I always love checking out foreign TV-shows. Puzzling out the cultural differences usually makes up for having to rely on the subtitles to understand the dialogues. What may be strange and quirky in one culture could be completely common in another, and vice versa. However, there are scenarios, and interpretations of scenarios, where it's completely impossible to know for sure: Are they for real? Or is this supposed to be a joke??? The Norwegian series Beforeigners is probably the best example for such an interesting cultural experience.
Sci-Fi? Drama? Comedy? Or maybe Parody?
In its relatively brief two seasons (12 episodes in total) Beforeigners offers quite a broad spectrum of themes and genres. The basic premise is that of time-migration: people from different epochs appear in our present, having to integrate into modern society. Interestingly, the only three time periods these travelers come from, are the 19th century, the viking age, and the mesolithic stone age. The main story focuses on two officers at the Oslo police department, a contemporary man and a woman from the viking age, who are solving cases involving not only time-migrants.
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On top of all this, there are a great number of side stories and examples of how time migrants integrate into the modern world, and how contemporary people relate to them. As you can imagine, the initial setup offers endless opportunities for situations that range from the ridiculous to the absurd, occasionally venturing into the disgusting. The xenophobic "Go back to where you came from!" is countered by the highly appropriate "We were here first." Also, the demand that the art gallery should put up signs, that the displayed images may trigger violent reactions, which need to be in Old Norse as well as Mesolithic, elicited a laugh... once I noticed the absurdity of Mesolithic writing.
The Challenges of Technology and Christianity
After the initial encounter with the first time migrants, the story jumps five years ahead, where time migrations have become common, and both modern society as well as migrants themselves have had some time to adjust to their new situation. Obviously, some are more adaptable than others, and as it can be expected, certain issues pose a greater challenge to certain people. As such, there is a growing neo-luddite movement, particularly among 19th century people, and since the viking migrants happen to come from around the time of Norway's christianization, this topic is typically of major importance to them, may they be for or against it.
The main story, however, is little affected by these things. Sure, the police investigation leads the officers into a neo-luddite community, and the pregnancy of the protagonist's teenage daughter from a relationship with a viking weatherman raises the different views on abortion in different time periods. However, there are also plenty of examples of the unexpected: Some vikings become successful social media influencers, or a mesolithic hunter ends up running a business, together with his contemporary wife.
Excellent Production Qualities Lost on the Uninitiated
Reading up on the series, I realized all the great aspects I kinda suspected, but had no idea about verifying. One such thing is the highly professional way Beforeigners deals with languages, having relied on a number of linguistic experts. When the first vikings arrive, the police immediately bring in an Icelandic interpreter... only to realize that their language of Old Norse, though it is similar, is still different from Icelandic. Later on, as the police interact with their colleagues from the UK, their English is of course impeccable. In another scene, the 19th century Jewish characters talk in a language I almost understood, which was probably Yiddish. As for the stone-age characters, they ave a strangely funny way of talking, which in spite of the obvious difficulty of knowing, had been created by a linguistic expert.
No Let-Down at the End
The best great thing about this TV show is that, unlike so many short series, it manages to bring the story to a neat ending by the end of the twelfth episode. Most loops are tied up and the important questions are answered. Of course, even here, there is a good amount of absurdity, one just needs to accept and roll with. Jack the Ripper, one of the main antagonists during the second season, reveals his great master plan to be surprisingly banal. Also, the guy working with the conspiratorial shadow powers, ends up being the least likely character for such a role. But hey, that just gives the viewers even more to laugh about. I want to call it Norwegian dry humor (compared to which the British one seems like a soaked sponge), which I think I got a taste for, and want to get some more of.
Check It Out for Yourselves!
If you enjoyed this review, I highly recommend you get your fingers on this awesome series. Since it came out on HBO Nordic, but was soon after taken down from HBO Max, it may take a bit of looking around. For now, here is the trailer of the first season:
You are also invited to visit my series Binge on This, where you can find my reviews of other TV shows I enjoyed. I was going to publish this post in the previously hot and active CineTV community, but looking at it, it seems to be a mere shadow of its former self. (Not to mention the 1k+ CINE tokens are worth less than 0.2 HIVE.) So I guess I am back to the Movies and TV Shows community, with way more subscribers, active users, and interactions. Please, dear @cinetv give me a good reason to stay, and if I am convinced, my next Binge on This post will be with you again.