I ended the last long weekend on a high note with The Archive 81 Netflix show (though its my least favourite genre) and for this week I came across a little-known Norwegian show from HBO Europe. It was a real miss from my end for not watching it earlier. It's filled with superb characters and the portrayal of their relationship is bizarre and funny in many ways. Its difficult not to hate few of them, but at the same time you will also fall in love with the way its been presented. Its a quality binge tragicomedy series.
The show focuses on the sleepy village of Utmark where you get a feel that nothing happens, but in reality every absurd thing you can think off happens in plain sight. Its a fascinating cocktail with plots themes ranging from ideologies, bullying, corruption, to violence in an interesting and a surprisingly humane connect way. With an excellent cinematography capturing rural marshland of Norway and BGM that resonates well with the characters awkward situation this is NORDIC noir at its best. Some of the episodes may seem to go in a predictable path with a slow paced approach but the creators flip things around quickly.
The show has quirky nature of Guy Richie characters and class of Coen brothers combined. Each and every character is created with purpose and stands out in their own way. The show gets darker as it progresses but the humor is maintained throughout. There are few eye opening scenes where we will be surprised to see how people accepted violence and how its treated as a norm. Its a solid recommendation from my end for this unique and authentic show. Its so rich and well written that i really wanted a Season 2.
Verdict - 4/5(Man plans and God laughs)