User Reviews

In this second episode of "Trapped," the veneer of civilization seems to be eroding in the small Icelandic community of Logregan. A brief summation of this episode would be as follows: everything that CAN go wrong DOES go wrong! There is also a proclivity for voyeurism in this town with a man with a telescope observing neighbors and the latest gossip appearing on Twitter.

A new political dimension is introduced in the town council's plan to capitulate to the business interests of China in selling choice plots of their land, turning it over as a depot for Chinese sea traffic. But there is one old-timer who resists the plan and vows to stand firm.

The vicious Lithuanian criminal dealing in human trafficking is apprehended by Andri. The two Nigerian girls who were his captives are taken in one of the kind police officers to live in her home. The Logregan prison cell has no toilet, and when the criminal is being escorted to the facility, he gets the drop on the local police officer and makes his escape. But, as yet, there is no evidence linking the human trafficker to the murder.

In the meantime, the prodigal son, Hjortur Stefansson, has returned home. This was the young man wielding the knife on the ferry while working in the kitchen. He also got into a fight while the vessel was en route. Additionally, he was allegedly involved in an arson case in Spain. Andri's father-in-law believes that Hjortur was a "monster," who was responsible for starting the fire that took the life of his beloved daughter. Hjortur breaks into the factory and photographs the cadaver being held in storage in the locker, then, apparently, absconds with the primary piece of evidence in the murder case: the frozen torso.

There is also a problematic child in this drama, who is the youngest daughter of Andri and Agnes. The cruel little girl brutally taunts and bullies her classmate. Then, she darts off into the snowstorm with the other girls seeking her. The frantic relatives then head out themselves into the storm.

Dedicated Siglo cops Andri and ásgeir chase and tackle the Lithuanian trafficker in a blizzard on the heath, and they lock the miserable thug up in jail.

Still, more seasoned law-enforcement pros in Reykjavík remain unable to fly north. (It was with pleasure I noticed that the capital police chief's right-hand-man, þór, is played by Jóel Sæmundsson, who truly shone in a, yes, superb Hallmark Channel film I saw earlier this year, "Love on Iceland." I hope this role is enlarged later in the series. He is a doll!)

We also get a glance at Hjörtur back in town, being stared down at the local convenience store and engaged in dour conversation with his mom. Hell, if Hjörtur's going to stick around, then he'll have to fork over rent, his mother tells him. We see that Hjörtur had left his bedroom a shrine to poor Dagný. Had he purposely set fire to the warehouse seven years earlier? "I don't know what to believe," his mother says, and the viewer agrees. As a mother of boys myself, I feel for Hjörtur's battle-weary parent. (In this episode we learn that Hjörtur indeed did time for arson.)

Along the way we get hints of why Andri and his lovely wife, Agnes, broke up. Perhaps he's too preoccupied with his work. Andri says he'll do things -- i.e., refurbish the family home post-divorce, and sell it -- but doesn't necessarily get around to accomplishing them.

Back at an under-construction hotel, local women are pitching in to keep stranded ferry riders dry and fed. We note a flirtatious, middle-aged woman in the mix. In this episode we also get a hint to the identity of the dead man.

Meanwhile, cop ásgeir gets humiliated by the trafficker, who flees into the night, and cutie-pie Maggi, visiting Andri's daughters, gets lost in the blizzard, only to be pursued by the girls, who also lose their way in the tempest. (Also disappeared is the corpse -- perhaps through Hjörtur's involvement. Andri et al show their small-town mentality by failing to keep the fish factory secured!)

This episode is full of interest, passion, and, best of all, overwhelming weather. I'm eager to re-view what happens next!