We’re back once more to the frozen wilderness of Ivalo in northern Finland, close to the home of Father Christmas (the nearby mountain known as Korvatunturi is meant to be the home of Santa Claus) and the location of some very odd goings on.
If you want to avoid all spoilers, stop reading this article now.
We’re into Season 4 and I would say immediately that you should really watch all the previous three seasons to fully understand the characters and their backstories, rather than jump straight in at Season 4. But it’s worth the investment, because this is a fine example of Nordic Noir, with excellent characterisation and an engaging storyline.
Main protagonist is the fabulous Nina Kautsalo (Iina Kuustonen), the local Police Chief and a new mum to baby Santeri. Nina has plenty on her hands, because there are some weird things going on in Ivalo, much of which seems to be to do with the first arrival in 2,000 years of a comet in the clear Finnish sky. The arrival coincides with a conference in town, where scientists will be gathering to discuss the celestial wanderer. However, a raid by the FBI in Washington DC has revealed a potential threat to the conference from an extreme group.
Meanwhile, in an old people’s home in town, more than 20 elderly people are killed when the boiler fails in their property, and the residents are all ushered into a central room where a fire has been lit to keep them warm. However, they all die of carbon monoxide poisoning, including the home’s manager.
Any thoughts that this might be an unfortunate accident are dismissed when autopsies reveal that everyone in the room was injected in the heart after death and a small amount of blood removed. And the manager has scribbled a set of initials and a strange symbol into the ashes of the fire. Even more oddly, six residents were spared, locked away in a different room entirely oblivious to the mass murder elsewhere in the building.
We also witness some peculiar farmers – presumably a mother and son – who remove blood from the heart of a pig they’ve slaughtered.
There’s a lot to love about this series. Too many cop shows these days feature lead characters that are devoid of realism and warmth. Nina is the complete opposite. She’s got two kids to raise, the elder of whom – Venla – has Down's Syndrome. She’s professional, but also funny and well-liked by her colleagues. She’s human. She’s believable. And she’s not the cliched police officer with issues. It’s very refreshing.
There’s a reason why this show has had strong ratings for the three seasons released so far – it’s because of believable characters, strong scripts and intriguing plots. And from the evidence so far, the latest season is more of the same. Definitely recommended.
Walter Presents: ‘Arctic Circle' Season 4 is available on C4 Streaming as a boxset now.
