Deadwind

Many reviewers are unfavorably comparing this show to The Bridge (SE). Except for its being a Scandinavian thriller with a strong female lead, I don't see it. The Bridge's protagonists and villains are broken, while this show's characters are simply odd. Also, The Bridge is severe and intense, while Deadwind is puzzling and rambling. Still, I liked this Finnish procedural. The show's central mystery kept me guessing. Its story goes down many detours, but the detours are intriguing. The show's leads could easily be underwear models, but they nevertheless bring their characters to life. The Helsinki of Deadwind is stark, but also beautiful. In short, Deadwind is not exceptional like The Bridge, but it is certainly better than average. If you like the Scan Noir subgenre- not just the one or two shows that transcend it- then you'll probably also enjoy Deadwind.

The things that work well throughout the series are the filmography and the acting. The lead actor and actress have good chemistry and give nuanced performances. The filmography is beautiful and really showcases the bleak beauty of the Finnish landscape.

Season 1 was okay, I would rate it a 7½. The downfall of season 1 is definitely the lengthy subplots. They should have trimmed it down considerably and focused more on the lead characters and the lead storyline. The 12 episodes could have been condensed into 8-10 episodes. But that said, though it is a downfall, the season carries out satisfyingly enough, it just needed a couple episodes to properly pull me in. If you are expecting this to be like Broen or Karppi to be like Saga, this is not the show for you. And I say that as someone who doesn't think Broen is perfect either, it has its own pitfalls. This is its own series and feels more procedural with enhanced filmography. But if you come into it without Broen-like expectations or an Excel file ready to compile possible plot holes (I can't even remember if there were considerable ones, but I'm pretty good about watching something to my enjoyment and ignoring things so take that into account), I'm sure you will find enjoyment in it as I did. Saga Noren and Sofia Karppi are completely different characters though they may look a bit alike. But a lot of Nordic women have blonde, curly hair, so it's not that unusual.

Season 2 really evolved with how the plot was constructed. There's 8 episodes in total and it's completely sufficient to cover the storyline. There are still subplots that are given due focus, but this time they held a lot more interest to me and they connected to the main plot. I did figure out who did it, but I don't count that as a bad thing as I often do with these series. Overall it was a pleasing viewing experience, I would rate Season 2 8½.

So, rating the series 8/10.

As a sidenote, reading through these comments some people seem properly upset about a boy having long, curly hair. It may come as a shock to some, but in Finland boys are allowed to grow out their hair as long as they want, if they wish. Similarly, girls can have hair that's not gender normative. Also, who cares, I think Karppi's son's hair length has very little to do with the story.

This is a damn good show. The photography and scenery are a star in their own right. Very engaging story. Good acting. Good characters.

Piihla Viitala is mesmerizing.

When I started watching this I thought it wasn't going to be much good, but by the second episode I was loving it. There were so many threads but I nevere felt like it was wandering. Some reviewers said they figured it out early, but I must be a bit dim :} It kept me guessing right to the end. Not the best every, but enjoyable and well worth watching. Also, I love seeing the scenery and the landscape. I'm Australian and I'm always like ... why are they out in the middle of the night, but of course its probably late afternoon in wintery Finland!

This series is centred on Sofia Karppi, a detective working in Helsinki. She lives with her school-aged son and her step-daughter. Her husband was killed in a hit and run accident in Hamburg. Partnered with Sakari Nurmi, her first case involves the investigation of the murder of a woman whose body is discovered at the site of a somewhat controversial new development. Their investigation will uncover several suspects; some personal some involved in the development. The second season sees the two detectives investigating the deaths of people who were aboard a ship as a secret meeting took place; the meeting concerned a new tunnel planned to link Helsinki with Estonia. Sofia also has to deal with problems involving her children.

I enjoyed this Finnish series with its season long stories. Each case provides plenty of suspects and motives to keep the viewer guessing. While there isn't a lot of action there are quite a few tense scenes where key characters are in danger. The characters are interesting, even if Sofia might be a candidate for Finland's most neglectful mother! The cast is impressive, particularly Pihla Viitala and Lauri Tilkanen as Karppi and Nurmi. The series makes good use of impressive locations without ever feeling like it is sponsored by the tourist board. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of the genre.

These comments are based on watching the series in Finnish with English subtitles.