Das Mädchen aus Oslo

There is a lot that is wrong with this series. The characters annoyed me. Especially the kidnapped daughter Pia and her pain in the butt mother. Maybe do yourself a favor and watch episodes 1 & 2 then reward time is due, skip to the last one episode 10.

This show is decent in terms of plot and acting, but it's basically B-Grade. A young Norwegian girl visiting Israel is captured by Isis along with her friends, an Israeli brother and sister. Her mother, who comes to find her, enlists the help of an unlikely ally, and dot dot dot....

There are some strong players in this show, along with good scenery and production, but it's very formulaic and the characters fall flat in large part because of the choice to make all the main players converse in English. It makes sense, since the Norwegian mother is fluent in the language and even participated in the Oslo talks, as did the main Israeli touch-point. The daughter who is kidnapped is fluent too. As is, apparently, the head of of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza. And a Palestinian doctor she befriended at the time.

But it doesn't work. Because the actors are not fluent, and that's fine, and should have stayed that way.

After a few episodes of this, I felt like I was was watching the SNL "Norwegian Playhouse" sketch. The mother tells someone her plan will pay off "Big Time." He replies "Don't Mess With Me" (OK I made up the second part, but it's basically apt). It ends up sounding ridiculous. The scenes with subtitles work much better, especially those that feature the hostages and their captors, all of which are sufficiently tense.

Anyway, this is a weird mash-up of Scandinoir and "Fauda." It's OK, but not great.

It has all the trimmings of an engaging political thriller with the powder keg that is the Middle East as backdrop. In fact, it harkens to the failed 1993 Oslo Accords. It is where the two protagonists Alex Bakke and Arif Shor meet for the first time.

Some viewers might consider the motivations of Alex for doing what she did as extreme, irresponsible or even implausible but we can suspend disbelief here and give her a pass considering that she's a desperate mother who only wants Pia to be rescued and be freed.

The directors are able to turn up the tension steadily as the story progresses. The viewer can appreciate the complicated situation faced by the protagonists although we glean that they, too, are practical individuals. The dynamics between Daesh and Hamas is quite interesting. This adds excitement to the film.

There are dramatic moments. One scene in particular tugs at the heart: when Nadav is reunited with his mother and estranged father.

The actors are good. Aside from Annake von der Lippe whose strong performance as Alex is admirable, credit should be given, too, to Raida Adon who portrays Layla al Kelani. Those who are fans of Fauda might recognize Shadi Mar'i and Boaz Conforty in this series. They play the roles of Walid al Abed and Avichai, respectively, in Fauda.

The viewer appreciates the locations of the series---from Oslo to Sinai. Perhaps, this is one rare film that makes copious use of wide-angle shots of biblical Sinai with its barren peaks.

Watch out for Season 2. The last scene of Episode 2 sets up the incoming new season.

I don't get the negative reviews here, but maybe I'm just not that familiar with the middle east and how things are over there. Regardless, if you like suspense, this one had me biting my nails. I'm glad it's several episodes, because it gives me something to look forward to in the evenings. There are disturbing scenes and frustrating ones, but I didn't find anything wrong with the acting. I am a very picky viewer and won't even tune into anything if it's not well done, so I honestly don't understand why others didn't appreciate it. Norwegian programs are usually far better than silly American stuff. Try Witch Hunt (with subtitles, of course) for another absorbing Norwegian program, although I did like this one better. Happy viewing!

The episodes are short, and the showrunners try to be sure there's a surprise in each of them. Sometimes indeed the plot departs from conventional expectations. Underlying it all, and connected a little artificially to the action-and-adventure story, is the story of an almost stereotypical Scandinavian marriage-- undemonstrative, troubled, somewhat hopeless. I can't judge the Norwegian actors, but they seem at home in their roles, unlike Israeli sweetheart Rotem Abuhab, who has a less prominent role as a spouse and seems unable to find a character in it.

I can't pretend that I understood every plot development; there are factions against factions against factions. But matters keep moving, even if sometimes they seem to move in circles.

As an Israeli, I'm happy to see this kind of collaboration come about. I wish I could recommend it more enthusiastically.