To get the bad taste out of my eyes from watching a couple of episodes of the US version of "The Bridge," I decided to watch the new season of "Borgen." What a difference.
For those who have never seen the series, it's a drama set in and around the buildings of the same name (meaning "citadel" or "castle") which house the Danish government. The first two seasons dealt with the rise to power of the (fictional) first woman Prime Minister of the country, and with all of the shit she had to deal with on a daily basis, both in political life and private life. And they were brilliant, in all of the ways that Danish TV series are, and US series (on the whole) are not. It was a series filled with nuance and subtlety and real characters with real-world problems. It "pulled no punches" when dealing with the political pressures of Danish politics (mainly centering on issues of immigration and corruption), but it did so without histrionics, and without the posturing so present in American "political" dramas. But what made the series so brilliant was that it wasn't about politicians and News broadcasters, it was about human beings who happened to be politicians and News broadcasters. These people aren't different from anyone else, and "Borgen" brought that to life on the TV screen. They have "issues," like anyone else. They have problems at home, and with their romances, like everyone else. And they make mistakes, just like everyone else. The main draw of the series, as with all of the shows created by the DR production company there, is the strength of the actors chosen to portray the roles, and the dialogue given to them to portray. Season 3 starts with the former Prime Minister having been voted out of office a few years before, and wanting to return to politics, but feeling betrayed by all of the compromises her former political party has been making. So she starts another political party, one dedicated to principle rather than expediency. It's really great so far, so I highly recommend it to others who saw the former two seasons and liked them.
