Arctic Circle – TV Series Review

The first season of the Finnish crime procedural “Arctic Circle” (original title: “Ivalo”) has been streaming in the U.S. for a while, but I just watched it now as prep for covering Season Two. That’s fortunate. The first year introduced us to a fine protagonist in small-town cop Nina (Lina Kuustonen) who finds the remains of a hooker in her snow-covered Lapland area near Finland’s Russian border. The murder victim’s body leads to discovery of a sex trafficking ring, further complicated by a lethal, sexually-transmitted virus that threatens to spread to pandemic level. Many elements of intrigue ebb and flow for 10 episodes, embracing a number of issues that will seem even more relevant post-Covid than when originally aired in 2018, including an all-too-analogous conflict between governmental and medical priorities.

The execution of that debut year, alas, is not as compelling as this recap reads. The entire plot, including all needed personal relationship arcs, could have made a taut, suspenseful binge, if trimmed to six or seven installments. Despite Nina’s evoking all the empathy one hopes to develop with any protagonist, it felt like a slog to follow her through all 10. But since a number of the cast and story arcs carry over into the vastly superior second season, the time turned out to be justified. Season One was helpful, though perhaps not essential, to full engagement in Nina’s newly-released Round Two. This season is shortened to six more tightly-scripted episodes for a much better viewing experience.

Again, the season covers one major crime. Nina has been promoted to a higher-level police unit, more befitting her previously-underutilized skills. This one starts with an old, high-profile murder that resurfaces in the public eye, leading to a much broader criminal enterprise, again spanning both sides of the Finnish-Russian border. That premise allows for considerably more action and suspense than contained in the first. In both seasons, Nina’s complicated relationships with her mother, daughter and sister (plus a few others) deepen the viewers’ emotional connection to the proceedings. Surprisingly, and commendably, they manage to deliver more depth with those characters – especially her daughter (Venla Ronkainen) – in fewer episodes, while also featuring a more intense main plot line.

Those who have already seen Season One, and found it similarly tedious, shouldn’t assume more of the same lies ahead. Your patience will be rewarded by this  tighter, more satisfying journey with Officer Nina that bodes well for the possibility of further outings to come.

“Arctic Circle,” in mostly Finnish with English subtitles, is available streaming on Topic starting on Mar. 17.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars