The first episodes of The Darkness show a dark Iceland, in which Hulda gets stuck in the strange circumstances under which a Russian refugee died. A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to watch a screener of the first three episodes of The Darkness. It is a series based on the book of the same name by Ragnar Jónasson.
For Hulda (Lena Olin, Hunters (2020)) from the Reykjavik police, it is almost time for her to be forced into retirement. She and her husband Jón (Þorsteinn Bachmann, True Detective) have lost their daughter and the idea of being confronted with this in the peace that retirement brings is not exactly attractive, so she is not looking forward to having to call the police. to leave. This is also because she has difficulty with the way her colleagues perform their work. However, some of her colleagues seem to have fewer problems with her retiring.
No colorful images, just simplicity. Something that contributes to the atmosphere of the series, which in turn fits with the story being told.
If a collision is dismissed as an accident, she questions it. And when the body of a Russian woman is subsequently found in a glacier, Hulda insists that she be given the case, as her colleagues want to dismiss it as suicide as quickly as possible and she is convinced that there is more to it. She gets her way, but is forced to work with Lukas (Jack Bannon, Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman's Butler), who must take over her duties when she retires.
Hulda seems to get over being forced to work with Lukas quite quickly, but otherwise she is very conflicted with herself. Dealing with the loss of their daughter causes serious problems within her relationship and because things are not going well at work, the question is whether she can still trust her instincts and whether she will not go too far.
The Darkness is a series that, like Forbrydelsen, Bron/Broen and Modus, falls under the 'Nordic Noir' genre. And as we might expect with that genre, we see the dark and pale sides of Iceland. No colorful images, just simplicity. Something that contributes to the atmosphere of the series, which in turn fits with the story being told.
At times I was less enthusiastic about the acting and I wonder to what extent this is also due to the chosen spoken language. In the series, English is spoken, with a (generally) Icelandic or Scandinavian accent. Personally, I would have preferred if it had been spoken in Icelandic.
Nevertheless, I am curious about the further development of the story and I will certainly continue watching the season, which can now be seen on SkyShowtime.
