357. Web-series Reviews – 172

More web-series reviews…

Arctic Circle – Came out in 2018 and has 3 seasons.  Series from Finland.  Arctic Circle (aka Ivalo) is set in the unforgiving polar region, amidst the icy landscapes of Finnish Lapland. In season 1 Nina Kautsalo, a Finnish police officer, finds a dying prostitute in an old cabin in the wilderness, the ensuing criminal investigation takes a surprise twist when a deadly virus is discovered in her blood. Nina suddenly finds herself in the middle of an exceedingly unusual criminal investigation. In season 2 Nina joins a new police unit in order to solve the mystery of an international hunting society. It's tied to an old murder case, to which Nina has a surprising connection.

A review from IMDB...

I have to say that some of the plot lines are somewhat fantastical but I enjoyed them for all that. The acting was good and once more I am just so impressed at the proficiency of so many European actors in English. And a special mention, as so many others have done, for the young woman who played Venla so incredibly well.

The second season is freshest in my mind as I just saw it last week and I was left with an impression that the series was grappling with ethical and moral dilemmas as well as being a cop drama. The writers took the position that any form of vigilantism is completely wrong even if it were a considered, researched one. And extrapolating from the events in season two, that the death penalty is wrong if only for the fact that the executed person might be innocent.

Tension built as new revelations about the characters grew and explained their motivations. We also saw the very real difference between Finland, the supposedly least corrupt country in the world, and Russia where the authorities collude in lawlessness and corruption.

We also had human interest themes - the aforementioned Venla, infidelity and betrayal, the grisly fate of gays in Russia, relationships with parents.

I hope I'm not making this sound terribly worthy and boring as it isn't. Both seasons were fast paced and gripping.

My Take – Worth a watch. Saw 2 seasons.

 

Blue Lights – Season 2 came out in 2024.  Follows rookie police officers working in Belfast, a city in which being a frontline response cop comes with unique pressures and dangers.

A review from IMDB...

As soon as I started watching this show it's literally been all I've thought about I've just not been able to stop watching.

Season 2 is up there with the best drama out of any movie or series I've ever seen.

At no point in season 2 are you ever bored or calm it's constantly tense and a massive play on emotion. This is honestly the best programme I've seen in years. Every character is so perfectly written and each actor/actress deserves recognition. Hands down the best characters I've ever seen in the film and TV industry.

I haven't felt this way for a season since breaking bad season 5 which is the highest rated series ever.

Martin McCann especially deserves praise, in this series he was spectacular.

Series 1 was also amazing with Richard dormer playing a perfect role.

The final episode of series 1 is a masterpiece. The writers and directors of this series know how to make you addicted to this.

In my opinion an 8.1 is criminal for this series.

Would definitely recommend watching. The worst thing about this series is finishing it.

My Take – A must watch!

 

Them – 2 seasons so far.  A limited anthology series that explores terror in America. The first season, 1950s-set "Covenant" centers around a black family who move from North Carolina to an all-white Los Angeles neighborhood during the period known as The Great Migration. The family's idyllic home becomes ground-zero where malevolent forces, otherworldly, threaten to taunt, ravage and destroy them.

A review from IMDB...

Them (2021) is a series my fiancée and I wrapped up last weekend on Amazon Prime. The storyline takes place in the early 1950s as Los Angeles was really thriving and black Americans started moving to the predominantly white Compton. Unfortunately for one family the house they move into is both haunted and surrounded by racist white people, with problems of their own, that will stop at nothing to keep their area without diversity.

This series was created by Little Marvin (The Time is Now) and stars Deborah Ayorinde (Luke Cage), Ashley Thomas (The Night Of), Alison Pill (Goon), Shahadi White Joseph (Us), Ryan Kwanten (Dead Silence) and Pat Healy (The Innkeepers).

The storyline for this is absolutely amazing and was a perfect blend of The Shining and Poltergeist. The cinematography and how it was shot was beyond brilliant as was the woven in facts of American history. The acting was phenomenal. How they could weave in all the travesties of everything from losing a child, to the challenges of PTSD, to being sexually abused by your parents, to facing racism...I'm not sure too many shows or movies have ever covered these topics and the intensity that goes with it in your day to day life so well.

This series is remarkable and I couldn't score it anything but a 10/10. This is probably the best addition to the horror genre in 2021 and I think it will be hard for anything else to come close.

In the second season the racial theme continues but on a much less frustrating level, a more thoughtful manifestation of racism in the police force.

Without a doubt this season is of better quality, terrifying and very well done.

The acting is not the best I have seen at all, and the only actor who stands out is Luke James as Edmund Gaines, he builds the intensity with each episode. His performance stands out intensely above any of the superficial reactions throughout the series.

This season is visually really good and the use of the color red gives a more terrifying atmosphere to the images. Real quality in design and cinematography here.

Well, I think that the 2nd season offers a good combination of horror and essential themes, such as mental health. I recommend it without a doubt.

My Take – Worth a watch!

Cheers till next time😊!