The 6/12 mentioned here isn’t a fraction, but a date – 6th December. Finland’s Independence Day. And given the country’s close proximity to its Russian neighbours, this six-part thriller based on a novel written nearly 20 years ago by Ilkka Remes has more than a little bit of extra resonance.
If you want to avoid all spoilers, stop reading this article now.
Jasper Pääkkönen stars as Max Tanner, an experience security officer who is brought in to negotiate when terrorists attack the presidential palace in Helsinki where a reception to celebrate the country’s independence day is taking place.
However, the opening episode is really much more of a scene-setter, where we see Tanner and his partner (and, it would appear, probable love interest), Sylvia Madsen (played by Swedish actor, Nanna Blondell) botch an operation to remove a laptop from a suspect’s home. Bad intelligence meant that they were unaware that the householder’s teenage children were at home, and Jankovic shoots a teenage boy, believing their operation was under threat.
Both officers are investigated following the incident and questions asked about their relationship. This investigation – indeed, much of the opening episode – is spoken in English. And perhaps it’s because of this that the script seems wooden and unrealistic.
Madsen is understandably struggling to come to terms with what she’s done – killing an innocent child – and takes it out on her husband, whom she physically assaults on the evening of the incident. Again, their conversation leading up to this moment doesn’t ring true.
Meanwhile, Vasa Jankovic is having money problems and is approached by an Eastern European femme fatale with a proposition that would solve his financial difficulties. Jankovic is played Sverrir Guðnason, a Swedish/Icelandic actor who might recognise as Björn Borg in the 2017 film Borg vs McEnroe.
I really struggled to engage with this series – so much so that I had to watch it three times to fully understand what was going on, because my attention was wavering. The acting performances are stellar, but that script and the slow pace just didn’t grab me at all.
The series seems to have been beset by problems, with the original producer not being able to continue and eventually being replaced. Then the show was completely re-written, shortened from six to four episodes, and its intended sequel abandoned.
Usually, series that are based on pre-existing novels have that depth of character that gives them the edge over written-for-TV shows, but for whatever reason, this one bucks that trend. It’s not awful, but given how much excellent telly there is out there to watch, ‘Omerta 6/12' is unlikely to pick up many casual viewers.
Walter Presents: ‘Omerta 6/12' is available as a boxset on C4 Streaming now.
