User Reviews

One of the shows that is made to make you not stop watching, knows exactly at what moment to stop the episode to make you need to watch what happens next. there are very well produced investigation details and process done by the main characters, realistic and a little bit careless as to their own safety especially since they know they are or could be in danger hence the bad guys are one step ahead. the main evidence is the hands of a knife thrower and is traveling from south America to Sweden for at least two episodes. But then again it adds to the suspense. the plot is disturbing enough, no surprise from the vikings but also touching up on social issues in present Sweden. great mystery psychological suspense thriller where motive is a well kept secret only for the patient audience. season 2 is here. another well done series. can't stop watching. top notch quality.

"Springfloden" could have been close to a masterpiece, and up there among the best series productions in Swedish television crime. And Swedish crime is famous for making high quality. There are a few reasons for the series to fall through and ending up below average in the standards. First of all it's way too long, and may have been perfect with six, perhaps seven episodes. Early on I started to ask myself the reason for the big focus on the side stories added to the main story. If they intentional had more to do with the total picture, it could have been genius, but after a while it more and more seemed that they were put in at only to confuse or even work as a fill in the pie, perhaps to make the story longer. Dramaturgical there is no good reason for the makers to do it like this, other than to make it harder to figure out who the killer is. The actual killer enters the story early on, after putting the blame on somebody else, a little sympathetic character, who just was in the same area as where the murder took place. After this, the murderer totally disappears form the story, only to suddenly reenter in the last episode. In between this we are dragged along in a something becoming a confusing farce, where the side stories just end up getting boring, because they take too much focus and lack intention. The other main reason for it to be below average is that the acting is highly variable. There are some brilliant actors present but it seems like the director and even the best of them have had some days worse than others. Perhaps this also is a result of the production lasting too long, as the series itself, and that it also is a result of the writers doing a sloppy job with the dialogue. The ending and solution to all this also turns out to be too weak in one sense, too much in another. The rest - lightning, sound, music, makeup, a.s.o. Is very good. So, too bad with all the unnecessary fillers, or it could have been another top production.

'Springfloden' kept me glued to the screen till the very end. It has a great script, offering interesting topics alongside the main murder case that's being investigated. We witness a particularly horrible take on child abuse against young boys, as well as an equally grim crime wave against the homeless. It really makes one think about the glorification of violence in our societies. Especially since it's targeted at the weakest in society.

Besides the great script 'Springfloden' offers very good acting all over, a range of interesting characters and great photography. For the longest time I intended to give nine or even ten out of ten stars. So why 'only' eight? Because of the somewhat disappointing ending. No, I won't spoil it, but it felt a bit contrived, like a little trick a la Nelson from 'The Simpsons' shouting 'Ha-Ha' because you got it wrong. The reason why everyone will get it wrong is because there are no leads to the killer until the very end. At least in the main story, that is. The side stories, one about a dubious multinational, the other about the aforementioned violence against children and homeless, all work very well indeed. The 'private' bits between the investigators were also well written. You can feel it all leading up to something slow by slow, whilst several options are kept open. That's how it should be in a great crime story. Whereas, as said, the wrap- up of the main story is a bit of a let down, especially since the rest is so very good.

It's well worth watching though, there's certainly plenty to enjoy.

We watched this one straight after the disappointing "Karppi" and it's of a whole other caliber. First of all, here's a plot that unfolds slowly and realistically. There are two sub-plots, one of which serves as a red herring, the other to bring the antagonist to the main character into life. All three stories develop in parallel and have only a few junctions, none of which you need any suspension of disbelief for. This leads to a very thorough character development with some amazing acting performances, notably by Kjell Bergvist.

I withdraw one star for the final twist which was as needless as it was chronologically impossible.

Series 2 brings about more credible storylines, equally unfolding slowly, allowing for even more interesting characters, with notable acting this time by Saga Samuelsson. I'm sorry for talking in review clichés but I don't want to spoil anything. Well written, well shot, well acted, well directed ... with a few unforgettable side shows coming from Minken, Rune Forss and Märten.

(Review based on watching the whole of the first season.)

A young woman studying criminology is assigned a cold case of considerable grimness, to wit the unsolved murder of a highly pregnant woman. It's the same murder that preoccupied her late father, a policeman, to the point of obsession. She's supposed to study the case rather than solve it, but gradually she gets drawn into the mystery, trying to find her way through a maze of clues and witnesses. Along the way she makes both friends and enemies...

Quite a good series, this, with a strong, clever plot and an interesting premise. The intrigue moves back and forth in time ; it also winds its way through at least three continents, touching upon a variety of topical questions such as Europe's continuing economic exploitation of Africa. In the final episode, when the identity of the murderer is revealed, the solution of the crime proves to be both unexpected and logical.

"Springfloden" also boasts a strong and independent heroine. When someone kills her beloved cat, as a warning to the curious, she makes her displeasure known by beating up the two people she deems responsible. In real life, this kind of attitude might lead to an early grave, but it's certainly a refreshing change of pace compared to the many bleating damsels who couldn't open a door without male help. Go, sister, go !

The series is pretty addictive stuff and only the sternest of souls will be able to resist the temptation to binge-watch.

I for one am looking out for season two (although I wouldn't cry upon discovering that the theme tune had been replaced).