Finnish police officer Nina Kautsalo (Iina Kuustonen) returns for a second instalment in this frozen chiller. Having survived the threat of a global pandemic in Season 1, she’s now got more home-grown issues to challenge her as she takes on some sinister-looking Russians.
If you want to avoid all spoilers, stop reading this article now.
Before we go any further, I will say that to enjoy Season 2 fully, you will need to have watched Season 1 – this isn’t a jump right in and pick it up from scratch storyline. There are a lot of references from the earlier season that are key to the enjoyment of season 2.
That said, there’s plenty to keep you engaged – assuming you like your drama on the cold side. Nina is living with her half-sister, Marita (Pihla Viitala), and her Down’s syndrome daughter, Venla (Venla Ronkainen).
There are a lot of threads to this storyline, which presumably will weave together into a coherent piece by the end of the sixth episode. But after one episode, there’s a lot to get your head around.
We start 12 years ago, when a fire destroys a cottage in the Finnish wilderness. Inside is the body of Aava Lahti, an Olympic judo champion and wife of a high-profile Finnish hockey player, Toni Kajanne. She has been murdered, and the authorities suspect her husband of doing the deed. But he’s alibied by his lover and escapes justice.
Meanwhile, back in modern-day Helsinki, the police have a covert meeting with a Russian mafia informant who is willing to share vital information with the Finns. But in the middle of the Finnish capital, surrounded by police officers, the Russian is shot dead.
Nina’s former boss, Jaakko Stenius (Kari Ketonen) is setting up a joint Russian-Finnish taskforce to tackle the issue of the Russian mafia penetrating across the border and asks Nina to lead the team. She initially refuses. However, when a former Russian prostitute who Nina rescued in S1 is murdered on her way to meet Nina, she changes her mind and decides to join the taskforce to avenge her murder.
We also discover in episode one (see what I mean about there being a lot going on?) that Kajanne’s lover has changed her story about him being with her the night of his wife’s death. The case is reopened, but Kajanne can’t be found – his house seemingly abandoned in haste. We discover later that Kajanne is being held captive by an unknown group of kidnappers.
And one final thread involves some menacing Russians who threaten a dog-breeder and steal his hunting dogs.
So, as I said, plenty going on. And for the most part, it’s an enjoyable ride. As with season 1, some of the dialogue is conducted in English, because of the cross-territory nature of the drama. And perhaps because of that, the dialogue can come across as a touch stilted. But overall, it’s an absorbing thriller for these dark winter evenings.
Walter Presents: ‘Arctic Circle’ Season 2 launches on Channel 4 on 28th January at 11.30pm. The full boxset is available on Walter Presents via Channel 4 Streaming from 26th January 2024.
