242. Web-series Reviews – 88

More web-series reviews…

Rebecka Martinsson – Swedish series!! Based on the novels by Åsa Larsson, Rebecka Martinsson is a workaholic lawyer in Stockholm when her past comes back to haunt her in a terrifying way. The death of a childhood friend prompts Rebecka to leaves her fast-track career behind and return to her home town in Kiruna where she is drawn into the hunt for the killer. Despite the life awaiting her in Stockholm, she can't tear herself away from the place she once abandoned, as she is forced to deal with the traumatic past that once caused her to flee. Soon the question is: where does Rebekah really belong?

One of the reviews from IMDB...

Watched both seasons. Loved them both. Rebecka Martinsson is a fine piece of Nordic Mystery Crime Drama with mild to interesting twists and turns which are complemented with very good acting, patient development of characters and their interactions together on a human scale. It is slow, it is deep and it is lovely. Probably, only lovers of the Scandinavian genre would love it.

(+) Very good acting by all the cast. Very natural and believable. Kudos to them.

(+) Rebecka Martinsson's character (season 1): Ida Engvoll did an amazing job. She was shiny like the sun, charismatic like an orchid, crazy like a volcano eruption and unstable like a rope-dancer on a 100 m rope. She was the right choice and not because she was there first; She personified the essence of the character in the most suitable and engaging way.

(+) Rebecka Martinsson's character (season 2): The beautiful and young-looking Sascha Zacharias is like the dull and depressed version of the season one's character. She struggles with her own demons and phobias, while at the same time having problems connecting with her entourage and "teammates". She is the Rainy version of the Bright original Rebecka. Loved her performance though. Two perfumes with two distinct fragrances and scents.

(+) Very beautiful filming, suspenseful & soothing soundtrack and attractive photography catching the Nordic harsh wilderness and pristine beauty.

(+) Very interesting storylines, deep at moments with nice and meticulous attention to the human factor.

(+) Definitely deserves seasons 3 and 4, with hopefully the return of the star. Ida Engvoll.

A highly recommended show, having its own qualities, to truly feel the marvelous job done by the Swedish writers and producers. Part of the Scandinavian (Nordic) community of gem Crime Mystery series.

My Take - a fairly good series.  Watchable.

Midnattssol (Midnight Sun) – Swedish-French police-procedural series!! Came out in 2017. Kahina Zadi, a French police officer, travels to Kiruna, a small mining community in remote northern Sweden, to investigate a brutal murder of a French citizen. With the help of Anders Harnesk, a Swedish DA and a member of the Sami, an ancient, mysterious indigenous tribe of Scandinavia, they are faced with new killings and the initial murder turns out to be the tip of the iceberg. Kahina and Anders come to realize that behind the killings is a ten-year-old secret conspiracy involving many of the town's inhabitants. Kahina finds herself confronting a ruthless serial killer, always one step ahead, a macabre plan, and her own painful past.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

I watch a ton of foreign murder series. All the "big" name ones, and tons of mediocre, not so great ones. Midnight Sun was gripping.

I enjoy when I watch a series and learn about other cultures at the same time. A big part of this story involved the "Sami" people. The Sami people (also Sámi or Saami, traditionally known in English as Lapps or Laplanders) are an indigenous Finno-Ugric people inhabiting the Arctic area of Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Kola Peninsula of Russia. ( hat tip to Wiki). The series has a mix of French, English and Swedish, so you do need subtitles. I enjoyed the mix.

I had never heard of these people, and it was interesting to do a little research and learn. I felt the actors were top notch. Some of these reviews complained when one of the policemen makes an early exit from the show. I was disappointed as well, but the other policemen grows on you. (Trying to avoid spoilers, so no names).

There are many layers that unfold as the story continues, and you are not sure what is going on exactly.

I enjoyed that. Also, there were some new and gruesome ways to murder people in this show. It is not the same old, that is for sure. This was not the usual dark setting of many Nordic series. The scenery is beautiful. It is always sunny. They are in the constant sunlight period of the region.

I enjoyed that this show was not depressing. Which is a surprise maybe since people do die in gruesome ways. Some of these tend to be so dark and sad with their main characters. These main characters had back stories, but were more hopeful in tone.

I find it refreshing to watch the slower pace and the use of silence to make a point, and punctuate moments. This tends to not be the way of American shows, that is for sure! I highly recommend this. It was done by the same writers who did "Swedish/Danish TV series Bron/Broen or The Bridge". which is amazing.

My Take - An ok series.  Watched about 5 episodes and then read the rest of the story in Wikipedia😊!!

 

Beyond Evil – Korean series! Came out in 2021.  Beyond Evil follows the story of two fearless men, Lee Dong-sik (Shin Ha-kyun) and Han Joo-won (Yeo Jin-goo), who break the law to catch a serial killer. In the course of uncovering the culprit's identity, they question the innocence of everyone involved in the case, including themselves. "Who is the Monster?" "Is it you?" "Is it me?" "Is it us?"

One of the reviews from IMDB

I don't know how to say this in the right words but this drama is a rare masterpiece and it would be a crime to miss it , first , the story, it is just beyond good the style is so cinematically deep ,dark and heart breaking in the most artistic way ever. The music, I actually consider it as one of the main characters in this drama because of how powerful and haunting the sound of it is and how it just makes the scene better if that is possible. And for the main dish (the acting) I am sure if Shin Hakyun was an American actor this guy would have made all the important awards easily his, one of the best character and acting I have seen in years, also Jin goo is doing a great job playing Han Juwon a character that I won't forget his gaze for a long time . And for last we have THE CHEMISTRY I swear I didn't witness a chemistry like that since long years ago like!! Dong Shik and Juwon can just exist in the same place and their chemistry would be a burning fire, surely the one how picked them together is a genius. To conclude it would be a shame if this drama didn't get the popularity it deserves because I have a good eye for this and I can say with confidence that we won't get anything like it for a long time so don't miss it.

My Take – An excellent series.  Worth a definite watch!

The Day – Belgium series!! Came out in 2018. The nerve-racking events of a cold winter's day, seen from two different perspectives. The odd episodes tell the story of a team of police negotiators and special forces who respond to a hostage crisis in a small bank branch. The even episodes tell exactly the same events, only through the eyes of the criminals inside and their victims.

One of the reviews from IMDB...

This series is more than just "good". It is, hands down, the most intelligent, original, suspenseful and exhilarating TV-format ever conceived in this small country. Every episode of "De Dag" was 60 minutes of adrenalin-rushing tension, plot twists, cliffhangers, stupendous dialogues and phenomenal performances.

"De Dag" is a brilliant concept thought up by Jonas Geirnaert and Julie Mahieu. The story deals with a seemingly old-fashioned bank heist and hostage situation, but really nothing is what it seems. The innovative aspect of "De Dag" lies in the narrative structure. Every episode is told twice, once from the "outside", with a massive police operation being set up to interact with the gangsters and resolve the hostage taking. There are negotiators, special intervention squads, bomb experts and hectic media circuses. The next episode always covers the same time span but seen from the "inside" via the hostage takers, the prisoners and their petrified families. The concept would normally lead to many continuity errors and repetitive sequences, but "De Dag" is so fantastically written that every cliffhanger or plot twists is followed by yet another and even more ingenious twist.

The series benefits from great performances from the all-star ensemble cast (all-star in Flanders, that is) and solid direction, but the truly praiseworthy quality of "De Dag" definitely remains the screenplay. The writing is near-flawless, with sublime tension building and character development. Not all plot twists are equally plausible, but there's nothing that a little bit suspension of disbelief can't solve. Marvelous series, not just mandatory viewing for all Belgians, but also highly recommended to seekers of superior thriller/actions series from all over the world!

My Take – Excellent Series.  Worth a definitive watch!

Cheers till next time😊!