Borgen: Political drama with a different view of Scandinavia

TV Review

BY EOIN Ó MURCHÚ

Sidse Babett Knudsen as Birgitte Nyborg with (right) Johan Philip Asbæk as Kasper Juul and (left) her mentor in the Moderates, Bent Sejrø (Lars Knutzon)

IT IS a common assumption that the Scandinavian countries offer one of the best solutions to the crises of capitalism and the making of a fairer and more equal society.

A number of recent television dramas, however, have called that assumption into question. BBC Four has broadcast the acclaimed Danish detective series The Killing (which had a US remake for Channel 4); last month, BBC4 finished broadcasting the first season of the political drama series Borgen (Season Two is due in the autumn).

Borgen (‘The Castle’) is the nickname of Christiansborg Palace, which houses all three of Denmark’s branches of government: the Parliament, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Supreme Court.

The Killing showed the pervasiveness of right-wing militaristic elements in Danish society, dealing with the cover-up of crimes involving the armed forces and intelligence services.

Borgen, made by the same production team, carried the style into the political system itself. And if you thought that ours was pretty corrupt, we’re only in the ha’penny place by comparison if this drama is an accurate reflection of Danish society. The undercurrent again is the strong role played by the intelligence services and the way the political system is manipulated by powereful vested interests of the Right.

The drama is also strong in revealing the problems facing women in Danish society. The prime minister is a woman but the pressures of her job prove too much for her husband, who resents having to sacrifice his own career to allow her to pursue hers.

The drama production is of an exceptionally high standard, with sub-titles proving no obstacle to enjoyable viewing, but they pose sharp questions about the Scandinavian model. For it appears that these issues are not purely Danish phenomena. The Swedish crime writers, Sjowall and Wahloo, show a similar society there, with strongly-entrenched fascistic and racist elements at the highest echelons of society. And, of course, Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is another example of an aspect of Scandinavian society that we are not generally aware of.

If you’ve not seen The Killing (Series 1 and 2) or the first Borgen season, get them on BBC iPlayer or download and don’t miss upcoming future series for entertaining viewing and for incisive learning about Scandinavia. Not to be missed.

• The Borgen Season One DVD box-set was released on Monday 6 February through Arrow Films’ Nordic Noir label, price £29.99