A small town in rural Poland a project to develop land, a corrupt mayor, a weird parish, bones and skulls found, two girls murdered. A detective transferred from Kracow takes to investigate. This comes out as a natural crime thriller, intriguing at a proper pace, with a complex puzzle, not artificial twist and turns, not contrived situations, and on top of that not boring.
75 Reviews
An Elegant Mess
acg_imdb17 November 2021
Watching both seasons (so far?) of this series took me back to the late great "Twin Peaks," in that they went into Season 1 with presumably honest intentions to tell a rather complex story, but once Season 2 got underway, they were less interested in logical storytelling and more interested in surprises and plot twists because, hey, we're stuck in a storyline that we can't figure out how to finish. Season 2 introduces more progressively ludicrous events and plot holes showing more hole than plot, until we finally reach Season 2, Episode 8, which simply goes off the rails.
I seek out European dramas for their interesting characters, languages and environment, but they are just as capable as Americans of making an elegant mess.
I seek out European dramas for their interesting characters, languages and environment, but they are just as capable as Americans of making an elegant mess.
An intriguing Polish flic
kvietam23 July 2020
A gripping story about serial murders in a small town, it's the 3rd Polish noir I've watched on Netflix (the others being The Crime and Ultraviolet). As a Brazilian living in Rio de Janeiro I don't know much about the Poles, but it's great to see their culture and religiosity depicted.
Whaaaat!?
catschasemice95945 October 2020
A weird Polish TV series that is more XFiles soap opera than cop show. The first season deserved five stars but was strange enough to drag me into season 2. Second season gets seven stars. The show is all over the place. Perhaps the crew was drinking all the Vodka shown throughout the series. Multiple crazy plots with characters popping into the drama at random moments to further change the direction of the show. Hoping for a third season to see how far off the mountain this psychodrama will go. If Sasquatch shows up as the new town deputy it will not be a surprise.
Not entirely predictable!
zontagirl123 May 2021
I guessed who was the killer of the 2 later women from the second episode - not too difficult! The cast of characters are an interesting mix with believable personal qualities - both good and bad, although Agata is a f**g psychopath with some SERIOUS anger issues!!!! Laura's murderer was a surprise: I knew he was a bad guy but..... Aa a North American, I find it quite intriguing how Europe (and even the Nordic counties) still include WWII as part of their drama and crime stories. It took an episode and a half to 'get into it' but once I did, I was hooked!
Signs
Tweekums25 June 2021
As this Polish series opens a young woman is seen walking while talking on her phone; suddenly she is fatally shot by an unknown assailant. The action moves forward ten years; Commissioner Michal Trela has recently taken over as the head of the local police and there has been another, almost identical murder. Many suspects will emerge; a local religious group; those working at a new quarry and even people looking for rumoured Nazi technology which was apparently made during the wartime occupation. As the story progresses there are inevitably more murders and the discovery of older human remains.
I really enjoyed this series; there was a good sense of mystery... not just the question of who the killer is but also the sense that the ultimate answer to some questions could be Nazi sci-fi or even supernatural in nature. Some questions are answered at the end of the first season but more are raised before it ends. Similarly the ending of the second season left me keen for there to be a third as question marks hand over the lives of certain key characters. The cast does a fine job bringing their characters to life and the setting adds to the atmosphere... I had no idea rural Poland was so beautiful. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to mystery fans looking for something a little different.
These comments are based on watching the series in Polish with English subtitles.
I really enjoyed this series; there was a good sense of mystery... not just the question of who the killer is but also the sense that the ultimate answer to some questions could be Nazi sci-fi or even supernatural in nature. Some questions are answered at the end of the first season but more are raised before it ends. Similarly the ending of the second season left me keen for there to be a third as question marks hand over the lives of certain key characters. The cast does a fine job bringing their characters to life and the setting adds to the atmosphere... I had no idea rural Poland was so beautiful. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to mystery fans looking for something a little different.
These comments are based on watching the series in Polish with English subtitles.
Amazing sights and views
mohafinearts3 August 2021
Come for season 1, don't bother with season 2
sanjsrik30 January 2022
When you watch an entire season and they leave you with a bunch of cliffhangers at the end of the season, you'd think the producers whoever the television gods are would wrap stuff up in the next season.
You'd "think" they would. Except in this case. Season 2 is an utter and complete mess. Between the skipping around, the stupid plot twists, new characters who have no backstory or reason for existing, oh, and the "found Nazi footage", let's not forget that moronic entry into this storyline.
IF there was a story in season 2, I dare you to find it. It's completely idiotic and doesn't keep your attention. Maybe the writers were drinking some of tainted water the weird religious guy was hawking in season 1, but obviously they were on something.
Watch season 1, watch the first 2 episodes of season 2 to clean up the cliffhangers from season 1.
Then, turn this mess off and go watch something else. This show just went completely off the rails after that.
Don't waste your time.
You'd "think" they would. Except in this case. Season 2 is an utter and complete mess. Between the skipping around, the stupid plot twists, new characters who have no backstory or reason for existing, oh, and the "found Nazi footage", let's not forget that moronic entry into this storyline.
IF there was a story in season 2, I dare you to find it. It's completely idiotic and doesn't keep your attention. Maybe the writers were drinking some of tainted water the weird religious guy was hawking in season 1, but obviously they were on something.
Watch season 1, watch the first 2 episodes of season 2 to clean up the cliffhangers from season 1.
Then, turn this mess off and go watch something else. This show just went completely off the rails after that.
Don't waste your time.
Simply outstanding..
nilapup32117 September 2020
Season 1 Decent, But Not Really Good.
wandernn1-81-6832741 October 2020
Okay so.... still not done with this show but ....
Season 1
So we get a new Police Chief coming into town. Investigating a murder which kinda branches out into a bunch of other subplots. A Mining Venture coming into the town. Affairs. Drugged Holy Water. A lot of cheating and unfaithful people. A strange religious subplot which I still don't understand. It was decent and not terrible and the score I gave the season was a 5.5 which rounds to a 6/10.
Season 2
Coming Soon...
Season 1
So we get a new Police Chief coming into town. Investigating a murder which kinda branches out into a bunch of other subplots. A Mining Venture coming into the town. Affairs. Drugged Holy Water. A lot of cheating and unfaithful people. A strange religious subplot which I still don't understand. It was decent and not terrible and the score I gave the season was a 5.5 which rounds to a 6/10.
Season 2
Coming Soon...
Great cast- questionable editing
tshine-548-6649620 October 2020
Another dubbed Netflix original hindered by the difference in the dubbing and subtitles. I assume the subtitles were taken from the actual Polish dialogue, but the issue with Netflix dubbing has come up with virtually every foreign language show I've seen from them. This is an intriguing cast and story line and the cinematography is first rate. The logical flow of the story is hampered by very choppy editing, especially in season 2. It is very hard to tell whether each scene is a flashback or present time. Some of the season 2 characters make no sense until the last 2 episodes and it would have helped the flow of the story to know more of what happened as it was relevant. Altogether, a very watchable drama.
It started off like really nice and ended horribly
verydarkmagic12 February 2022
The show started off really nice as crime/detective thing. I was honestly excited and even proud that I found a decent show made in neighbouring country. But soon the "alernative" storylines completely took over while main storyline didn't really move. To make matters worse at the end of season one they completely trashed the setting by adding some scifi/fantasy elements Was "secret nazi project of gravity defying device" a thing on Trash Netflix Bingo card and someone really wanted to win? But it didn't stop there. Season two was just ton of blatant fillers, main storyline basically didnt exist, no detective work either it was just series of cuts from one to another 'alternnative storyline' which are somehow related only through 'ze nazi secret' ohh anyway....
This show had its moments, the cinematography was awesome, good acting, accurate enough depiction of rural Poland. The scene with old lady dancing on drugs had that 'Requiem for a Dream' vibe. It really had its moments. Soundtrack was also really good. But the problems I meantioned above soon made it unbearable to watch.
Black Spot ...but not as clever..
phwagz-4669113 December 2020
This is the Polish version of the French series Black Spot.. zone blanche.. it certainly has its moments but there is an underlying element that screams .. partially written and possibly directed by women , which in itself is not a bad thing as Alfred Hitchcock's wife was a screenwriter of tremendous talent and sophistication, but in this episodic story we see a mixture of juvenile feminism and millennialism. This combination produces a very flimsy attempt to keep the story both interesting and cohesive. Still despite these flaws I watch.. simply because I love foreign films.. this one is still worth the watch.
POLICE
peterharper19679 August 2020
Police police police police
matthewbyrne-9618322 January 2021
I stopped watching because Netflix insult my intelligence by reminding me that the POLICE car is still a POLICE car and the POLICE officer is still a POLICE officer every few seconds. Why not remind viewers about the HOUSE or TREE just incase they need the help? The story looked interesting but someone at netflix has ruined it.
Season 1 fantastic, season 2 bleh
bcsq10 October 2021
Season 1 was an all around good mystery with a bit of WWII super science and slight touch of local political intrigue. Season 2 focused too heavily on the politics and fell a bit flat on the mystery and WWII aspect built on in both seasons.
The side stories were wasted and utterly pointless. The death of the priest in season 1 and the introduction of the new priest and the focus on that priest in season 2 was wqs throwaway plot used for filler only. The WWII aspect was, at best secondary and at best a highlight of the political ideological divide that still exists in Poland today.
A lackluster series that could have been phenomenal with the right rewriting and editing, but all around falls flat by the last 2 episodes in the series.
The side stories were wasted and utterly pointless. The death of the priest in season 1 and the introduction of the new priest and the focus on that priest in season 2 was wqs throwaway plot used for filler only. The WWII aspect was, at best secondary and at best a highlight of the political ideological divide that still exists in Poland today.
A lackluster series that could have been phenomenal with the right rewriting and editing, but all around falls flat by the last 2 episodes in the series.
Many scenes like beautiful paintings....
growfin31 July 2020
A couple of little bits in the first episode had me wondering if I was about to watch a soap opera. Not exactly sure why I had that feeling. It could have been a transition or background music. It was a bit of a mixed bag, but definitely engaging enough to keep watching. I'm happy I did, because I enjoyed it!
As another reviewer has mentioned, one should not watch this if they've trying to quit smoking, (or drinking)! It's everywhere. Everyone's smoking darts, all the time! And half of the characters are boozing as well. I don't think any of the filled ashtrays contained stunt cigarettes. They were all legitimately smoked. By cast, by crew, even by passers-by perhaps!
The reason I wanted to write a review is because I think the camera work should not go unnoticed. Yes, it is a help to have some naturally stunning nature to film around, but I sense that whoever is in charge of getting these shots must have a real art background. Almost every scene/shot is balanced and framed beautifully, whether it be with colour, or the asymmetric balance of objects/scenery. The detail is amazing. Falling snow, rain, shining drops of water in the sun after a recent downpour...The elements were captured beautifully. The colour grading in this show is absolutely stunning. This shines on a nice OLED, where you can see how well they've handled the many night time scenes, and indoor scenes with daylight streaming in, fire, skin tones etc.. Everything is balanced and beautiful. Also, great to have a full 16x9 ratio filling up my TV space for a change!
The story? Engaging enough for sure. Kept me interested! It's always nice to have variety. I search out international shows like these because it's so great to see other countries and their people, even if it's fiction!
I know it's a strange review, talking all about the things on the surface as opposed to the whole, but as I mentioned earlier, I felt the need to call out talent when I see it! A big hello to Poland from me in Australia. :-)
The reason I wanted to write a review is because I think the camera work should not go unnoticed. Yes, it is a help to have some naturally stunning nature to film around, but I sense that whoever is in charge of getting these shots must have a real art background. Almost every scene/shot is balanced and framed beautifully, whether it be with colour, or the asymmetric balance of objects/scenery. The detail is amazing. Falling snow, rain, shining drops of water in the sun after a recent downpour...The elements were captured beautifully. The colour grading in this show is absolutely stunning. This shines on a nice OLED, where you can see how well they've handled the many night time scenes, and indoor scenes with daylight streaming in, fire, skin tones etc.. Everything is balanced and beautiful. Also, great to have a full 16x9 ratio filling up my TV space for a change!
The story? Engaging enough for sure. Kept me interested! It's always nice to have variety. I search out international shows like these because it's so great to see other countries and their people, even if it's fiction!
I know it's a strange review, talking all about the things on the surface as opposed to the whole, but as I mentioned earlier, I felt the need to call out talent when I see it! A big hello to Poland from me in Australia. :-)
Engrossing
graemehjrobertson17 September 2020
I love it...like a Polish Twin Peaks with less black humour(although not humourless) no cherry pie and lots of vodka and cigs. Full of shocking moments and beautiful, if at times bleak, scenery. And a WW2 conspiracy theory subplot which gets it an extra star from me. Series 2 now on Netflix
Chaos
Calicodreamin24 December 2020
This show is absolute chaos. The subplots weave in and out of focus until finally ending abruptly with no explanation. The main crime plots are actually interesting and offer resolution, but are far overshadowed by the anarchy that is the rest of the show. The acting and cinematography are fairly good.
If you enjoyed S01, don't miss S02
johnnynick22 September 2020
As Monty Python once said ...AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.
The same cast is there with some interesting additions but the focus has to some extent, switched to the Nazi "treasure" that may or may not be in the vicinity. There are flashbacks that explain the presence of the newcomers but it is not always clear which time zone we are in and the editing is so bizarre that occasionally the storyline becomes incomprehensible. Having thought about it for a few days, I have to rewatch it since I feel I may have missed something..In fact, I enjoyed it so much I will go all the way back to S01
Can't act, can't sing, can dance a little
jwpicton15 December 2021
And I doubt he can even do that.
The protagonist effectively ruins this series with clunky acting, often at odds with the narrative. Often so much so that I'm surprised they didn't take the scene again. Which scene? Pick one, any one!
I know... he's supposed to be disruptive (or whatever) but there's a difference between disruptive and destructive.
He'd be better off cast in some 2 bit, B grade wannabe gangsta flick. At best.
Seriously, AT BEST.
The protagonist effectively ruins this series with clunky acting, often at odds with the narrative. Often so much so that I'm surprised they didn't take the scene again. Which scene? Pick one, any one!
I know... he's supposed to be disruptive (or whatever) but there's a difference between disruptive and destructive.
He'd be better off cast in some 2 bit, B grade wannabe gangsta flick. At best.
Seriously, AT BEST.
can't wait season 3!
adakli29 September 2020
If you are tired of the non-realistic American TV series with no smoking, no sexuality, this series can be a very good choice. I really love it and can't understand why there was no clue about the third season. dear producers, we are waiting for the 3rd one.
Incoherent mess
TurboTerminator26 July 2020
Watched the entire first season on Netflix before writing this review.
Only positive about this show is the beautiful location where it was filmed.
The theme of the show has promise but handling and narration is extremely bad. Dialogues don't make much sense ( this might be result of poor dubbing/ translation from Polish). Pretty much all characters are annoying. Most annoying character is that of Trela who seems to be in a bad mood pretty much all the time for no reason whatsoever.
Season ending left me quite irritated.
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