By far superior to any American series out there. I have all but given up on watching most anything domestically produced due to the lack of character building, plot, and atmosphere. It's all good looks & money generation. Here we have a Russian/Ukraine series that reminds me a bit of The Killing, though stands apart proudly! The atmosphere is bleakly Russian, emitting the sad, poverty stricken starkness that seems to permeate post Soviet towns. Perfect gloomy atmosphere for a tense plot of kidnapped children, their tortured parents, & a struggling police department. There is subtlety in symbolism, the moral vs. amoral, and courage vs. cowardice. No spoilers here! It IS emotional and dark in it's subject matter. Life is real and definitely painful for these characters.
The two investigators fight personal issues, which normally get in the way of a good show by stealing time from the actual crimes, but not so! Their personal challenges integrate seamlessly, almost beautifully, within the case of the kidnapped kids and practically every character in the show is effected by the blowback of the investigators' pasts. In fact, these factors hint at a second season!! Please, please let their be another...there is so much more to answer and work with for a successful 2nd season!
All said and done, those with a soft spot for Russian lit., culture, film, or basically anything of quality on T.V., give it a whirl. Patience is a virtue.
The two investigators fight personal issues, which normally get in the way of a good show by stealing time from the actual crimes, but not so! Their personal challenges integrate seamlessly, almost beautifully, within the case of the kidnapped kids and practically every character in the show is effected by the blowback of the investigators' pasts. In fact, these factors hint at a second season!! Please, please let their be another...there is so much more to answer and work with for a successful 2nd season!
All said and done, those with a soft spot for Russian lit., culture, film, or basically anything of quality on T.V., give it a whirl. Patience is a virtue.