GSK23

An interesting concept: The junkie/criminal mother of a detective's son returns to town after many years abroad and inserts herself into their lives as the detective's new informant!

I can't say that I've seen too many Finnish detective stories, but I am watching a bunch of Nordic detective shows lately, and this one works fairly well next to the rest.

However, as the story progresses along, you start to realize that enormously stupid decisions that detective Oskari makes. His junkie ex-girlfriend/informant is a criminal with a host of mental issues, so you can't blame her for the stupid things she does. But, Oskari should know better and continues to do really stupid things! Things that might move the story forward, sure, but things that should reflect poorly on him as a human being!

First, he's using his ex, Krista, as an illegal informant that puts her, the MOTHER of his son, in terribly illegal situations AND life threatening situations. He's now having to lie to his boss and coworkers (illegal) and to his son and new current girlfriend (terrible human behavior).

As the story progresses, he pushes Krista deeper into danger. Granted, she goes willingly, like a junkie trying to win back her son.

Oskari never listens to anyone, let alone his son, Nikko. He forces "wrestling" moves on him to show affection instead of hugging, etc. He lies constantly to him and every time Nikko tries to explain something, Oskari cuts him off and/or runs out the door for work.

Because of his lying at work, the newer, younger detective suspects him and starts looking into things (albeit way too late). Also, for as blatant as Oskari and Krista are (and I DO mean REALLY blatant), neither the cops nor the crooks seem to notice!

So, a really odd show. On one hand, it's competently assembled (although the editing is a bit too goofy at times). The direction and acting is mostly pretty good (definitely not great! The guy playing Oskari is uninspired to say the least) as is direction. The script is the weird culprit: Again, having Oskari treat people around him shoddily, especially Krista. Not a bad show, just overlook the gaping holes.

Someone wrote here "Lynch is not famous for his comedies" and, while that is true, I must add that Lynch's wit is on another plane. Like everything he does.

Yes, he's not known for comedy, but nor was William Burroughs! But both had an exceptionally sardonic wit that came through regularly in their usual art (Naked Lunch as some side splitting hilarious moments to go with the truly horrific, for example). Honestly, there's some laugh out loud moments in everything he's done since Eraserhead; it's just dry humor wrapped in a grim atmosphere.

If you ever saw Lynch's daily comic strip in the 80s, The Angriest Dog in The World, then you know what to expect here: Again, totally dry and sardonic wit that usually hits you later, combined with utterly lame/raw/juvenile art. In other words, this is pretty solid Lynchian art, right here! Good stuff IF you're of that sort of brain.

I knew VERY little when I started watching this. I saw "parallel dimension" and figured it might be fun. It's fun. But, it's not really good SF: It's chock full of clichés and cheap routines and mid-way through it gets slow.

Still, it was fun. It kinda reminded me of silly SF television of the past: Time Tunnel, Night Gallery, Fringe, Sliders, etc. The wacky hallway of doors gimmick had me rolling on the floor laughing every time they were there! I was stunned AND pleased that someone would be that upfront with their cheesey clichés!

This was sorta refreshing in it's simplistic rehashing of tropes. That simplicity kept me watching. If I stopped even once to think about this, I'd throw up all over my television. So just keep watching.