Lingering questions at the end of Season 1 of Occupied

Continued praise for the smart, taut, and frighteningly realistic Norwegian series Occupied, about a Russian occupation of Norway and the rise of a resistance force within the country. The characters are complex and multidimensional - esp the beleaguered PM Jasper Berg - the villains are suitably loathsome yet somehow also human and vulnerable, the alliances are ever-shifting and tricky, and the action scenes keep you always on edge. In the final episodes of Season 1, the U.S. enters the story, in a shameful manner that we must hope never to see in reality (though it may give us a painful reminder of how we're coming to be seen by even our "allies"). Viewers will gradually become aware that there's no way all the plot elements can be resolved in 10 episodes, and sure enough you will not get a resolution at the end of episode 10 - but a cliffhanger, and an opening of a new phase of the story, keeping us on the hook for Season 2. In the interim, we can't stop thinking: Could it happen? Could Russia occupy a so-called friendly nation? If so, what we the reaction be? What would the occupied nation do? What would the world do? What would you do? Increasingly, these are not abstract questions; in fact, they're questions citizens of many countries have lived with and died with over the past century, and more. But in this age of bluster, posturing, snap decisions, and the potential for massive deaths and annihilation, these questions have new urgency. Despite all the nonsense and rhetoric of the campaign, America is not an occupied nation. But it's chilling: If Russia were to occupy Norway - in the Age of Trump, which one's our ally?

Great Norwegian sseries about a Russian occupation of Norway - and it could happen here

Continuing to enjoy (through episode 6) the Norwegian series Occupied, which may have seemed a far reach when it was in production, but today - not so far a reach. Can you imagine a Russian occupation of a NATO country, and the global acquiescence? The very silence and absence of the U.S. in this story is in fact part of the story. The basic plot line: A Green Party government in Norway makes good on a pledge to end all oil and gas production; in response, a Russian force threatens the PM and takes over the oil and gas fields, "temporarily." But the Russians soon become entrenched, and without realizing how, the Norwegians find they're an occupied country. This occupation leads to the formation of various oppo groups, notably a Free Norway terrorist cell. The government is torn between resistance and appeasement, and feels compelled to staunch any violence aimed at the Russian "guests," putting the various central characters - PM and his team, a journalist, a state security officer, and a few others - in many compromising, delicate, and dangerous positions. Great series, tense and - sadly - very credible. It could happen here.

Occupied is a tense and credible drama about an imagined Russian occupation of Norway

Been getting seriously into the Norwegian series Occupied, that posits a near-future situation in which a Green Party Prime Minister shuts down the entire oil and gas production in the country, an act that has consequences beyond Norway. The decision appears to upend the entire EU and leads almost immediately to Russian occupation of the offshore oil rigs and the resumption of production - and in effect a Russian occupation of Norway. The series focuses on the PM (caught between his ideals and a great deal of pressure of every sort from the Russian government), an intrepid reporter for a national newspaper or news magazine who uncovers a lot more about the occupation than the government is willing to admit, and one of the PM's bodyguards who gets drawn into playing the role of liaison between the Norwegian and Russian security forces. The drama unfolds carefully, each episode (have seen the first 3 of 10) representing a new month, but the pace of each episode is tense and energetic; it seems pretty accurate about the operation of the government and the management or mismanagement of the media, and the team builds a terrific tension, as the Russian occupiers are a truly cynical bunch. The series, unlike many, is entirely credible - doesn't take much, in our current political climate, to imagine a Russian occupation taking place in Norway, or elsewhere, without any opposition from the international community.