Reviews

It's got an overall 8/10 and it attracts an audience like me, people who want to watch good things on tv. And yet this series wasn't that good...

It was alright to pass the time, however it was cringey and most of the characters were extremely annoying... I stopped watching at some point when I got really tired of it. Then when it was cancelled I watched the last seasons cringing all the way, fast forwarding a lot! It was a waste of time, I know I write this a lot in some of my reviews these days. I'm just trying to prevent other people from wasting their time with garbage like this.

The way it enden is obvious it was cancelled and the big question is, why wasn't it cancelled earlier?!? Or maybe they could've given it an ending to see what happened in those people's lives (although I doubt it that I'd care to the least how their lives would become).

I don't really understand the low rating on this one. For a large part, ratings on IMDb are accurate unless they're horribly wrong! THIS is one case. The story is sweet and the characters are very likeable. I had a pleasant time watching it completely without cringing once! Good storyline with plot-twist and surprises.

Most holiday rom-coms are so pretentious it's sickening. This wasn't a holiday film per se but I did watch it around the holidays and it felt like a relief from all that other stuff that focuses mostly around the celebration of Christmas.

Yes it's predictable yet it isn't since there isn't anything to predict, we know from the start the two characters will end up together. However, for a Netflix film, it was pretty good. I wonder what are people expecting. There is an abundance of films and series nowadays that unfortunately smother the good things and this film is one example. People consider it to be so "average" and that pushes the overall rating down.

What a refreshing thing it is to find something to watch that hasn't been done or said a thousand times before!!

I've been living in Sweden for 12 years and I'm fluent in Swedish. Norwegian and Swedish are very similar languages, however I need the subtitles because I can't understand everything. I guess non-Scandinavians wouldn't really understand the difference but in the series the Norwegian people spoke Norwegian, the Swedes spoke Swedish and the Danish spoke Danish and that's how it is in reality, the people understand each other. I had the subtitles in Swedish but when the Swedes spoke Swedish it didn't transcript and the thing is they speak really fast, especially on tv and I still need the subtitles! In season 2 there were subtitles throughout thankfully.

It was really funny to realise how the two languages are almost like dialects of each other. Not only that, the story was current, original and heartwarming and the protagonist is a very likeable and relatable character. Some characters were really funny too! I got some loud laughs out as well and an overall feeling of happiness afterwards thus the high score.

If you need a pick me up around Christmas time, watch this series (preferably as is, with subtitles) and then watch Julstormen, also a Norwegian mini series in which you'll recognise a rather few actors from this series into that one too.

Not your usual predictable storyline with immaculately made up characters that eventually live happily ever after.

I like mini-series because of the prospect of telling a story within a few episodes. And the stories are usually really good and meaningful. This particular story was too long for a 2h film so the choice to make it into a mini-series suited it perfectly.

The characters are complex and relatable, there are so many so one can definitely find at least one to relate to somehow and that makes it more interesting.

I loved the variety of languages too. Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Spanish and some English here and there. Most of the story takes place at Gardermoen Airport in Oslo so the multitude of languages is refreshing.

The only reason I won't give it a 10 is the ending. Some of the stories wrapped up beautifully like the Spanish mum with her son and the pianist, the bartender finding his daughter, the Swede with the dog and the bitter Grinch-like Swedish woman showing her humane side. I was also touched by the man who was travelling to Malaga and his story.

Lastly, if you're feeling down (like I did) because of the darkness and the cold of winter, watch this and you will definitely feel good afterwards!

Original review: So I had my doubts about this show but here I am on season 2 already and I'm trying not to quit on it. It's cheesy and predictable, the acting is average and it feels like I've watched this story before. And you know what, I have. It is reminiscent of a lot of series and there is nothing original about it. The relationships, the intrigues and the drama feel a little old and the fact that everyone (especially the female actors) are all dolled up all the time, even when they're supposed to be suffering from postpartum depression, is just wrong. Not to mention the unoriginality of the whole thing being filmed in Canada and yet it's supposed to be California... Here's a thought: why don't you make a show about a Canadian town and the people there? That would actually be a bit more interesting. (See Workin' Moms)

One would wonder why I keep watching. Well, I have Netflix on as a background while I do chores and it doesn't really matter much what is happening in the show. I can't sympathise with the characters, none of them is even close to relatable. It's surprising that this show was renewed when others got cancelled... Really curious to what else the story has to offer. There is bound to be some more drama with the illegal growers and the fugitive woman and the horny teenagers. The pregnancy with the twins is also going to bring a bunch of drama. But I'm honestly very close to stop watching. As soon as I find a better show to spend my time on.

So if you've watched Dawson's Creek, Everwood, Gilmore Girls and a bunch of other similar series to those, don't waste your time on this. Watch something else instead.

Edit after watching a bit of season 3: This is one of the WORST series in the history of television.... I just had the laptop in the bathroom while I washed my hair so I didn't have to suffer through it... This is probably it for me. Changed my rating from a 6 to a 5 but no. I think it's going to be a 4. What a waste of time... Watch Six feet under instead! Now there's a series!

First half was good, like the first 4-5 episodes. Made me think a lot of how everyday struggles can lead people in doing stupid things. I even started relating to the characters. When for example one gets into a situation that generates a kind of rivalry aka beef with a total stranger. Most of us get past it after a while, but not these characters. They had to make a series you know. That's where I get the over-dramatisation.

The other half got REALLY WEIRD... It escalated to a point of no return which made me wish there was an end. Thankfully it was "only" ten episodes but to be honest I struggled through the last three... I really hope they don't make more seasons, what is there left to say or do?! I see now they changed the open date to just 2023 so hopefully Netflix will embark into making something new instead of continuing with this storyline which got tiring pretty fast...

The only reason the series doesn't get a 10 from me is dragging Elizabeth's story as well as her involvement with Ressler after them being friends. Those two characters had no chemistry whatsoever! What is it with some of these series that want to add sex everywhere? Can't some of the characters just be genuine friends? Season 8 was pretty bad too so that affected my rating too.

Additionally, the fact that they waited 8 seasons to kind-of-reveal Reddington's real identity. And unfortunately the way they did it confused a lot of people and a lot of them didn't really get it... That might be why the show doesn't have a higher rating I think.

The brilliant James Spader though gets a 10/10 as Raymond Reddington! Genius portrayal of a villain that the audience grew to sympathise with and love, leaving us heartbroken in the end when the show ended. I'll really miss this show!

I never write reviews but after this atrocity I can't help it... I know I'm not the only one, I've read the other reviews and know that objectively the show's quality has been declining since they killed off Melendez. The pandemic episodes were also cringe-worthy... Then Claire was gone... Then that Salen character ruined anything good that was left of it! What a disappointment! I agree with a previous person who wrote they should cancel the show. But as I've seen it's already been renewed for a 7th(!) season.... So why do I keep watching one would wonder. I wonder the same thing every time I start an episode and end up fast forwarding the scenes with Shaun and Lea's sex life or their wedding or when they fight or when Lea has a rant... This episode was by far the worst so far! And if I've learned anything while watching this, I know there probably will be more bad episodes even ones worse than this one.

While watching this episode all I could think of was how the plot reminded of a Rammstein song called Stein um Stein (Stone by stone). The song roughly talks about a sociopath who builds a house without windows or doors for his victim(s) so that no one can hear them scream (much like the villain of this episode). So when he puts that last stone in the wall, when his victims have given up and are left to die, it's all very familiar to that song. "Yes, I'll make you a home / And you should be part of the whole" says the song "Stone by stone I wall you in".

The song might not exactly have been about murder rather abuse and feeling imprisoned, however the lyrics were playing in my head throughout the entire episode. It is one of the most disturbing episodes of the series so far and I'm glad it had a relatively happy ending. A least they could save one.