Case
Season 1 – 9 Episodes of approx.. 55 minutes each
1 out of 5 paws
Set in Reykjavik, Case follows the events that ensue after a young talented ballerina is found hanged on the National Theatre's main stage. Her foster parents and birth parents are not convinced that this is a suicide and they get two lawyers and a detective to investigate the case further. Struggling alcoholic lawyer Logi is motivated to uncover the truth in an attempt to redeem his reputation, while his friend Brynhildur reveals a personal affiliation with the victim's family. Elsewhere, detective Gabriela defies authority on her mission to find the killer. Case deals with unpleasant scenes regarding physical abuse, drug use, prostitution, pimps, and pedophiles. I found the series to be painful to watch – the acting was forced and stilted, too many holes in the plot that didn’t add up, and thoroughly unlikeable characters – I believe the only one I liked was the detective Gabriela. Totally unbelievable – I mean we are talking about a country where the murder rate is 0.6 murders per 100,000 (population Iceland approx. 325,000) and the first (and last) time that the police shot anyone was back in 2013. I tried to like it, but came away totally disillusioned with the Icelandic film industry. Luckily ‘Trapped’ more than made up for ‘Case’s deficiencies
Katla
Season 1 (2021) – 8 Episodes of approx. 45 minutes each
4 out of 5 paws
‘Katla’ is Netflix’s new Icelandic series that is dark, gloomy, depressing, and has a little sci-fi thrown in for good measure. When the series opens, Katla – a subglacial volcano near Vik, the southernmost village in Iceland - has been constantly erupting for a year. The village is nearly deserted due to poisonous gases and large amounts of ash. The people that have remained need a special permit to remain. This includes Grima – whose sister disappeared a year ago; her father Thor – whose wife committed suicide twenty years ago; Gisli, the local chief of police – whose wife has terminal cancer; and Darri – a scientist exploring Katla who is in the process of a divorce from his wife Rakel – their nine-year-old psychopathic son died three years ago. This is not the first time Katla has erupted – and over the centuries strange events seem to occur about a year after the initial eruption. And this time it’s no different – a naked woman covered in ash and soot – emerges from Katla. She may or may not be a young woman who worked in the local hotel twenty years ago. And she knows Thor – and he knows her – but she is still young, and Thor is twenty years older. ‘Katla’ is a slow burn series – events and secrets are slowly disclosed until the last episode when everything is revealed. … And every episode ends on a cliff hanger so that you have to watch the next one in order to determine what’s happening. The cinematography is excellent (Vik is one of the most visited villages in Iceland and the surrounding mountains and glaciers are outstanding), the acting solid – but I found it to be very depressing and not leaving much hope for the future.
The Valhalla Murders
Season 1 (2020) – 8 Episodes of approx. 48 minutes each
4 out of 5 paws
What starts off as a routine murder investigation turns out to be anything but. A man speaking on a telephone in Reykjavik harbour turns to see who is approaching him. He’s brutally murdered by being stabbed about 14 times and has his eyes slashed across. A real estate mogul hears a sound in his house late at night and goes to investigate. He is also brutally murdered and has his eyes slashed. An old lady, in a small remote village, goes missing for days before turning up murdered – her eyes slashed across. Kata, a middle-aged female detective is assigned to the case. Successful at her job, she expects to be named head of the Reykjavik CID department – but is passed over by her boss, Magnus, who appoints a relative unknown, Karla, to head the department. As the murders become more involved, and more pressure comes upon the police department to solve the killings, Magnus brings Arne, a Norwegian detective, in to help Kata solve the murders. Kata has her own personal issues – her son Kari is involved in a possible gang-rape. Arne, who was originally from Iceland, hates his father – but agrees to help on the case as Magnus was his foster father years before. As the investigation proceeds, a horrific story of abuse unfolds at a former boys detention center – Valhalla. Kata and Arne uncover political intrigue, murder, and abuse that goes back almost thirty years. The series culminates in an exciting last episode where old secrets are unearthed and politicos unmasked – will Kata and Arne survive? I loved this show - it started off slow, but the acting was excellent and the scenes of Iceland and Reykjavik spectacular. It's amazing that such a small country like Iceland (population 350000) can turn out such excellent series such as The Valhalla Murders and Trapped
Trapped
Season 1 – 10 Episodes of approx. 50 minutes each
4 out of 5 paws
Season 2 – 10 Episodes of approx. 50 minutes each
Season 3 - TBA
In a fjord near a small Icelandic town, a ferry arrives from Denmark with 300 passengers -- but they can’t leave. A storm overhead and a treacherous blizzard prevent the ferry and the townspeople from leaving the remote area. The roads to the outside are blocked and aircraft are unable to fly in or out. When a dismembered, mutilated body washes up onshore, the local police realize a murder has taken place just hours earlier. Everybody trapped in the town and on the ferry immediately becomes potential suspects and chaos descends as the local police (all 3 of them – Andri, Henrika, and Asgeir) try to find the killer. Andri has his own problems – recently moved back to town from Reykjavik to be with his daughters and their grand parents – his estranged wife Agnes is in town with her boyfriend. Agnes’ sister Dagny died in a fire 7 years before the story opens, and her boyfriend Hjortur survived. This crime drama follows the police department as they try to uncover a mystery against the elements. As the investigation continues, all the dark stories of the town start resurfacing – is the current murder connected? Is the murderer from the town or the ferry? An excellent plot, brilliantly acted, cliff hangers at the end of every episode – Trapped is a pleasure to watch. Trapped was the most expensive tv series ever developed in Iceland – it debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2015. A second series was completed with the same actors and debuted on Netflix in early 2019. A third series has started filming and should be on Netflix in 2020.