Deadwind (2018–2021) User Reviews (160)

Season 2 overshadows season 1

[bohemiantomorrow · 8/10 · 24 April 2020]

The things that work well throughout the series are the filmography and the acting. The lead actor and actress have good chemistry and give nuanced performances. The filmography is beautiful and really showcases the bleak beauty of the Finnish landscape.

Season 1 was okay, I would rate it a 7½. The downfall of season 1 is definitely the lengthy subplots. They should have trimmed it down considerably and focused more on the lead characters and the lead storyline. The 12 episodes could have been condensed into 8-10 episodes. But that said, though it is a downfall, the season carries out satisfyingly enough, it just needed a couple episodes to properly pull me in. If you are expecting this to be like Broen or Karppi to be like Saga, this is not the show for you. And I say that as someone who doesn't think Broen is perfect either, it has its own pitfalls. This is its own series and feels more procedural with enhanced filmography. But if you come into it without Broen-like expectations or an Excel file ready to compile possible plot holes (I can't even remember if there were considerable ones, but I'm pretty good about watching something to my enjoyment and ignoring things so take that into account), I'm sure you will find enjoyment in it as I did. Saga Noren and Sofia Karppi are completely different characters though they may look a bit alike. But a lot of Nordic women have blonde, curly hair, so it's not that unusual.

Season 2 really evolved with how the plot was constructed. There's 8 episodes in total and it's completely sufficient to cover the storyline. There are still subplots that are given due focus, but this time they held a lot more interest to me and they connected to the main plot. I did figure out who did it, but I don't count that as a bad thing as I often do with these series. Overall it was a pleasing viewing experience, I would rate Season 2 8½.

So, rating the series 8/10.

As a sidenote, reading through these comments some people seem properly upset about a boy having long, curly hair. It may come as a shock to some, but in Finland boys are allowed to grow out their hair as long as they want, if they wish. Similarly, girls can have hair that's not gender normative. Also, who cares, I think Karppi's son's hair length has very little to do with the story.

Deadwind

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 19 February 2021]

This series is centred on Sofia Karppi, a detective working in Helsinki. She lives with her school-aged son and her step-daughter. Her husband was killed in a hit and run accident in Hamburg. Partnered with Sakari Nurmi, her first case involves the investigation of the murder of a woman whose body is discovered at the site of a somewhat controversial new development. Their investigation will uncover several suspects; some personal some involved in the development. The second season sees the two detectives investigating the deaths of people who were aboard a ship as a secret meeting took place; the meeting concerned a new tunnel planned to link Helsinki with Estonia. Sofia also has to deal with problems involving her children.

I enjoyed this Finnish series with its season long stories. Each case provides plenty of suspects and motives to keep the viewer guessing. While there isn't a lot of action there are quite a few tense scenes where key characters are in danger. The characters are interesting, even if Sofia might be a candidate for Finland's most neglectful mother! The cast is impressive, particularly Pihla Viitala and Lauri Tilkanen as Karppi and Nurmi. The series makes good use of impressive locations without ever feeling like it is sponsored by the tourist board. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of the genre.

These comments are based on watching the series in Finnish with English subtitles.

Good, strong series with excellent lead actors.

[michaelnangle-68175 · 8/10 · 26 August 2018]

I really enjoyed this series and cannot understand the negative responses on here. Pihla Vitala and Lauri Tilkanen were excellent and the narrative was suitably complex. I loved the Finnish backdrops and I am really looking forward to Season 2.

More Quirky Than Riveting, But Good

[pseawrig · 7/10 · 31 August 2018]

Many reviewers are unfavorably comparing this show to The Bridge (SE). Except for its being a Scandinavian thriller with a strong female lead, I don't see it. The Bridge's protagonists and villains are broken, while this show's characters are simply odd. Also, The Bridge is severe and intense, while Deadwind is puzzling and rambling. Still, I liked this Finnish procedural. The show's central mystery kept me guessing. Its story goes down many detours, but the detours are intriguing. The show's leads could easily be underwear models, but they nevertheless bring their characters to life. The Helsinki of Deadwind is stark, but also beautiful. In short, Deadwind is not exceptional like The Bridge, but it is certainly better than average. If you like the Scan Noir subgenre- not just the one or two shows that transcend it- then you'll probably also enjoy Deadwind.

Loved Season One, Can't Wait for Season Two.

[Bcast18 · 9/10 · 12 September 2018]

I decided to watch Deadwind (Karppi) as Nordic Noir is my favourite genre of TV show. After watching the first episode I was hooked and watched the entire series over 3 days. I loved the 2 lead characters, Karppi and Nurmi, and enjoyed watching their working relationship develop. The Finnish scenery was stunning and made me want to book a flight to Helsinki! I have recommended Deadwind to many friends and all feedback has been very positive. Hopefully the wait for Season Two won't be too long!

Good gritty

[Calicodreamin · 7/10 · 10 September 2021]

A good gritty manic cop drama. Though this falls into the trope of troubled detective, it just works. The lead characters have depth and chemistry and the murder plots are interesting. A thoroughly captivating drama. Kittos.

Suomi Noir

[polsixe · 8/10 · 10 September 2018]

Nice look into modern day Finland using a murder mystery plot. Gender equality, brainy eco entrepreneurs, sports, sex, drugs, religion, winter, Germans, families. All mixed into a 12 episodes plot. OK maybe some eye rolls, I mean c'mon a 20 year old E31 V12 BMW coupe used as a winter daily driver? Finns curse a a lot in creative ways, bull baska is a new one. And the panoramic wide shots of waterfronts and sunsets are an artistic touch.

Once I got into it I really enjoyed it

[kimmgould · 7/10 · 11 November 2019]

When I started watching this I thought it wasn't going to be much good, but by the second episode I was loving it. There were so many threads but I nevere felt like it was wandering. Some reviewers said they figured it out early, but I must be a bit dim :} It kept me guessing right to the end. Not the best every, but enjoyable and well worth watching. Also, I love seeing the scenery and the landscape. I'm Australian and I'm always like ... why are they out in the middle of the night, but of course its probably late afternoon in wintery Finland!

Superb!

[grakky · 10/10 · 15 October 2022]

If you've never seen a Nordic crime drama before, watch this in native Finnish with English (or other) subtitles and I guarantee you will be hooked! There are many others ((Icelandic, Swedish for example) and the stories, scripts, acting, directing are great, they have a gift :)

There Is no CGI and the acting skills with body language, dialogue, direct plot lines are masterful.

Sofia and Nurmi have this thing, very interesting yes.

Season 3 is about to arrive and there is a good reason why, even the Intro music draws you in, if you don't enjoy this I will give you a hug until you are convinced, thank me later.

Enjoy this series, Netflix did good.

Cya!

Interesting, intricate criminal investigation, but not without some annoying problems.

[RockyMtnVideo · 7/10 · 7 July 2020]

This series is difficult to properly review. I think that it was worth watching, simply because the storylines in the two seasons (so far) were complex, and it was intriguing enough that you wanted to see where everything ended up. I won't delve into either of the main stories, but each involved a complex number of characters, and you were never sure where things might go next. Again, all that was worth the trip.

It also had what I thought was a solid cast of actors, who carried their performances as convincingly as they were written. The problem with this whole series is that whoever wrote it (or maybe it's a directorial issue) seems to have never been exposed to any actual police-related activities. I realize that the main character has intentionally been written to be non-conventional, but nobody who goes as rouge as she does, all through the series, would ever be allowed to continue to be active in any large police organization. You quickly begin to lose count of all the (really) stupid/wreckless things that she does, not only endangering herself, but all of those around her, and yet, despite some occasional scoldings, her superiors just continue to let her run amok.

So, again, I am glad that I watched the series, simply because the stories were interesting. I recommend the series for that alone. But you need to be prepared to suspend your beliefs with regard to how the main character has been portrayed, and if you can't live that, then you might has well not watch it at all. (Again, no fault of the actor, as she's obviously just portraying what was written, or how she was directed.)

Loved this....

[dionrenee · 8/10 · 31 August 2018]

I love Nordic/Scandinavian books and movies, this series to me was very enjoyable. It was a little slow at times but not bad. I loved the characters, I felt for all of them and I have to say I knew who the killer was by second or third episode, but the twists kept making me doubt myself. I look forward to the next season! Also how beautiful is Finland!

Karppi/Deadwind

[jmat40 · 7/10 · 31 December 2021]

This is a damn good show. The photography and scenery are a star in their own right. Very engaging story. Good acting. Good characters.

Piihla Viitala is mesmerizing.

So many problems for a good looking show.

[filmmadman · 5/10 · 5 June 2021]

I love Nordic Noir. It pains me that this show has story problems. This would be a Broadchurch or The Killing if this didn't have so many plot holes and in consistent actions by the characters.

We all know the premise: oil and water personalities, male and female cop duo, solving major crimes that have many other crimes linked to it. And I love that premise. I can think of other great shows like The Bridge, Homeland etc.

I like the actors, the settings, the cinematography and the basic story outlines.

But it is irritating to watch simple police procedures and common sense take a back seat to advancing the drama and thrills.

For example (and there are so many) in Season 2, the Mayor has just been escorted out of city hall under armed guard under suspicion that someone is out to kill or abduct her. But the very next scene is her being dropped home by a Friggin' public taxi, no escort, no surveillance of her home, no police presence to check on her daughter (who is blind!) and home alone at night?!?!

So of course she comes home and her daughter is missing! And the mayor is now alone in her home but now she's safe because well, why not?

And how many times is the main character going to rush into dangerous situations with no gun drawn, no backup, no common sense about how to sneak around without getting beat up or almost killed before some miracle situation happens that saves her every time?

These kinds of moments ruin the otherwise mostly good show.

Lost its way in Season Three

[laduqesa · 6/10 · 12 December 2021]

If I had only seen the first two seasons, the mark would probably have been an eight. I loved the Scandi noir atmosphere mixed in with Finnish melancholy. However, in the third season, there were too many sub plots that went nowhere, complete dead ends. The step-daughter's involvement with the two drug cops and her role in the gang smuggling medical supplies were not credible, nor was the complete coincidence of Mum turning up at the gang's headquarters on a totally unrelated matter.

Karppi's brat wanting to stay with granddad in the sticks was not plausible either. I don't believe a clued-up city boy would have enjoyed solitude and no one to talk to. However, this storyline was inserted to lead up to a denouement which explains why it seems to have been grafted onto the plot. There wouldn't have been the concluding episode and solving of the case without the summer cottage and granddad.

The death in Hamburg being tied in to the investigation was also grafted in for human interest but I didn't appreciate the twists and turns relating to it as they also seemed out of character and plot developments that were not real.

The first two seasons were much tauter with fewer anomalies, although the guy going over the side of the ferry from Estonia was a development too far. I've been on those ferries and even at night, the outside decks have plenty of people on them. There would have been no way to clear away the evidence either.

So, in the end, I'm glad I saw the whole lot but if there's a further season, they have to tighten up again.

The kind of tv I want to watch

[vfultonk · 9/10 · 27 February 2021]

Foreign tv shows are just doing a thing. I find them so understated in the best way possible. The acting is so nuanced! It's literally feels like you are just watching people do their thing. They aren't showing you they are acting on their faces - they are just existing normally and I really appreciate it. Really fell for these two characters Nurmi and Karppi. Loved their chemistry and the way they cared for one another without the drama. Great slow storytelling and detective work. Will miss these two characters and this show until a third season appears.

Krappi

[Cornlogger · 7/10 · 6 December 2022]

As others have eloquently pointed out, Season 3 was a bit of a disappointment. They threw in so many plot twists that directly involved the characters personal lives that it stretched the limits of credulity. This took away from the main plot of the psycho murderer. By the end of the show, I had a hard time remembering why the bad guy decided to murder all these folks in the first place.

Still, it beats most of the stuff out there on Netflix so I'm still giving it an 7. I know, it doesn't make sense but I like this show even when they goof it up a bit. Looking forward to Season 4 and the next cool car that Nurmi will be driving!

Enjoyable Mystery

[coffeegato · 8/10 · 5 September 2018]

I always enjoy watching series from other countries because of the added element of another culture. I liked that we got to see a lot of the countryside, cities, houses, etc. It is shot in Finland in the winter, so the setting is snowy and beautiful.

The acting is solid and I felt there was good character development. Although some of the personalities presented are a bit hard to connect with and others bordered on stereotypes, I felt we got to know these characters pretty well, quirks and all.

My biggest "complaint" would be it just went on too long. First, this could have been done easily in 10 episodes instead of 12. Also I personally feel there were just too many working parts, too many unnecessary action scenes, especially in the last episode. How many twists, chases, kidnappings, etc. do we really need? Well, of course that is a matter of opinion, but for me it would have been more enjoyable if it were a little tighter and wrapped up once they rooted out the identity of the murderer.

None of these things made me feel like I wasted my time or that the series wasn't enjoyable. I did like it and would recommend it to people who enjoy cerebral mysteries but with action scenes too.

Great first two seasons, third one not at all

[marko-skocaj · 7/10 · 5 January 2022]

First two seasons are great: beliveable story and characters. The story in the third season is really bad and some stuff is so stupid it spoils everything. What a shame.

HIGHLY recommended for those who like character driven series

[ellyishere · 10/10 · 13 March 2021]

LOVE this show. First found it as a fan of Nordic noir, but was initially a bit resistant because a) all the comparisons to The Killing and The Bridge b) both the leads are unrealistically attractive and I thought they might've just been cast for the optics rather than acting ability. Well, I was pretty hooked by the first season, and well and truly over any qualms I had by the second. The parallels to other Nordic noir shows are definitely apparent, but they actually started to grow on me (kind of like a throwback to other shows I loved, but with its own touch of uniqueness). The main characters are interesting and layered, and Pihla Viitala and Lauri Tilkanen (the very good looking leads) are both wonderful, nuanced actors - both actually very experienced in their homeland of Finland and not just pretty faces! While it can sometimes be harder to judge the quality of acting when having to read subtitles, their abilities certainly transcended the language barrier. Plus the chemistry between them is absolutely stellar.

The mysteries themselves are engaging and quite clever, but there are definitely some far-fetched, head-scratching moments, particularly in regards to the way parts of the investigations pan out (other reviewers have commented on this) - but for me the real draw of this series (like many of the genre) is in the story of characters. Karppi is probably the kind of character you either understand completely, or don't at all. She has a relentless commitment to seeing things though - even at the detriment of other aspects of her life - that some people cannot relate to at all, and thus perceive as an unlikeable trait. I, on the other hand, felt very attached to her and loved seeing her character's evolution, particularly in relation to Nurmi. Neither Karppi or Nurmi are perfect (far from it), and that's the beauty of it all.

To me, the draw of this show is in the stories of the lead detectives first, and the crime/mysteries second. A warning that both are slow-burn affairs (so not for those with two second attention spans). And for all the far-fetched stuff going on in the investigation part of the show, the relationship between Karppi and Nurmi is treated painfully realistically - two seasons of obvious sexual tension simmering away, but the timing is never right and it's mostly just buried and ignored. I am very much hoping that S3 delivers on this front!

Highly recommended if you're into character driven Nordic Noir and believable relationship development.

Great disappointment - nice car though

[gabor-dk · 14 November 2022]

Season 3 is an even greater disappointment than season 2 - nice car though (should you wonder what brand and model it is, you'll get quite a lot of help by close-ups)... Script: you drive here and there to talk to some people; they are always there when you need them. As you fin(n)ish talking to them and leave the building, your phone rings and you'll get more useful information - if not, you just call someone at the police station; they'll answer in an instant, providing you with answers at the speed of an electric sports car.

As you probably sense it by now, my favourite character has four wheels to roll on and another one to steer.

Going downhill

[plmesq · 6/10 · 1 December 2022]

Really enjoyed first two seasons but the third season is dragging. Dark and too many characters, the plot seems aimless and meandering, the cops seem to not care whether they solve the crimes or not. Also, the actress playing Sofia is obviously pregnant, instead of trying to hide this by having her constantly wearing bulky sweaters and coats both outside and inside, why not use some imagination and write this into the story rather than unsuccessfully attempting to disguise her status. Women don't become helpless while they are pregnant, the character could have continued to carry on her profession.

Great show!

[gabycmonteiro · 9/10 · 11 May 2021]

I loved this show! Season two is even better than season one. It's a little slow and has some plot holes, and I have to agree with the reviews about how annoying can some characters be ( Hana, Karppi's teenage daughter, got on my nerves). But it's still a great show. Good storylines, it kept interested from the beginning to the end and some twists caught me by surprise. I wish it had more seasons.

Sort of OK

[bshaef · 7/10 · 27 August 2018]

Acting was good, enjoyed the Finnish scenery (I guess it was Finnish) and I live where it never snows so the snow scenes were awesome. Story was not very good, some of the characters, especially the female detective, were unbelievable, but on the whole I enjoyed the series but would have enjoyed it even more if it had been limited to 8 episodes. That seems to be about the right length for almost any story.

3rd Season isn't good

[captain_astronaut · 5/10 · 5 November 2022]

It started off with a good first scene, discovering the body and then went down hill. I didn't care about any of the side plots involving her family, especially since they added nothing and I'm tired of these cop shows having family members in dire straits. It was simply filler to try and get to 8 episodes. There were too many characters to keep the main plot coherent. I'm still not sure who the main bad guy was and how he seemed to be a super genius with the ability to find out everything about the cops' lives. He could also pilot a drone, operate a ferry boat, and kill people in elaborate ways while painting symbols in hard to reach places. I clocked him as soon as I saw him in the hospital in an earlier episode. They lingered on him just a tad too long and he had an interesting appearance. Then we've got our hero cops who go to locations by themselves multiple times (without informing headquarters), and almost get killed. There's a ridiculous subplot with a dead husband who was having an affair but also linked to the pharmaceutical part of the story. Oh, and our two cops make out in what feels like a completely ridiculous. Forced plot point. Stick to the first two seasons.

It's OK

[shoppsi · 7/10 · 7 July 2020]

I like the characters and the setting but it's a bit slow moving, and some of it is so unbelievable. Why do the police make such stupid choices (breaking in to houses without warrants; going in to dangerous situations alone?). Why don't they have a police vehicles and have to rely on a broken down car? Why doesn't the female lead detective make enough money to hire a babysitter? It's OK and I'm on season 2 now, but I do find a lot of the writer decisions for this questionable.