Jordskott

Just when you thought Nordic Noir had peaked along comes Jordskott - very dark and very much of its location and the Swedes do it best! Anyone who is vaguely familiar with folk tales (from pretty much anywhere in the world) will appreciate the brooding threat, the universal fears that permeate the early episodes. But this is no outlandish 'TrollHunter', this is a full blown 'who dun it' with the supra / supernatural an integral part. Having watched the first half of the first series, for me, it plays as a cross between The Killing, Fargo and Twin Peak (series 1 obviously). I don't like particularly enjoy 'supernatural' films and I don't have any belief in spiritual worlds but I appreciate the folk lore created by of cultures to explain their natural world. And, this is where Jordskott fits.The production slowly seduces the unbeliever into a realm where you not only accept the conceits you end an episode wanting more. Level headed I may be but Jordskott has made me think twice about my impending visit to the Swedish interior. This is very much box set binge materials but I must control the urge to splurge. Watch - believe - enjoy.

Anyone who has walked in Swedish forests get the feeling of the raw power of nature. Wild wolves, Moose (bigger than horses), Bears, but also the sheer dimensions. You can find forests where there is no road for 40km.... deadly, mysterious and beautiful... seas of trees.

In other words, walk though a fores in the brecon beacons or Scotland, and you know you can find your way out. Try that in Sweden and you will probably die. Swedish forests can be scarily big; and mysterious.

I was told about this show by the gf, to keep my Swedish going. I am so glad I started watching this. Starts off as a police drama, but pretty soon, things get strange. You have to pay attention to it.

Clues are littered from the start pointing at the dark under-plot.

Excellent work. och tack att jag kunde ova min svenska!

This is the kind of show I've been waiting for! It mixes suspense, physiological drama and the occult in a way that never has been done before in Swedish television. I must admit that I was a little bit skeptical during the first episode, like " oh let's see where this is going", but soon I realized that I was about to binge watch the whole series in one night!! The writers have managed to create a story that never slacks and characters that are really fascinating, while at the same time following a plot that keeps the audience in a firm grip with new twists and turns in every episode. It's like "Oh my gosh, i didn't see that one coming!!" I have always been a little bit vary about dialogue in Swedish film and television. There has been a tendency to write "on the nose" dialogue, " sometimes unbearable to listen to like in many cop series, but in "Jordskott" the writers have had great success in writing lines that lift the characters AND drive the plot forward. The cast is excellent. If Moa Gammel won't be our next export to Hollywood I would be really surprised. And Happy Jankell is truly a rising star! Last, when it comes to the work of the camera crew: Never before has the dark forests, the small deep lakes and the inherent mystery of the Swedish countryside been better shown. If I worked for Swedish tourism I would very pleased right now. Maybe we will see "Jordskott" tourism in the near future.

Disclaimer - I bailed after 4 episodes. Why did I grow to dislike Jordskott (Swedish for George Scott, famous American actor of yesteryear) after investing 4 hours? Two things really,,,,First the series comes across as a missing person detective show but by episode 3 it becomes a fantasy, or introduces a supernatural element, so I feel a little duped, not that I wouldn't have started it anyway had I known.

Secondly I didn't like the main character at all. She was suppose to be some highly capably police officer/negotiator but she came across as utterly incompetent and didn't seem to know the slightest thing about policing or investigating a crime. I mean who screams shoot me over and over to a deranged hostage taker in a hostage situation. Utter nonsense. There were a few other nitpicky things like the head investigator in the disappearance recruiting a NEGOTIATOR with an emotional connection to help investigate a missing child case. The head guy also irritated. He didn't do anything in 4 episodes except walk around looking smug. The local police investigator was at least likeable and seemed to be actually doing things.

There's too many other (hopefully better) things to watch.

As I am fond of Scandinavian suspense thrillers, I try to watch them as much as possible, preferably in sequence. True, as the "aces are high", it is natural that in a search of a new angle or background, the result can be less interesting to certain viewers.

I, for example, have to admit that I am not much into fabulous creatures or supernatural forces penetrating into "trivial" human world, so the last episodes did not bear the same value for me as primary events and tensions, but luckily there was no "deus ex machina" or superhero present, and gradually appearing non-real elements did not make me cancel the watching. At times, tense just faded away and made me ponder that less duration or number of episodes could have been becoming.

Unlike in most of Swedish series with alternating actors-actresses, almost all performers here were unknown to me (apart from Ann Petrén), but I cannot say I was particularly impressed by anyone whose career should be followed in the future. So, a decent series, but similar with the ones like Maria Wern and Arne Dahl rather than with Bron/Broen or Millennium. For those, however, fond of additional mysticism and gloomy mood, Jordskott can be recommended with bigger enthusiasm.