halstrom, Lena Olin and Douglas Henshal would result in something very special, but this series is just an irritating mess. I abandoned it before the end of the second episode and reading many of the reviews here I'm glad it's not me. Avoid. I agree with just about every criticism in the reviews.

Some absolutely great parts here - the photography, the field locations, Reykjavik looks beautiful. There are also some weak red-herrings in the plot. Also, some real acting talent is available but Doug Henshall from "Shetland" is completely wasted in a nothing and pointless role. But it's all squandered on a poor and poorly stitched-together narrative that felt rushed to a conclusion. Too many plot lines went nowhere, too many ideas thrown in (misogyny, indigenous and migrant bigotry), character motivations were poorly articulated and the lead actress had a cryptically explained personality and background too say the least.

Really disappointing.

I was originally going to skip this one based on a couple of reviews I'd read but decided to give it a shot, and I'm glad I did.

The scenery is stunning and atmospheric, and is essentially a character in its own standing. It has strengthened my resolve to visit Iceland one day!

The story I found to be captivating - it hooked me in and kept me watching. It is a suspenseful and emotional storyline, and the cast did a great job with their performances, especially the Icelandic actors performing in English. Kudos to them.

I look forward to a second season and seeing more of what this team has to offer.

Was expecting a cheesy theatrical Icelandic cop drama but was pleasantly suprised to find a beautiful, suspensful and unpredictable series. The Icelandic actors really stood out as proper good even though they were not acting in their mother tongue. Björn Hlynur and Thorvaldur were great!

Lena Olin was a bit stiff at first but as the series plays out her character deepens and her acting starts fitting the character better. Bannon was great!

Cinematography and lighting was top notch and the aerials were superb in the low light conditions. Street lights, snow and tire tracks are a suprisingly pretty combo, who knew?

Definitely recommend.