Conflict

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!

Aku Louhimies offers well-written TV-entertainment. The realism surprises - these are the threat images that Finland has been preparing for for years. The Ukrainian crisis made this more real. Every Finnish reservist will surely recognize the series' attempt to respect realism. The story is written from the perspective of a Finnish soldier. It's delightful. This is not traditional American war imagery, but offers a view of how Europe wants to deal with these issues. Definitely worth of watching!

Although the characters are a bit stereotypical, their actions are enjoyable to watch. At the time of writing this review, the series has progressed to its fifth episode. The battle scenes have already become more intense. Hopefully, the sixth episode will maintain this intensity. I believe that a fairly large budget has been spent on the series. It is reflected in the production in a good way. A lot of defense forces equipment has been included and even Swedish Gripen fighters.

It would be really nice if the series also gained international exposure. I believe that Finland's position on the world map - on Russia's neighbor - makes this series great to watch all over the world.

I did write a very favourable review, based on the first two or three episodes.

After seeing all 6 episodes, not so much. There are the admirable production values throughout, yes. And the Finnish Defence Forces carries through in every respect.

What fails, and keeps failing more and more in every step to the final episode is the script. It's just not believable. The characters keep getting more and more shallow. Nobody cares abt. Them in the end.

Also, the "main event" in the end (winning, and getting back the command of most everything) is just a big nothing. And I didn't expect a Hollywood / Star Wars shootout; it's just that the character arcs fall short of any believable outcome that's been built for in the first 4 episodes.

Story/promise: beliavable. Characters: marginal. Script: falls short. Believability: a far reach. Which means - Directing: too much to handle, tiresome. Overall (despite a very promising start), just 4/10.

Would I watch this again: no. Would I recommend this: basically yes, for people not knowing much about Finland. There definitely are elements that depict things realistically. But as a TV series, I was disappointed. Hope you're not.

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.

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.