Overspel

Not a bad story. Pretty good weave of marriage problems, big scale crime and corruption, and justice. I was put off by the adulterers who were entirely self-centered and ginned up an obsessive love affair out of what could as well have been a month long one-night stand. I simply could not see what so compelled them about each other. They were not exactly a dynamic duo. Flat, generic love affair at the center of a rather entertaining narrative. Further, they were not sympathetic in their insistence on elevating physical attraction over marriage, and in the woman's case, a child, We did see an increasingly unlikeable side to their rejected spouses, but they did not seem to grow more interesting or insightful with experience, not as individuals, not as a couple. I can recommend the show as it gathers intensity and the plot starts unfolding, but not as a great watch overall.

The Italian tv broadcasted the first two series in 2018, but I missed them and binge-watched the series online. I simply loved it: the plot, the characters which are extremely well depicted, every single footage was a masterpiece for the acting and directing. Frantic rhythm, compelling story which shakes your believes leading you to the last episode with constant plot twist. Every single episode was tense and intense. I sympathized with every single character and fell in love with every single scene. I am glad I run into the first episode randomly one late evening.

Just been able to catch this in NZ. Great drama, great acting and complex story. Very stylish production and brilliant characters, every one a gem. Subtitles very eay to read and follow. After binge watching series 1 have to ration series 2 and 3 as I don't want it to finish. Definite recommend to fans of good European drama.

Great cast? Fedja van Huet, Kees Prins, Rifka Lodeizen...Check! Decent script? Check! It is good enough for the USA to make a remake of it so it is nothing to sneeze at. How ever, the best dutch series ever made in the same league was Pleidooi and 9Dagen van de Gier which are both hard to match. This is pretty good though. It has it all, Prins is phenomenal, Van Huet is the usual genuine for-real-guy and Nasr's part of sweet dufus with an edge. Nothing wrong with it. For 90% of the time it is a good watch. Sometimes, just sometimes, though Hoeks character Iris gets irritating with the custody situation and the nagging. I guess the adulterous relationship (which it is named after) gets kind of tedious. The reality of the court and the police investigations is superb. Just rarely there is a hint of Spijkerhoek quality twists (Yup I said it) Guns in court, overly hysterical teens and general tantrums with excessive swearing...Tsk tsk, gets old. Maybe I adjust my review after seeing season 2. Lets see. It's just not Pleidooi....

The name "overspel" (adultery) may a bit misleading. It made me suspect that this was going to be some female-oriented cliché-ridden drama. Nothing could be further from the truth.

There are many characters here all of which are equally important. The plot revolves around their relations with each other. Couwenberg is boss of a construction business, then an accident happens that puts the relationships of everyone in the series under pressure. Step by step the plot moves forward and gets more intricate and intriguing every episode. Adultery is only a small part of the problems emerging for every person in this mess. The characters are completely real and believable six episodes in and not once have I been disturbed by a stupid cliché or unreal irrational actions by the characters. They act as any sane man or woman does in their situation.

With a plot so much based on characters, the acting has to be top-notch, and I'm delighted to say that it absolutely is. Rarely have I seen such strong performances from Dutch actors. Add in the brilliant directing and grim cinematography and you've got a series that gets more compelling with every scene. The 6th and latest episode was the absolute highpoint for me. It ended with a music compilation lasting many minutes on Deep Purple's Child in Time and was absolutely masterly executed. One of the best directed pieces I've ever seen.

Overspel is gripping, compelling, well written, wonderfully acted, even better directed, and fit for every single audience, even kids if they're into this sort of thing. Perhaps watching the full season with the entire family at Christmas is a perfect family bonding activity for many.