Trapped (2015--), created by the internationally successful Icelandic director Baltasar Kormakur, was hailed as the best crime television series to come out of Iceland, joining the ranks of its great Nordic counterparts like The Killing, The Bridge, etc. The first season of Trapped was set in a snowy small-town named Siglufjordur, situated alongside a fjord. The remote town is surrounded by snow-dusted mountains on all sides, a location that’s uniquely atmospheric than the usual Reykjavik-set Iceland fictions. The other fascinating factor of Trapped is the casting of Olafur Darri Olafsson in the central police chief role, Andri Olafsson, jokingly addressed as 'grizzly bear' by his smart investigating partner, Hinrika (Ilmur Kristjansdottir). The bearded, bulky, and lumbering Olafsson, often garbed in a dark-colored parka, greatly impresses us with his ability to underplay and display of restraint. The actor is very good at making us feel his emotional torment and trauma that lurks behind Andri's stoic facade.
The second season of Trapped also centers on Andri, who has
now taken a detective position in Reykjavik (capital city), having separated
from his wife Agnes (Nina Dogg Filippusdottir) in the previous season. Grim
circumstances, however, brings Andri back to his hometown, Siglufjordur. It all
starts with an old man’s attempt to assassinate the Minister of Industries,
Halla (Solveig Arnarsdottir) through self-immolation, right in front of her
office at Reykjavik. The old man happens to be the minister’s twin brother,
Gisli, a poor and embittered farm owner from Siglufjordur with whom Halla has
broken contact years ago.
The question of motive pushes Andri towards the small town,
and he carries out the investigation with his former partners Hinrika, now the
police chief, and the slightly clumsy yet very lovable Asgeir (Ingvar
Sigurdsson). Is Gisli involved with the extreme right-wing group called ‘Hammer
of Thor’ which doesn’t want billionaire Muslims to start an aluminum plant in
their town, the contract soon to be signed by Halla with the approval of town’s
mayor Hafdis (Johanna Vigdis Arnardottir). Or does it have to do with Gisli’s
rage over the rampant pollution caused by the already present chemical plant in
the town. Or maybe, this has something to do with family dispute. Just a day
into the investigation, the town is shocked by the cold-blooded murder of
Gisli’s brother-in-law, Finnur, who is a top-level worker in the chemical plant.
Without giving too much away, the 2nd season of
deals with themes that are very contemporary: rise of extreme right-wing,
anti-immigrant attitude, economic uncertainty, increasing rift between the
younger and older generations, etc. Of course, Trapped similar to any series
based on a small-town also delves into darker family secrets and structures its
narrative around biblical themes like sins of father (or sins of parents). Andri’s
personal life as expected has moved from bad to worse. His elder, teenage
daughter Thorhildur (Elva Maria Birgisdottir) has stayed back in town, under
the care of her aunt, and she spends all her time with boyfriend, Aron. She’s
dead set in hating her dad and avoids speaking to him.
Trapped is written by a team of writers, the most
interesting contribution I found in the list is that of crime novelist
Yrsa Sigurdardottir (Last Rituals, My Soul to Take). I have been recently
reading the crime novels of Arnaldur Indridason, Ragnar Jonasson and the
literary works of Jon Kalman Stefansson and Nobel laureate Halldor Laxness.
Watching Trapped I once again felt how the Icelanders meticulously turn the
unimaginably beautiful yet ruthless and intimidating nature into one of their
chief characters. From the last season’s blizzard to this season’s early chase
of a suspect in the mountains and the final edge-of-the-seat hunt for the murderer, Trapped takes us
on a journey through the distinct Icelandic landscapes. The very vastness of
the atmosphere seems to contribute to the characters’ existential angst.
Some of the narrative turns presented in the second season
are easily predictable, yet it keeps us guessing over who might actually be the
killer and his/her primary motive. Once again the rapport shared between each
characters are superbly established, particularly the friendship shared between
Hinrika and Andri. Hinrika brilliantly played by Illmur is my second favorite
character in the series after Andri. Although she has no children of her own, she’s like
the matriarchal figure to characters exhibiting the traits of man-child.
Nordic noirs work best because it uses the crime to discuss
the issues plaguing a society in many interesting ways. I
mean these are some of the nations that year-after-year holds top positions in
the world happiness index; where pre-meditated murders are an anomaly. But it’s
interesting to perceive these countries’ deeply troubling issues from a deeply
humane viewpoint.
Overall, the second season of Trapped explores the icy
depths of human nature and contemporary hot topic social, environmental
problems with thrilling plot twists.
Trailer
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