TV Tuesday: Occupied

Book By Book

Last week, I wrote on my TV Tuesday post about being in-between TV seasons right now – the spring shows that are just wrapping up and the ones we are waiting to return this summer. We hit that conundrum again this week. Our 22-year old son is home sick from college, and we finished the two shows we’ve been watching with him – Colony and Travelers (both highly recommended – reviews at the links). So, we searched the streaming services for something new to try that all three of us might like.

We found Occupied, a Norwegian thriller set in the near-future. Climate change is the biggest challenge in this future world. The U.S. has become energy-independent and pretty much stick to themselves. Europe is running out of fossil fuels and starting to panic. In the midst of these challenges, Norway has decided to do something unprecedented. They have developed a way of producing clean energy using Thorium (a real element and a real, though distant, possibility for fuel production). In response, with their giant new Thorium energy plant open, they have decided to halt all production of oil and gas in the Black Sea. The EU and Russia are not too happy about this development because they aren’t yet ready to give up fossil fuels. They threaten Norway with sanctions.

In the first episode of Occupied, the Prime Minister of Norway, who is in the Green Party, announces to the world that they have halted oil and gas production. There is swift action from the EU and Russia, and Russian forces quickly enter Norway and take control over the oil rigs out in the Black Sea. Ostensibly, the Norwegian government is still in place, but little by little, it becomes obvious that Russia has more control over their country than first appeared.

Against this backdrop, the show focuses not only on the Prime Minister and his cabinet but also on two families involved. Hans is one of the Prime Minister’s guards – a Secret Service-like position. His wife has just been appointed a judge, and they have an adorable little girl. Thomas is a reporter for a small newsmagazine and an old friend of the Prime Minister’s, though they now run in very different circles. Thomas is determined to get to the bottom of what is really happening in his country with the Russians. His wife, Bente, runs a failing restaurant that could be saved by new wealthy Russian patrons. They have two children.

We’ve only watched the first two episodes so far, but we are eager to see more. Much of the dialogue is in Norwegian (and some Russian), with subtitles, though there is some English spoken, too. The plot is intriguing, and there is plenty of suspense in seeing how the situation will escalate. In this early part of the show, the entire country seems precariously balanced between independence and being occupied (you know which way that will go just from the name of the show). The actors are all engaging and interesting. We’re all enjoying it so far and can’t wait to see what happens next!

Note that we are also enjoying another Norwegian show, Lilyhammer, that is equally good though much lighter, about an American mobster relocated to Norway as part of Witness Protection.

The first season of Occupied is available on Netflix. You can also purchase Occupied on Amazon for $1.99 an episode or $11.99 for the first season.