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ARCTIC CIRCLE Season 5 TV Series Review

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– By Mark Glass –

We now return to Finland for the 5th season of Finnish TV’s “Arctic Circle,”with a season-long crime scenario challenging chief Nina (Iina Kuustoen) and her small Ivalo police force. They also handle their business in six efficient episodes, unlike the overlong first season’s ten. Well done, writers and producers!

For newcomers, Nina has worked her way up the ranks to chief in the first four seasons, while raising Venla (Venla Ronkainen) and, as of last year, her new infant, as a single mother. In many of these crime series, children of the protagonists tend to be a distraction or annoyance. But Venla, who has Downs Syndrome, has been a major asset in terms of both plot advancement and the series’ emotional depth. That continues to be the case in this year’s production.

For returning fans, the season offers a significant change of tone from last year’s creepy set of crimes. That one revolved around an approaching comet that a sect of religious fanatics believed to be the catalyst for the return of Jesus, compelling them to do a bunch of horrible things to make sure it happens. This time around, the focus is on technology and terrorism, which feeds into a significant real-life concern.

A group of hackers plants ransomware in the system of a conglomerate that controls Finland’s electrical grid. They are mostly Russians, some of whom are motivated by a huge payday; others by creating an opportunity for their homeland to make a move on Finland during a nationwide shutdown. The non-Russian among them, Vaga (Betadi Mandunga), has been foiled repeatedly by an anonymous super-hacker known as D-Time, who has protected many other companies and countries against such cyber-attacks. D-time is believed to Live in Finland which is why Vaga teamed up with the others to attack this target, hoping to force his nemesis into the open so he can kill the bastard (Vaga’s opinion, not mine).

The season’s events are triggered by a murder in Ivalo, putting the case on Nina’s desk. She’s also greeted with the unpleasant surprise of her baby daddy, Toni (Mikko Nousiainen), suddenly changing careers and joining her force as a trainee. Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing, as far as she’s concerned. When the cyber-attack occurs, that brings in another set of cops who specialize in those crimes. It also puts Nina at odds with them, since their missions overlap, but differ, and in some ways, pull in opposite directions.

The season is replete with conflicts and secrecy, creating high levels of dramatic tension and suspense that keep building to a thrilling conclusion in Episode 6. This might be my favorite season of the quintet. Although the cases are closed, they end with a significant open question about the future that calls for a sixth season to follow. Don’t let us down, Finland!

“Arctic Circle” Season 5, mostly in Finnish with English subtitles, debuts streaming on MHz Choice on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

A scene from the Finnish TV series ARCTIC CIRCLE Season 5. Courtesy of MHz Choice

Arctic Circle – TV Series Review

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Lina Kuustonen as small town cop Nina in the Finnish TV series “Arctic Circle” (“Ivalo”), streaming on Topic. Courtesy of Topic

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