Sanningen

Don't be fooled by the low scoring reviews. The series is just very very good. Well acted and well directed. Sofia Helin very unlikable you willl grow into her traumatized way of being. It's not like Saga but not too far away from her either. All support actors are pretty good and they are just playing out everyday people in unusual situations. The shots are just super high Scandinavian standards and if you like just the feel of Sweden and Denmark you will love them. If you are looking for more action or horror type of thriller series it could not be for you. Also if you prefer American fake crap acted procedural rubbish... be my guest but don't bother trying to enjoy a nice Northern European crime series.

I expected far better especially seeing the calibre of the well-known actors and actresses appearing here. The series starts off promisingly as a tight cold case drama but soon goes off the rails with appearances of ghosts and totally implausible family relationships.

Iris is plainly psychologically unfit to be back at work especially as the murder enquiry panning out in Stockholm is producing no results. The case in Malmö is doing no better either. However, it all went pear shaped in episode four with the assault on a murder suspect. The lead investigator didn't report the incident which was absurd as the suspect would certainly be telling his lawyer. Later we are expected to believe that a junkie no-hoper has the means to track a cop to her home.

After this, melodrama after unbelievability took place at breakneck speed. This really should have had eight episodes. Everything was crammed in and the denouement was just so trite as to actually make me angry.

Looking back over my review, I've reduced the mark to a three from a four.

Like 99 out of 100 Swedish productions - unbearably lousy.

It would take me an hour to go through everything, but that's an hour lost.

Incompetence elevated to an art form.

But - I'm not sure if I'm more upset with the production or the critics praising it.

I'm ... flabbergasted. For lack of a better word.

Anyway, all I can add is that (again, like all other Swedish productions) EVERYTHING that happens in this story, that is supposed to move the drama forward, is illogical, irrational och feels constructed.

Add to that that ALL characters are total clichés, and are either complete morons, or just redundant.

Take every cliche you can find in a Hollywood C movie and you will find it in here. Why?????

The mostly negative reviews for this series just go to show that we are all very different: I absolutely loved this and I am only disappointed that there doesn't seem to be a second season. If you expect something with lots of violence, car chases and guns, then this won't be for you. I mean, how many 'crime' series are there where only one shot in total is fired - and that is in the last episode and only goes through a window? And yet I was absolutely glued to it. It's not perfect and there are one or two cringe moments, but for me, the characters, 'ordinary' as they are, but struggling with extraordinary situations, were totally believable and beautifully drawn. Clearly not written for the big screen but television; in my opinion, this is actually one of its strengths. I was left with wanting more. In all, a wonderful series, showing how flawed, complex and human we all are.

I enjoyed this series: the setting, characters and story line were all interesting. The plot centres on a cold case from 16 years earlier involving the disappearance of a local Malmo teenager. A lead investigator, Iris (played by Sofia Helin) is brought in from Stockholm to work with the local team which leads to some tensions. As the drama unfolds it becomes clear that all is not well with Iris, and her back story is slowly revealed through the series.

I thought that Sofia Helin was marvellous in the lead role, and the supporting roles were all well cast and well played. The murder investigation unfolded in a believable manner, and the various subplots added interest, especially that of Iris's relationship with her sister.

I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys Scandinavian crime shows.