Recently, I had to look for a new series to stream on Netflix. I have finished the first season of Lupin (which I loved) and I have seen Bridgerton (which I didn't like at all). I am a big fan of crime, so I decided to look for something new. That is when I discovered Border Town, a Finnish crime series. I am a big fan of Scandinavian crime, so I had great expectations to this series.
Border Town looked really promising. The main character, an investigator known as Kari Sonjonen, reminds me of both Monk and Sherlock Holmes at the same time. That is really cool, and that is why I really looked forward to streaming the episodes of this show.
The story takes place in a border city in Finland, with a border towards Russia. This gives space for crime inciendents and also a lot of political situations that deals with the situation and the location of the city (which is supposed to be a very nice place with little to no crime at all).
So, how did I like Border Town?
I have seen the first four episodes, and it is built up with such a structure that means that "one case" can last for everything from 1 to 3 episodes. The same characters turn up over and over again, but the cases differ, something that I really like compared to one single story taking you through an entire season.
But, the problem is - I feel as if they don't manage to bring out the awesomeness of Sorjonen. He has those amazing skills, but the series are unable to give enough space to those skills. The cases are also quite hard to grasp, and they are messing with when the different events take place, and the cases are not "special enough" nor "brilliant enough."
In other words, Border Town is a series that might make you happy in front of the TV. Kari Sorjonen is a very good and interesting character, but personally, I feel as if the series doesn't manage to live up to its fantastic potential.
As a result, I will most likely look for some other series to stream instead!
My Border Town score: 6/10
Have you seen Border Town? How did you like the series? I would love to hear from you!