Jordskott was one of the surprises of the last Festival Series Mania, confirmed in June by the presence of lead actress Moa Gammel at the Monte-Carlo Television Festival. Nordic mystery thriller with a hint of fantastic, the Swedish series uses the codes of American series while keeping its own identity. These are the ingredients that make a great series and we hope that it will soon be aired in France. We saw the first season of Jordskott and we tell you why you must absolutely see it.

It’s the second time I fall for a TV show at the Festival Series Mania. The first was Série Noire (Quebec) and the second is Jordskott this year. It is incredible ! As I’m writing these lines, I can’t help thinking about its profound universe, the multiple plots, Moa Gammel ’s extraordinary acting, the poetry hovering at times and the message conveyed. All this makes me forgive some artifices and aberrations.

Seven years after her daughter’s death, a cop, Eva Thörnblad still can’t believe it was an accident. When a child goes missing in the same forest , Eva decides to come back to her home town and investigate.

At first, when we get to Jordskott, a strange feeling comes over us. The plot seems to take us straight to a nordic thriller like many others but, the opening credits seems to say something else. It shows that the series is more complex than it seems. Past and present will intertwine and we want to see more of it. But as the pilot unfolds, everything still seems pretty familiar. Eva reminds us of many Nordic heroins ( from Bron ,The killing), strong women taking care of their own destiny and stopping at nothing to carry out their investigation. The plot itself seems like so many others: a missing child, dark secrets surfacing … I wondered if I wanted to watch another show like this but I kept watching and what a nice surprise! The series suddenly turns into a fantastic tale.

 

The feeling we got when watching the opening credits is getting stronger. There’s something different about this show. Jordskott then deploys its mythology, mixing the stories together, losing the viewer who does not know where to turn. The herrings are multiplying: missing children, mysterious murders, a stranger in the forest. The forest is a very important character in the series, maybe the first one. All the stories are connected to the forest. The strength of Jordskott is to make the viewer feel he is in a fantastic world without ever actually showing it . Sometimes the series switches to the pure fantastic but most of the time, the story takes place in a world that « might » be ours. Everything always happens almost hidden in the shadows. The supernatural is almost never shown directly. We know it’s here, no need to show it. This makes the show stranger and more poetic. The poetry is used to convey an environmental message for once, « when we destroy nature, it takes its revenge. »
I will not say more because I want you to discover the universe of the series by yourself. I’ll just say Jordskott uses with great accuracy and finesse mythological tales and transposes them into the real world. In other words, Jordskott managed to do what a series like Grimm didn’t.

A great heroine was needed to lead the show. Saying that Moa Gammel fulfills that role to perfection is an understatement. She is breathtaking. Magnetic, hard, soft and strong, overwhelming at times (the very end of the season with Josefine, her daughter, made my eyes water). Eva is a modern heroine. She does not always succeed and even crosses the red line to get her way. She even puts the viewer in a very uncomfortable situation to continue « to follow her » But how not to follow? This role is awesome for an actress. Henrik BJÖRN, creator of the series, made her a great gift.
The secondary characters are quite complex too. Hard to say who « the villain » is in this series. All the characters are mistreated during the 10 episodes. The strength of Nordic series can also be found there since the writing never a makes us fully join or reject a character.

Henrik Björn has built an incredibly rich universe. A solid mythology which is complex and reveals only a small part of its potential . We feel that the man can do even more and he could have ideas
for a possible second season. Both author and director of the series, he was able to keep control of his story from beginning to end. The city of Silverhöjd , where the series is set, has a dark and mysterious past. Like the forest surrounding Twin Peaks, the wood of Silverhöjd is full of secrets. Mystery is present all along. By choosing a pretty basic narration, which can be found in many American series, Jordskott offers a story that is anything but common.

I won’t say more but no doubt Jordskott will soon be aired in France. The series is made to please an international audience and yet keeps its nordic identity. I wish you will soon be able to discover Bjorn’s rich creation. We are never at rest not even at the end. There is no happy ending but a huge amount of possibilities. I’m really eager to see what’s next.

Crédits: SVT