Review. HBO made a great detective story in Poland

A warmer spring doesn’t just mean better weather, because the title of the thaw can be found on many levels of the chain. HBO Polska’s new Max Original is an addictive detective story, but is it more than that? Review before the premiere of the series “Thaw”.

The desire of the Polish production to visit unattended landscapes and towns is growing, so for a start, it is worth paying attention to the location of the series. Together with the heroes, we go to Szczecin, which can bring some magic to the frame, but at the same time perfectly conveys the cold, dark and unpleasant atmosphere of the series. Everything is kept in washed out colours, here and there we see brighter colors that are meant to draw our attention to something or emphasize the meaning of location and form. The location of the city also serves as a story that visits different places, giving us an insight into sites that we rarely see.

At the center of events was Katarzina Angle – a resolute policewoman who deals with the real problems of everyday life. She becomes a widow after her husband’s mysterious death and has to deal with raising her daughter. He does not accept the official version of events chosen by the prosecutor’s office, which puts the angle on a collision course with the many people with whom he has to work.

The Thaw – Katarzyna Wajda as Katarzyna Zawieja

When the case of the murdered girl reached her hand, Zawya decided to put an end to it. Her intuition has not disappointed her many times, but the woman does not fully cope with the pressure and balance between private and professional life. Katarzina and Wagda brilliantly perform this role. The determination mixed with doubts about the decisions she makes is constantly showing on her face. She wants to be assertive and act fast, but she also gets emotional. It’s kind of a puzzle, it doesn’t reveal all the cards at once and builds this character from episode to episode.

The question of the death of her husband and the perpetrator of the murder of the young woman also remains a mystery. When it turns out that she had time to give birth before she was killed, the investigation becomes complicated as the newborn’s body has not been found. Does this mean he is alive? The woman’s father is the prosecutor (Bogusław Linda), which puts pressure on the speed of the comet’s discovery. Suspicion falls on my husband, Marcin Kosiński (Sebastian Fabijansky), who has sinned with the wrong people, but will this solve the case?

The first season of Odwil consists of 6 episodes. It’s a closed story

The creators of the series are not in a hurry to tell the story, but the episodes do not lose their dynamics. The threads of Zawieja’s private life and investigations are moving forward efficiently, so we have a moment to catch our breath and gather new information in our heads. We are constantly wondering who might have been involved in the murder and whether they were, by chance, people from our immediate neighbourhood. We may already know them. This proves that building tension, posting clues and running the event in “Odwila” was really successful.

It is difficult to look for weak episodes in “Odwilża”, because the rest of the actors, including Sebastian Fabijansky, Bartomig Kuchidov and Cesare Lukaszevic, follow in the footsteps of Katarzyna and Edda. Andrzej Grabowski and Bogusław Linda appear occasionally and only raise the bar. The convenient and dense atmosphere is also influenced by the music that appears at the right moments and stops as soon as it bothers you. We might also love the opening credits, which give us a climactic introduction to each episode—I didn’t miss it once.

The Thaw vs. East Town mare

Could I wish for something more after the “thaw”? Yes and no. The preserved balance of all the elements makes the session annoyingly enjoyable – that is, it may be lovable, but it affects the feelings and movements of places. It also fuels thought and makes you wonder how we would act in this or that situation. There is a bit of style in this series Noir, which director Xawery Żuławski told me about in an interview, but far from this production is a classic example of the genre. This is of course not wrong because that was not the point. The content creators strived to portray a truly authentic, engaging, and engaging story. In my opinion, it worked, but I can already see those comparisons with Mary from East Town on the horizon. We won’t create a small American town reality on Polish TV, but during the show “Odwilża” we’ll absorb the local.