Conflict

A great show depicting the invasion of Finland in a similar vein to the Crimean conflict. The show follows both civilian leadership, career officers, as well as conscript personnel. Equipment, action, and small-unit tactics (thus far) are shown to be highly authentic and engaging, partially due to the support of the Finnish Defence Forces and the main commercial supplier, Varusteleka.

Regarding the dialogue and acting, most of it is very good, especially those by Peter Franzen, potraying a career officer attempting to reach his family. I've seen some negative feedback about the conscripts, whether related to the amount of drama, intimacy, or their diversity, but given that most conscripts are 18-20 when they enter service, I found this highly realistic. Having soldiers from diverse backgrounds is also EXTREMELY common in certain units, particularly in the Helsinki Capital region. The acting of the civilian leadership (which strongly evokes some of Finland's more recent leaders) is at best just OK - limited by perhaps clunky dialogue choices.

English dialogue in the how was also a bit of a hit or miss, especially with scenes concerning civilian leadership, or attached allied officers - it feels like the writers were somewhat out of their depth here - but it was acceptable.

Overall, an excellent show - I'm pretty jaded with TV these days, and a lot of shows feel either longwinded or underfunded (looking at you, Dune Prophecy), but this was tight and great from the start. Truly a new level of TV for Finland!

Note for folks interested in similar content, check out TaisteluKentta 2020 on the FDF youtube channel, which even sports some of the same faces.

This was a relevant series to the times. Finland has changed, Finlandisation is no more. The policies of Kekkonen and others have been trashed in the new reality. The series revealed this decisively and showed that there were still relics of a bygone age. Prime Minister Kai Laavakura hadn't grasped the fundamentals of the shift and wanted to negotiate, even illicitly treating with shadowy forces. President Linnea Saaristo has "got it", despite her inexperience, and takes a firm grip on the situation despite exposure to realpolitik in the shape of a disinterested United States.

Set pieces were extremely well done and realistic. However, the kill ratio between the Finnish conscripts and troops against professional mercenaries was exaggerated and strained credulity.

I loved the scenes of the army on the streets of Helsinki, a city I know and love. One of the final scenes was of a tank by the statue of Marshal Mannerheim which seemed appropriate and a wake for a dead soldier portrayed the drink the Marshal immortalised.

Access to other state buildings was granted such as the Presidentinlinna and Eduskuntatalo. I used to live in Finland and it was so warming to see the old streets I used to know so well. I was rooting for the President all the way.

This might be a niche interest but I would still recommend this to an international audience. It's a timely reminder of what might happen after the disaster of Ukraine and the non--attributable warfare originally used there in the Crimea. We live in perilous times.

As a special forces soldier, I find the series excellent. Aki is the Man. The criticism has been so inferior that this becomes a success. Few dare to present characters as stereotypes. A traditional officer is a traditional officer. Now there are also those women. Today there are women in the army. You'd think it would do. And there are also immigrants. You'd think that would do too. Fortunately, the audience decides. I'm sure the Defense Forces have been happy to help. Critics criticize and soldiers fight. That's the difference. Congratulations Finland 107 years! This is a good reminder to be ready. Not with a keyboard but with a gun.

Seen one episode in but it already feels just like an unbelievable commercial for the Finnish defence forces. Unnecessary sex scene, wannabe edgy president that you can't take seriously after her first scene and so much of unimportant idling makes me think that is there even a story behind all of this.

At least it looks quite good. The military equipment provided by the Finnish defence forces are authentic which gives some realness to this lame and stoic story. Peter Franzén is the standout as the other main lead in the series and gives a good performance as a Finnish military staff member. Hopefully the rest of the series will be better.

Update:

Quite surprised by the later episodes (4 and 5) the tension is really there and all the corny, cringe and boring scenes are gone. It's not a perfect show by any means but much better than the start.

This show had a lot of potential but I personally sensed an absence of good writing and directing. The acting was often very monotone and was missing authentic expression. I was having a hard time caring for the characters. The threat wasn't portrayed well enough and I found myself bothered by the lack of realism overall. I would've loved to see big invader troops with attitudes that could've been felt through the screen. I realise that stressful situations can make us react in ways we can't predict, but instead of lots of hesitation and even sluggishness I would've wanted to see stern strong leader figures with determination and fire in their veins (not only talking about the president). We have a huge high-stake situation in our hands and yet I, as a viewer, didn't feel it. I didn't feel the rush, the stress, the fear of the unknown.

Some aspects I liked, mostly the filming, set design and the editing. I understand the funding can be tough to find in a small country, shows like this easily eat away dozens of millions. Finland has some breathtaking scenery and landscape, those drone videos of nature really please the eye. The diversity of actors and languages was refreshing but also felt a bit forced.

My overall enjoyment score as a viewer is 6/10. If we were to compare this only to other Finnish shows, I would go a bit higher.