Joanna Chyłka (played by Magdalena Cielecka) is back for a fifth season of ‘The Defence’, proving that old adage that says you can’t keep a good (wo)man down. Not that she’s a particularly good woman. Words I’ve used to describe Chyłka in previous reviews include feisty, aggravating, irritating, egotistical, rude, arrogant and conceited.
If you want to avoid all spoilers, stop reading this article now.
Interestingly, though, as the seasons have gone on, her character has softened noticeably. She still has her diva moments, but her current situation – she’s on crutches (from a severe beating she took in the previous season) and is pregnant – seems to have smoothed the abrasive edges that were so tiring in the early seasons.
Korbian (Filip Plawiak) is still by her side, driving her around, bringing her groceries and doing his best to impress. And yes, she’s still dismissive and remarkably unpleasant to the poor man. But despite this, he’s still following faithfully behind like a loyal puppy dog.
Season 5 revolves around the story of an old case from the 80s where a man was imprisoned for killing four children. But when Joanna gets a phone call from an elderly priest, that old case starts to unravel. He’s been hiding a secret for years, but now, suffering with terminal cancer, he’s decided to relieve the burden and share it with Joanna. Why Joanna? He knew her mother, apparently.
The priest’s revelation casts a huge doubt over the guilt of convicted child killer, who he firmly believes was framed (even though he confessed). The mercenary Joanna isn’t that interested in pursuing the case, until the priest hands over an envelope stuffed with cash. That piques her interest.
It looks like season 5 will be equally engaging as the previous ones, so if you enjoyed those, you will no doubt be on board with this one too. However, there would appear to be one discernible difference this season, which is only hinted at towards the end of the opening episode. Without giving away too much of a spoiler, the police turn up unannounced and arrest a key character.
I must confess, I’ve warmed to Joanna over the seasons. She is intrinsically flawed and all those things I referred to in the opening paragraph. But she’s an interesting personality, superbly portrayed by Cielecka. The character comes from a series of novel by Remigiusz Mróz, a prolific Polish author who has sold over 10 million books and written 46 novels – yes, 46.
These are well written Polish dramas. All seasons have had some merit, and this one looks like it will be no different. Joanna remains the Marmite character she always has been, but perhaps more Marmite Lite now.
If you enjoy a strong female lead legal thrillers, I can recommend binging the whole series. You could just in with season 5, but the earlier ones are worth checking out to get the full backstory.
Walter Presents: ‘The Defence’ Season 5 will be available as a boxset on C4 Streaming from Friday 2nd February 2024.
