Trom

Scandi-noir has become fairly ubiquitous across the English speaking world in recent years: we've seen dramas set in Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Iceland, and now, 'Trom' visits perhaps the most remarkable Scandinavian landscape of them all, the Faroe Islands. And it's not a bad drama either, albeit not an especially radical one, with its story of political activism, a dodgy businesman, police politcs and strained family ties. What'a a bit odd, however, is that series one feels more like half a series: it ends, not only with a cliff-hanger, but all the wider whys still not cleaned up. A second series is merited; and will hopefully manage to complete the story.

Perfectly decent Scandi detective series set against a stunning backdrop in the Faroes but turns into a very formulaic type of a show . The characters and their relationships begin to develop but never really get there and it is only through their on screen actions that you really get to know them as people . It is in no sense a slow-burner and except for one very well signposted twist ( slight turn ) the plot has few surprises . The Faroes' fishing traditions are skirted around and touched upon but then just peters out . I have to admit that I took huge exception to the trite , predictable and poorly done finale ! If ever an ending was written with a second series in mind then this was it and I would not be rushing to commission said second series.

The scenery is breathtaking for the most part. The plot is lame & has been done many times over - big man who controls too much, a police officer who is economical with the truth & has a son to protect & investigative journalists, one of whom gets killed etc etc. Plot is probably worth 5/10 maybe, local actors 5.5, main cast saves acting overall, so 6.5 - 7/10. Ending sets up for season 2 if it gets made.

Sadly, the early episodes offered nothing new in the world of Nordic Noir and at times, the drama moved along soporifically, harboring only a modicum of intrigue and suspense.

Thankfully, my lasting impression was improved by the beautiful Faroese scenery and an energetic and well constructed final episode. Yet there is no mistaking that the production was, on the whole, too derivative and a little bland.

Were the makers' unresolved cliffhangers potent enough to make me watch a second season? I'm undecided. - 7.5/10.

This is another take on having scenery as a main 'character' of the storytelling instead of the actual crimes and cases. The only outstanding acting came from the junior female officer who seemed to be the only one who did the actual investigating using her brain. The other characters were fairly unrealistic and disappointing in their roles here. The writing wasn't really up to the level of some other Scandinavian shows of the recent past. Most off-putting for me is the fact that the Faroe Islands still hunt whales. There was no indication this is a necessary activity for keeping people alive or employed, so I put it in the 'propaganda' category. The most interesting aspect was that many buildings have grass roofs and that there are anti-whaling protests going on. But this series is just too thin to sustain much loyalty for another season.