Konflikti

An interesting premise that is perhaps not that far removed from real life. Mostly english language, it even has some Americans in the otherwise finnish cast.

The first few episodes do a good job of building a sense of confusion on the ground and in senior government circles. The conclusion however is a bit of an anti-climax.

Only has a small cast, the Finnish landscape is gorgeous, photography is good, the acting is pretty limited, I imagine it was made on a small budget and seemed to rely on stock footage for things like warships, aircraft were mostly absent. Overall, it feels more like a documentary than a drama.

The show is a breath of fresh air for military and political dramas. It skips the Hollywood tropes where people take gunshots and keep fighting like superheroes. Here, the weapons and their effects feel real and grounded, making the stakes hit harder.

The conscripts are exactly how you'd expect them to be-regular young people, not elite commandos with picture-perfect execution. And seeing them represented is refreshing since most shows focus on elite units and their over-the-top personal drama. The politicians, too, are spot-on, acting just as self-serving and calculating as you'd imagine.

The portrayal of the opponent (likely Russia, though it's not confirmed yet) is chillingly realistic. The propaganda, manipulation, and subtle plays to exploit the Finnish society feel all too plausible and add an extra layer of tension.

At times, the dialogue can feel stiff, especially in the situation room, almost like watching an amateur play. But honestly, that might just be what it's actually like-people under pressure saying what they need to without worrying about sounding polished. The military's formal Finnish (kirjakieli) adds to the authenticity, even if it's not the most natural for a viewer.

All in all, Conflict gets a solid 9/10 from me. It's fresh, timely, and incredibly engaging. If you're into realistic military dramas, this is absolutely worth your time!

Terribly sorry, but even the premise: that a few paratroopers could accomplish anything of military or territorial value, and that foreign military equipment and soldiers could "slip ashore" from "Venezuelan" ships unnoticed, is stupid and unrealistic. Even more strange, no plausible motive is given for why a "foreign force" would take this action, which in real life only could lead to said force being thrown back into the sea in record time. This unrealistic premise is then combined with the nowadays requisite and formulaic "conflicts" amongst soldiers and political leaders, and some totally unnecessary sex scenes. Apart from some refreshing exceptions, the acting is most often wooden, probably because of the likewise stilted writing. Even seasoned, normally competent actors can't seem to get it together. Like everyone is satisfied with the first take. To top it all off, the music score feels uninspired, and curiously detached from events rolling by. Production values are sometimes pretty good, but really feel wasted on this drawn out series (two episodes would have been enough).

As a special forces soldier, I find the series excellent. Aki is the Man. The criticism has been so inferior that this becomes a success. Few dare to present characters as stereotypes. A traditional officer is a traditional officer. Now there are also those women. Today there are women in the army. You'd think it would do. And there are also immigrants. You'd think that would do too. Fortunately, the audience decides. I'm sure the Defense Forces have been happy to help. Critics criticize and soldiers fight. That's the difference. Congratulations Finland 107 years! This is a good reminder to be ready. Not with a keyboard but with a gun.

A great show depicting the invasion of Finland in a similar vein to the Crimean conflict. The show follows both civilian leadership, career officers, as well as conscript personnel. Equipment, action, and small-unit tactics (thus far) are shown to be highly authentic and engaging, partially due to the support of the Finnish Defence Forces and the main commercial supplier, Varusteleka.

Regarding the dialogue and acting, most of it is very good, especially those by Peter Franzen, potraying a career officer attempting to reach his family. I've seen some negative feedback about the conscripts, whether related to the amount of drama, intimacy, or their diversity, but given that most conscripts are 18-20 when they enter service, I found this highly realistic. Having soldiers from diverse backgrounds is also EXTREMELY common in certain units, particularly in the Helsinki Capital region. The acting of the civilian leadership (which strongly evokes some of Finland's more recent leaders) is at best just OK - limited by perhaps clunky dialogue choices.

English dialogue in the how was also a bit of a hit or miss, especially with scenes concerning civilian leadership, or attached allied officers - it feels like the writers were somewhat out of their depth here - but it was acceptable.

Overall, an excellent show - I'm pretty jaded with TV these days, and a lot of shows feel either longwinded or underfunded (looking at you, Dune Prophecy), but this was tight and great from the start. Truly a new level of TV for Finland!

Note for folks interested in similar content, check out TaisteluKentta 2020 on the FDF youtube channel, which even sports some of the same faces.