We're off to an atmospheric start with the romatically rugged opening song "Vor í Vaglaskógi" (Spring in Vaglaskogur), a reference to Iceland's birch-filled second-largest forest. It's a hint that nature will play a powerful role in this series.
As the motorcycle of young Dagný (Rán ísold Eisteinsdóttir) and Hjörtur (Baltasar Breki Samper) winds toward a squatters rendez-vous spot in a remote warehouse, almost immediately we confront that grim truth about life -- without warning, tragedy can descend at any moment. Who set that devastating blaze, or, how did it begin?
Next, we're seven years into the future, and Dagný has become a memory, her portrait perched on a wall at her grandparents' home. Rural police chief Andri ólafsson (ólafur Darri ólafsson) has dropped by to do his laundry, and learns that his estranged wife is set to visit with her new boyfriend. Clearly, the big guy isn't past her.
I am a lover of Iceland, visiting every winter while the elements are at their fiercest. As an American in a time of COVID, I'm still barred from returning, so I am re-viewing this series for an armchair journey. Here's my chance to return to an exquisitely cast ensemble of actors, an intriguing detective investigation, and a dazzling exchange between geography and weather.
The series was filmed in Siglofjörður, Iceland's jewel-like, northernmost town. Scenes of snow-whipped homes, nestled below a latticework of avalanche barriers, really draw us in. I enjoyed my short stay in Siglo this past January, and I'm delighted the series is returning me there. (Note that the majestic ferry Norrena, which travels to and from Denmark, in reality doesn't visit Siglo, but rather eastern Iceland's Seyðisfjörður harbor).
The present crime story begins as a torso bearing stab wounds is pulled from arctic waters. All over the probe are Andri, policewoman Hinríka (Ilmur Kristjánsdóttir), and cop ásgeir (Ingvar Sigurdsson). All do well from the start, along with Danish ferry captain Soren Carlsen (Bjarne Henrikson), who bears a whiff of the sinister. In Carlsen we sense a bit of the edge left from Denmark's centuries-long domination of Iceland; Carlsen isn't about to be bossed by Andri. Brrr! What's he hiding? It's also a surprise to re-encounter Hjörtur, whom we find sorting knives in his job in the ferry kitchen. What are we to make of this doe-eyed young man? We don't know whether to trust him.
This excellently crafted opening episode draws one in magnificently, even on a second viewing. How lovely to be back!
CODA: Murder is rare in Iceland, so the case draws interest from police higher-ups in Reykjavik. But they can't get to Siglo as quickly as planned, because the strengthening storm has cancelled their flight. What a dose of reality! This has happened to me many times as I have tried to reach such northern outposts as ísafjörður.
As the motorcycle of young Dagný (Rán ísold Eisteinsdóttir) and Hjörtur (Baltasar Breki Samper) winds toward a squatters rendez-vous spot in a remote warehouse, almost immediately we confront that grim truth about life -- without warning, tragedy can descend at any moment. Who set that devastating blaze, or, how did it begin?
Next, we're seven years into the future, and Dagný has become a memory, her portrait perched on a wall at her grandparents' home. Rural police chief Andri ólafsson (ólafur Darri ólafsson) has dropped by to do his laundry, and learns that his estranged wife is set to visit with her new boyfriend. Clearly, the big guy isn't past her.
I am a lover of Iceland, visiting every winter while the elements are at their fiercest. As an American in a time of COVID, I'm still barred from returning, so I am re-viewing this series for an armchair journey. Here's my chance to return to an exquisitely cast ensemble of actors, an intriguing detective investigation, and a dazzling exchange between geography and weather.
The series was filmed in Siglofjörður, Iceland's jewel-like, northernmost town. Scenes of snow-whipped homes, nestled below a latticework of avalanche barriers, really draw us in. I enjoyed my short stay in Siglo this past January, and I'm delighted the series is returning me there. (Note that the majestic ferry Norrena, which travels to and from Denmark, in reality doesn't visit Siglo, but rather eastern Iceland's Seyðisfjörður harbor).
The present crime story begins as a torso bearing stab wounds is pulled from arctic waters. All over the probe are Andri, policewoman Hinríka (Ilmur Kristjánsdóttir), and cop ásgeir (Ingvar Sigurdsson). All do well from the start, along with Danish ferry captain Soren Carlsen (Bjarne Henrikson), who bears a whiff of the sinister. In Carlsen we sense a bit of the edge left from Denmark's centuries-long domination of Iceland; Carlsen isn't about to be bossed by Andri. Brrr! What's he hiding? It's also a surprise to re-encounter Hjörtur, whom we find sorting knives in his job in the ferry kitchen. What are we to make of this doe-eyed young man? We don't know whether to trust him.
This excellently crafted opening episode draws one in magnificently, even on a second viewing. How lovely to be back!
CODA: Murder is rare in Iceland, so the case draws interest from police higher-ups in Reykjavik. But they can't get to Siglo as quickly as planned, because the strengthening storm has cancelled their flight. What a dose of reality! This has happened to me many times as I have tried to reach such northern outposts as ísafjörður.