Nyrkki

I liked this, I agree with the reviewer who said it could be confusing, it might help to watch the two seasons closer together in time than I did, I waited about a year between the two and struggled to keep up somewhat. It is very, very well acted, there is little to complain about there, EXCEPT perhaps for the American CIA (OSS?) agent whose cover is a musician. I found him a little unbelievable. But the story is pretty good, there are double and triple crosses and allegiances switched back and forth, at least apparently.....I'll leave it to you to try to pry the connections apart, might take a wrecking bar to do it, though.... There are some really stunning performances from female actors in this, the roles of Helena, Aune and the "Finn fatale" Tabe are really well done. Remind me not to cross Finnish women!!

If you're not a Finland history literate person and/or a follower of '50s West vs. East (e.g. Mostly U.s. & USSR) cold war goin'ons then take notes early on as to who's who. A lot of characters; a lot of scene jumps; a lot of not knowing allegiances.

Absolutely stunning visually! As a vintage fan, I loved the authentic feel of the early 1900's in the show. The outfits, the style, the hair, the suits, the furtinute, the settings, the cigarettes, the music... Beautiful!

The performance of Uusivirta, Grabowsky, Vauramo and Petersson were very enjoyable. Parviainen in the lead I found to be a bit too restrained and aloof. Great at moments though, especially in the final episode! I would have loved to see what Kosonen would have done with her character, since her fight scene was a breath of fresh air!

Sure this show had some stumbles, but all in all it created a very intriguing fictional world of espionage and betrayal. I've never seen this type of storyline and energy in Finnish productions. Great pace and twists!

OK, so here's the deal. NOT A SPOILER ALERT!!!! SHOULD READ BEFORE WATCHING The show begins in 1955. Finland is technically it's own country but it's under Soviet Union's Dictator/ Bad Guy/ Communism "you could be executed for stealing an orange" Rule (as well as that evil dudes federal police, the shady as f$&k The KGB). Some people in Finland want to still be Communists but be separate ("doesn't answer to Moscow") from the Soviet Union and have a Finish (but Russian ideology influenced) President who supports Communism. The main characters and plot revolve around several of these people. They also happen to be "The Security Police" to make sure this happens. Lastly, there are people in Finland that want to be "influenced by the west" and believe in Democracy like the Americans. The show is about these three sides.

Very good show with complicated layers of storylines. Told like the viewer is reading a great novel. Told slowly and meticulously, without any wasted time/energy, and developed perfectly. Top show for sure. Constant action. Don't look away, or you're sure to miss something.