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!
