Season 1 – 11 Episodes approx. 50 minutes each
Season 2 – 10 Episodes approx.. 50 minutes each
Season 3 - TBA
5 out of 5 paws
Bordertown
Detective Kari Sorjonen has seen too much darkness—on multiple fronts. As a chief investigator for Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation, his job takes him inside the minds of the violent and depraved, and all too often he’s too late to save the innocents caught in the darkness’ path. In his personal life, he’s watched his wife battle brain cancer—a fight she won, but which has left Kari shaken. Deciding a change is needed, Sorjonen quits his job in Helsinki and moves his family back to Lappeenranta, the small town on the Russian border where his wife grew up. He's hoping to enjoy a simpler, slower pace of life with his wife and teenage daughter, but he soon finds that he has to investigate a string of murders that are not only connected to one another but also to his family. The series is set up as multiple stories lasting between 3 and 2 episodes each dealing with prostitution, drug rings, political corruption, and murder. Sorjonen comes across as an autistic savant, seeing clues and connections that don’t appear to be evident to his team and family. Bordertown is about a brilliant detective that has to not only deal with dark, twisted criminals but also with being a caring, understanding father and husband, who would like nothing better than to have a quiet meal with his family – which never seems to happen. Horrific crime and family life intertwine into well plotted episodes. I liked this show a lot – Ville Virtanen’s acting is outstanding, the cinematography is dark and brooding, and the plots – though a little weak at the beginning – get more and more intricate and engaging. Bordertown was a gigantic hit in Finland – when the first episode of season 2 started over a fifth of the Finnish population ( approx. 5 million) tuned in.
Season 1 – 12 Episodes approx. 48 minutes each – Finnish with English Subtitles
Season 2 - TBA
2 out of 5 paws
Deadwind
The Finnish thriller Deadwind follows Sofia Karppi, a no-nonsense female detective who uses work to escape from her own personal tragedy - the accidental death of her husband . On her first day back at work she is assigned a partner, an incompetent rookie detective named Sakari Nurmi whom she has no interest in babysitting. Together they have to uncover what really happened to Anna Bergdahl, a young woman whose body is found buried by a remote pier on the grounds of a new wind powered development. As Karppi and Nurmi become more and more involved in the case it becomes clear that their victim was connected to something far bigger and more nefarious than a single crazed killer. I was not a fan of this series – the plot has large holes and continuity issues, the acting is a little wooden, and the outcome predictable (and I’ve only watch half of the shows). I kept wanting to yell at the detectives “What is it that you don’t understand – even the moronic Nurmi should be able to figure it out”. But I’ll keep watching it – and I hear that season 2 is being filmed, so someone, somewhere must have enjoyed it.
Deadwind
Season 2 (2020) – 8 Episodes approx.. 44 minutes each
1 out of 5 paws
Season 2 opens with a suspected serial killer case – two men are found dead, both blindfolded and sporting identical tattoos linking them to the Estonian navy. Both men were involved in the construction of a tunnel between Helsinki and Tallinn – the pet project of Mayor Sara Tulisuo. The mayor is facing corruption charges as well as lack of support from city council for the project. Karppi and Nurmi (even though he retired at the end of last season due to cancer from radiation poisoning) are reunited in order to track down the possible serial killer. The case takes a personal turn for Karppi when her boss, Koskimaki, and his daughter are murdered. The series has way too many plots and sub-plots to be covered in eight episodes. Are the killings related to the project or are they drug-related? Why was Koskimaki’s daughter, Kerkku, murdered as well? How are all the deaths connected to the Meelika, a Baltic ferry, where clandestine meetings were held between the mayor and casino owners / investors? Why did Karppi get passed over for promotion? How did Karppi’s son, Emil, get headlice? How is her stepdaughter, Henna, involved in selling drugs and the murders? How can Nurmi, who has never piloted an aircraft before, able to fly a helicopter? How does three feet of snow, which appears in the first 6 episodes, suddenly disappear in the last two episodes? (granted, they say it’s a month later, but really??). All the answers come around in the last episode (kind of), but by that time does any body really care? The acting is wooden, the plots / subplots for the most part laughable, and although the cinematography is excellent, ‘Deadwind – Season 2’ is a complete loss. The ending suggests that there will be a Season 3, but I doubt very much that I will watch it.