Sötét fény

Before the first episode, I was sure my final rating would be high, as is usually the case with Scandinavian crime series. I was in for quite a surprise (an unpleasant one). I don't want to blame it all on the French, but I really think they had a major share in that. It took me a while to realize that the main focus was not on the investigation, but the coexistence of various different cultures (preferably all of them) in Europe. The creators were constantly trying to evoke an incredibly mysterious atmosphere and the result was that it had no atmosphere at all. I was quite annoyed by the constant flashbacks to Kahina's past and the endless supply of surprising results of the investigation. No, this series didn't work for me, and I do have The Bridge in my top ten favorites. (2018.08.04)

What a surprise. I love Nordic shows, so I rarely rate them below four stars, but here I'm not so sure. The strong atmosphere that typically draws me into Nordic crime dramas was missing. I suspect the French co-production might be the reason. Even Peter Stormare, whom I usually adore, didn't quite convince me. Let's see how it goes from here. (2018.08.03)

Unfortunately, things didn't improve. The body count keeps rising, but the investigation is being handled unbelievably stupidly. If I didn't know the story was set in Sweden, I'd guess it was taking place in some banana republic. The main heroine is going through an internal conflict, but it leaves me completely indifferent. If the creators were trying to add depth to her character this way, it didn't work for me. (2018.08.03)

I gave the third episode a star because it finally explained why I don't like this Nordic crime drama. It's really a French-Swedish take on themes of tolerance, idealism, and global harmony. While I was somewhat interested in the relationships between Swedes and the Sami, the obligatory homosexual subplot and the Thai woman convinced me that the writer might have been on something. The episode's ending felt like a really bad joke. (2018.08.03)

I still feel like I'm watching a parody of a crime drama. With each new idea from the writers, things just get worse. The creators keep trying to infuse every scene with a sense of mystery, but it just ends up feeling silly. And when they're out of ideas, they throw in a government conspiracy for extra flair. By the way, the son might make a better detective than his mother — he tracked her down all the way from Paris. (2018.08.03)

I actually had a good laugh. Kahina Zadi got another beating, reminding me of the hunter from that bear joke, making me want to ask, "Kahina, you didn’t actually come here to catch the killer, did you?" Along with the amateur police work, there was an overly long, sentimental story about early motherhood. Overall, I was far from satisfied. (2018.08.04)

Alright, hats off to the writer for this one. Evelina commits suicide, and after her death, it's revealed she was pregnant. Fine. But now we suddenly learn her body was never found, so how was her pregnancy determined? By a psychic? The fantastic hospital in Lebanon was amusing too. (2018.08.04)

The seventh episode was more watchable and could have been even better without those lame clichés. The waterfall was fine the whole time, but as soon as something was found underneath it, the cliff suddenly threatened to collapse. Seriously? Another "brilliant" twist was the sneaky French trying to offload their uranium on whoever they could. (2018.08.04)

The final episode was packed with dramatic moments, and if I actually cared about the characters, I might have bitten my nails off. But the creators spent the entire series making sure I stayed detached from the story, so congrats to them — they succeeded. The highlight for me was the dramatic pause before the dispatcher, with a face showing budding despair, announced that all the pumps were off. Who could've seen that coming? (2018.08.04)