Arctic Circle

Well, officially it is Finnish-German production, but most of performers come from Finland and most events take place there as well (more precisely, in Lapland near the Artic Circle), so you get, above all, a picture how life in those harsh conditions go on and what potential dangers and risks can appear.

If/when some virus is included, then it is always "food for thought", but in the modern fast developing technology - you never know; what was unimaginable a decade ago, can be a reality now, etc. All in all, as "pure crime stuff" was included, I had nothing against this inclusion (usually I am not into non-human death inducers).

As for the cast, all main performers were unknown to me, but there was a strong and nice team-work, no character "shining" above or at the expense of others. It is more to my liking than the use of same actors-actresses in similar series, causing confusion or reducing the thrill if they tend to play similar roles as well.

Based on the ending scenes, I am looking forward to the potential Season 2.

PS I have to admit that I liked Seasons 2 and 3 even more - perhaps due to more versatility and other degradation factors than virus. The inclusion of more international performers has also broadened approach and geography. And, well, it was okay to watch snow and blizzard if there is over +20 degrees Centigrade outside... :)

PPS Season 4 is a somewhat odd and protracted mixture of mental issues, science and religious fanaticism... I can´t say that those topics speak to me too much. Thus, a kind of decline from Seasons 2 and 3.

I just finished both seasons of Arctic Circle ("Ivalo"). I liked it. Yes, there were some strange twists of plot that strained credulity and were quite farfetched. That said, the drama was marked by good acting, sympathetic characters, an engaging storyline, and gorgeous Nordic vistas. I was going to give it a seven, but the surprises that unfolded late in the second season caused me to add a point and bump it up to eight.

Arctic Circle met my criterion for a good drama: I cared about all the major characters. Lina Kuustonen was a strong lead as policewoman Nina; both her sister Marita and her ex (and baby daddy) Esko became sympathetic characters as the story unfolded. And I can't say enough about actress Venla Ronkainen, an actress with Down Syndrome, who played Nina's special needs daughter, also named Venla. Often I find that kids in dramas don't add much to the storyline. But Arctic Circle was the exception. Venla was possibly the most endearing character I've ever seen in a drama. She played an important role in the flow of the action, and lit up every scene she was in. The actress was great. I don't know if she'll ever act in another production, but she did herself proud with her performance in 16 episodes of Arctic Circle.

As I write this, I have no idea whether there will be a third season, but I would watch it.

(How is it that mine is the only review here? That's just mental.)

While the British TV makers are farting about with blurry vision, wobbly cameras, pointless flashbacks, insane diversity quotas, incomprehensible accents and disco-volume 'background' music, the Finnish (and the rest of Europe) are quietly making riveting TV drama the way it should be made.

Nobody is crying or shouting... people are making sensible decisions and every camera has a working tripod that anchors it to the floor. It's truly awesome to see television like this and you really have to wonder why the UK have lost their touch when it comes to quality crime drama.

Anyway... Russian prostitutes are showing up in Lapland dead, or nearly dead. The one thing they have in common is the virus they share... and the infection runs deep into this ice cold rural area.

This has attracted the centers for disease control in Germany and Helsinki and experts are sent to figure out what's going on.

The local police team up with the Russian cops and the bio experts bring in their own teams of investigators. Nobody is sharing information, so of course, the situation deteriorates rapidly.

Watching this drama unfold is simply a joyous way to spend time. The dialog is about half in Finnish and half in English. Top notch TV and a master class in how television drama should be made.

The scenario in itself is not extraordinary but you quicly get close to the characters. The actors are quiet good but i want to give a special award to Venla : Amazing Kid !!!

Arctic Circle is a very interesting yet somewhat underrated Finnish-German co-production series to watch. I enjoyed it with pleasure, despite its flaws.

• (+) Very good acting by all the cast, with a big V. The beautiful Iina Kuustonen was a joy to follow through. By the way, Venla should have been properly credited as she did an awesome job. Shame on you the Executives.
• (+) Amazing depiction of the harsh climate (~ -40 Celsius), snow-blanketed Lapland and Ivalo with super beautiful vast landscapes, filming, sceneries and shots. One of the high plus of the show.
• (+-) Scientifically Interesting premise and screenplay with touching sub-storylines, unfortunately with big plot-holes, complemented with more than bad editing and super unrealistic happenings, events and results.
• Definitely deserves a final season 2 with new twists and turns and tying loose ends. Hope they are smart enough to realize it.

14 reviews only for a nice and thrilling European series finished one and a half year ago. There is something definitely wrong here!

Hope it is graced with a second season and followed by more dramatic series from thrilling Finland. They are on the right path, though, they still have a lot to learn from deeper Scandinavian marvels like Bron/Broen.