Magdalena Cielecka is back as the feisty/irritating (take your pick) Joanna Chylka, defence lawyer, heavy metal fan and permanent drunk. We’re in our third season here in the UK, but there have been five seasons in total, all based on novels by renowned Polish writer Remigiusz Mróz.
If you want to avoid all spoilers, stop reading this article now.
By Season Three, Chylka has been fired from the legal firm, Żelazny & McVay, so when the opportunity arises for her to get revenge on the huge corporate firm (where her friend Kordian still works), she jumps in feet first. She represents Robert Horwat, whose wife and daughter have been brutally murdered. Horwat – who is the victim of some racial stereotyping by the police and authorities – is entitled to an insurance payout of Zloty 1m; something his insurance company are less than keen to settle. They call upon Żelazny & McVay to dig up some dirt on Horwat, in the hopes of making the claim invalid.
It’s worth noting that the opening few minutes of this first episode of Season 3 are extremely violet, as we witness a brutal and bloody attack on two females – presumably the mother and daughter. Some countries have a more relaxed attitude towards depiction of this type of violence, and to our Western European eyes, it’s quite shocking. If you are likely to be upset by such brutality, I suggest you fast-forward a few minutes until the credits roll.
My review of the first episode of S1 which I reviewed back in 2021, I commented on the Marmite nature of the Chylka character, and that remains the case. She has softened, marginally, perhaps – but maybe that’s more than likely due to her no longer being in the lofty position of power in the law firm. She’s more vulnerable now, having to rely on her contacts for intelligence and inside information. But she’s still aggravating at times.
Less exasperating to watch is the fabulous Kordian, played by Filip Plawiak. He’s now working for Harry McVay and is asked to do some things that are at the least unethical, and probably illegal. He’s uncomfortable with the situation – particularly when he hears of Chylka’s involvement.
The storyline is interesting – is Horwat a violent psychopath who murdered his family and is now hoping to secure a huge insurance payoff; or are the unscrupulous insurance company trying to defraud a grieving husband and father out of his justifiable inheritance? I suspect the plot will become more complicated that that, as we unravel the layers of the mystery over subsequent episodes.
If you can get past the larger-than-life persona of Chylka, and the opening shots of violence against women, then this is probably worth a go. It would help to have seen the previous seasons first, though, to get a full perspective on everyone’s back story.
Walter Presents: ‘The Defence: Season 3 is available as a full boxset via All 4 now.
