All the Sins

I have watched two seasons of this great Finnish TV serie. I have learned out that the third is on air. I wanted to write my comment before watching the third season. I really liked the second season and I can even say that I like it more than the first season. The difference between revenge and punishment is very well analyzed in the second season. Although, there were very unnecessary dialogoues and moments in the first season, the second season lack these and it focuses on an old case that haunted the town. In addition to this, the acting is absolutely great in the second season, and you really enjoy the nature of Northern Finland.

Season One

Following the murders of two men in a small highly religious Laestadian community in northern Finland two officers are dispatched from Helsinki to investigate. They are Lauri Raiha, a gay man who is having relationship problems and was originally from the community and Sanna Tervo, a woman who appears to be more easy-going but also has certain emotional baggage. Once there Lauri will have to deal with attitudes he thought he'd left behind ten years ago; Sanna will also have problems as she learns of family problems back in Helsinki.

Season Two

This season is set fifteen years before the events in season one and covers a murder investigation that was briefly mentioned in the original season. It is set in the same community and involves police officer Jussi Ritola investigating the suspicious death of a couple. At first it is thought it might be a double suicide or a murder-suicide but events lead Jussi to suspect murder. It won't be an easy investigation; his boss tries to block any line of inquiry that suggests any of the Laestadian community could be involved; he also has personal problems when his wife makes a surprising confession.

I rather enjoyed this Finnish series. The two seasons feature mostly different characters so it is unnecessary to have seen the first season to understand the second; however it is probably preferable. It does serve to explain why certain characters turned out how they are in the first season. The cases are interesting and at six episodes each don't drag. There are plenty of suspects and motives so viewers are likely to be kept guessing until the reveal. The lead characters are solid and nicely varied as are the supporting characters. I liked the setting; both seasons may be set in the same town but they have a different feel as the first is set at midsummer when the sun never really sets and in the second the area is blanketed in snow. The cast does a fine job bringing their characters to life. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of murder mysteries; I hope we don't have to wait too long for a third season.

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

Wow this was excellent. The interlinking of series 1 and 2 was very creative. Great characters and storyline and in series 2 we get snow. Nothing like snow to enhance a Scandi-noir. Can see many points of departure for series 3. Bring it on👍

I loved the first season with its human interest background as well as the investigative aspects. The sexuality of Lauri was a factor in the development of the plot inasmuch as it was one of the main reasons for his long-ago departure from the area and the way people reacted to him upon his return. The fractured relationship he has with his husband was in large part engendered by the restrictive teachings of the Laestadian sect of his upbringing. It is hard to believe that such people exist in a modern, progressive society such as Finland that regularly tops the world happiness index and that their cold, exclusionist and rejectionist beliefs cause havoc with the minds of people who are connected to them. This is an overarching theme of both seasons.

Season Two is a prequel, if you will. It stems from a glancing reference made by Lauri to Sanna in the first season about previous murders in the area and is introduced by a "Previously on All the Sins" introduction in the first episode before the theme song comes up. We immediately learn about the murder and who was convicted for it and their relationship to one of the key characters in the first season. After the opening credits, we are transported 15 years into the past before the events of Season One. Clearly the actors and the characters they are playing are nearly all different with a couple of exceptions. Once more, the unforgiving and closed religious community is a major theme and we see again how it closes in to protect its own against perfectly decent and honest non-members.

As in Season One, there are some surprising, but believable, plot twists and turns. Nothing is as it seems and the revelation of the perpetrator and then the final gruesome twist leading to the arraignment in court are hard to watch. Yes, I can understand the actions taken but cannot accept them as justifiable.

I know Finland well, but this sort of religious community controlling whole towns was something I was unaware of. This particular setting takes place in a fictional town in the vicinity of Oulu, a lovely part of the country where normality, thankfully, reigns.

This was an original concept, well shot and acted with plot devices that held the attention throughout. The acting was excellent and the characters seemed true to life in their roles. Six episodes per season was just right.

I'm hoping that there will be a Season Three!

Phenomenal series... the impact as it's all coming together was and is extremely moving for me...at times early on I thought maybe this isn't for me a period of character building and getting to know this community and the way they have live and have lived for many years..somewhere in there my eyes opened wider as I felt myself saying OMG!! Jaw dropping realizations began to open up and I felt speechless at the end on many levels... I absolutely believe the two detectives playing lead roles are deeply richly talented actors, excellent! This series is not like many I've seen it is unique and there is a vulnerability revealed here so well done especially around the topic of trauma and how it can affect relationships later in life...