Slutet på sommaren

A family with a dark past lies at the centre of Swedish drama 'End of Summer'. As with many thrillers, the story is somewhat contrived, but actually well put together: given what had happened, it makes broad sense that the characters think and acts as they do at the start of the tale, allowing the revealing of the mystery in a plausible and gripping way. Where it's less strong is how it gets the investigation going: the protagonist is a beautiful, brilliant grief therapist, who has taken up this career, bizarrely, because she has never overcome her own grief at the truamatic events of her youth. This is both hackneyed and ridiculous, and the early episodes feel very contrived. Only as the story moves on, and we can forget how it started, does it start to become compelling.

It is a six-episode Swedish drama that tells a mysterious and emotional story. It begins in 1984 when young Vera sees her mother die by suicide. Years later, Vera is a grief counsellor still haunted by her past. A man named Isak visits her and talks about his adoption and the disappearance of a friend from childhood. Vera starts to wonder if Isak could actually be her missing brother, Billy. She returns to her hometown with him to try and uncover the truth.

The story switches between the present and the past, and this format works really well. The young actress playing Vera in flashbacks is excellent. Julia Ragnarsson, who plays adult Vera, also gives a strong and believable performance. The mystery unfolds slowly, with many twists and surprises. True, one might still guess parts of the ending, but the truth was revealed in a smart and satisfying way.

There are still some flaws: some parts, like how easily people access the investigation or how slow they are to use DNA tests, seem unrealistic-especially in a country like Sweden. A couple of characters feel overplayed or unnecessary. Also, the main character's career choice feels a bit forced. But once the story gets going, it becomes more gripping and emotional.

The show's atmosphere is beautiful, especially the flashback scenes of 1980s summer. It doesn't waste time with side plots or modern "woke" themes. It sticks to the mystery, which makes it more focused and enjoyable.

Overall, this Series is a well-acted, well-written Nordic thriller. It has heart, mystery, and beautiful visuals. If you enjoy Scandinavian crime dramas, this is worth watching - particularly if you have already watched the "classics" starting from The Killing and The Bridge... 😊

Intially promising, good plot and well known actors. But unfortunately this production failed miserably. What exactly is wrong you might ask? It's a combination of several factors according to my opinion Firstly the character build up is not done right. The story it self is either unfolding too fast or too slow. The different scenes dont follow each other in a smooth way. They are kind of disconnected. Some of the supporting scenes that should tell a story behind each character are sometimes unnecessary or don't really make sense to the audience.

Main thing lacking is that this show fails in building up a suspense. I quickly became uninterested in what happens and didn't know what or who I was rooting for.

The acting is overall good, so is the script and how it's executed.

My guess to why it fails is the pre planning of this production, what scenes to shoot to tell the story and how to build suspense. Could the team be more used to typical drama and not crime/who dunit?

Ragnarsson was a great anchor for the whole season . Remember her original showing in the stellar " THE BRIDGE " ? It's disturbing in the sense that , there are several , interconnected strands that all contribute to the end game , within a relatively small community, over two generations . It begs the question , is this what rural living is actually like in Scandinavian culture ? Several Scandi Noir series have covered similar ground , or is it that original storylines are simply plagiarised infinitely ? There are a few characters within the plot that are superfluous and unnecessary which slows it down somewhat . Some of the hints are a touch strong , but ultimately the denouement is excellent. However , there is a rather glaring open end which can , in no way , be justification for a second series ?

I really enjoyed this. But that's not to say that I found it full of credibility. That a disbarred professional fighting to get her job back would do what Vera does is a step too far, especially in front of witnesses.

That apart, I enjoyed the present day and flashback format of the series. The person playing young Vera was excellent too.

The actor playing the putative adult Billy was less convincing although I'm going to put this down to bad directing. From episode five onwards, he'd obviously been told to look menacing and he did this by baring his teeth when smiling. It didn't work.

I didn't guess what had happened to Billy but I had realised what Tommy's fate was and who the perpetrator must have been.

In a highly regulated state like Sweden, it seemed odd to me how people's identities couldn't be established. Even odder, why not demand a DNA test immediately instead of acting on supposition and intuition?

I'm glad I saw this and it filled a few hours. It made my brain work and surprised me too.

Recommended.