Borgen [** Spoilers **]

born2bwild

Fluorescence wrote: »

This is an Irish website, and my location says Dublin. I think "here" is implied. :P

Of course, no spoilers --- considering the last few years' rate of emigration 'here' could be anywhere - whatever you've written as your boards location.

I'm on to episode 7 Season 2 - no spoilers except to say

that it gets better!

The Black Oil

Still on season one, up to episode 7. Can't wait to finish it.

The scenes in English (mostly episode 6) were fun, Birgitte seemed to drop straight into a British accent! I do think some of the translations are a little loose to accommodate a British audience, e.g., 'the dog's bollocks'. :pac:

Between this, and the other Danish/Scandinavian imports, let no one tell you there are no good (credible) female characters on TV.

what was it 'I consider you a dead man in my government',

what a ballsy line.

That former Labour party guy who now runs a tabloid is an awful sleaze altogether, but the sh!tstorms that occur in the government's own house are the meat of the show. OK, so some of the decisions and manoeuvre's a bit clean (in the story telling sense), and there's a little wish fulfillment vibe, but who cares? It's good TV.

OK, where do I go for support group meeting? :pac:

born2bwild

The current Danish PM is a chick, too.

Even hotter than Brigitte.

We get Inda....

The Black Oil

Finished now.

Episode 9 was bloody brilliant. These shows really put their female characters through the wringer.

Katrine wised up a bit and her BS detector is obviously a little more honed now. Great scene when she walked into the room only to meet the military brass. Shout to Theis Larsen from the Killing who's the Defence minister. I still think her colleague Ulrik is pretty useless and gives very soft interviews. Kasper's had a heavy past - difficult flashbacks, he might need to watch his drinking habits.

Episode 10 - nice speech, think she's been taking hints from Obama. The show in general has a few nods to US politics.

Interview with Katrine here.

Eurovisionmad

So excited for tonight, I've been anticipating this all week

After reading that interview my favourite line is

It also had the best furniture.

I'd forgotten all about that part, I'm gonna spend the whole episode admiring Brigitte's interior design!

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Been reading through this to try and refresh my memory of series 1. Totally forgot the whole thing started with Katrine sexing that guy to death a la Downton Abbey

Very excited for tonight

The Black Oil

Well, those 2 opening episodes certainly packed a punch, eh?

hollypink

It's a bit sad I know but I dashed home from the pub to watch Borgen! Missed the first 10 mins but I think they repeat it some night during the week. Realised I must have missed some of series 1 because I didnt know

Birgitte and Philip were getting a divorce and that she had fallen out with Bent

(not sure if those are spoilers but just in case)

Infoanon

hollypink wrote: »

It's a bit sad I know but I dashed home from the pub to watch Borgen! Missed the first 10 mins but I think they repeat it some night during the week.

Tuesday 11pm on BBC4 - brilliant first 2 episodes of series 2 - thats my Saturday night sorted for the next 4 weeks !

Kiwi_knock

Great first two episodes, certainly one of the best shows on TV. So much drama contained within both episodes, they both flew by. Loved the way

she got rid of creepy looking Kruse. I am glad Bent survived, Brigitte really needs his guidance.

Should be another great season if they continue at this pace.

Infoanon

Kiwi_knock wrote: »

Great first two episodes, certainly one of the best shows on TV. So much drama contained within both episodes, they both flew by.

Please No Spoilers

honeybear

Missed 1st season so watched this blind last night-loved it!

CJhaughey

Funny how some of the characters from other Scan-series seem to pop up again and again.
The car sales guy who lost his son in Afghanistan was the Prime Minister from the Killing II.

Fluorescence

Those were two very very powerful episodes! Way to open the new season :eek:

I must go back and rewatch Season 1.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Good two episodes this week.

They get the balance of personal life and political/journalistic life just right.

Fluorescence

They really aren't pulling any punches this season, are they?

trishasaffron

Its a bit of a rollercoaster with a touch of everything - they really know how to enjoy sex those great Danes!

I find it gripping but on the downside all the (small p) interpersonal politics make me feel like I'm at work and I get all tense trying to anticipate the tactics needed to crush the opposition. I hadn't really thought about setting my work enemy up for a homosexual sting - might work though!

hollypink

Laugesen is such a great character, so sleazy and manipulative. I like how the Kaspar/Katrine relationship is evolving.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

hollypink wrote: »

Laugesen is such a great character, so sleazy and manipulative. I like how the Kaspar/Katrine relationship is evolving.

I found those scenes quite sad in the 2nd episode. She keeps banging on about him keeping secrets, which is fine, but because we know what the main secret is it makes me feel really sorry for him.

Infoanon

Another 2 great episodes - I enjoy the fact that the issues are so current (despite this being 1 series behind).

In Borgen the leader of the junior coalition partner - labour leader - is also the minister for foreign affairs - sound familiar......

You can imagine similar real life cabinet scenes to those in the fictional Borgen, now and in the future !

Looking forward to Ep.5&6 next week

Eurovisionmad

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I found those scenes quite sad in the 2nd episode. She keeps banging on about him keeping secrets, which is fine, but because we know what the main secret is it makes me feel really sorry for him.

I find it a bit weird how nothing has been mentioned about that since the middle of the first season, it's like a very large elephant in the room!

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Eurovisionmad wrote: »

I find it a bit weird how nothing has been mentioned about that since the middle of the first season, it's like a very large elephant in the room!

I assume it will come up again. They don't put a lot of focus on the back story of the main characters, but I don't see why they'd introduce that if they had no plans to go back to it? Unless it was just to give an insight into the character but not to actually make it a story line.

Given all the talk of secrets coming out, and you can't keep anything hidden in politics etc. maybe the newspaper guy will discover it? Not sure how he'd do that mind you, but anyway, I hope it gets brought up again somehow.

The Black Oil

Good episodes again in 2.03 and 2.04.

I did feel sorry for Marrot, even though he was obviously weak. Didn't feel all that sorry for the Foreign Minister, though, very ambitious and really pushing the optics to appear Prime Ministerial. His

suicide, well, seemed inevitable as he was pretty crushed when he confessed all in Birgette's office. Suicide's a bit of an easy out scriptingwise, imo. I thought the photos would ultimately end up in Kasper's hands.

Laugesen is ruthless.

In terms of Philip's and Birgette's relationship, I don't think we needed to meet his new OH to see how much pain Birgette is in from the divorce. I did cringe a little when she

shagged her driver.

The Philip/Birgette relationship is a little more settled now they've been apart for a while. They are a little easier in each other's company, to some extent, though he rightly questioned her on the 'grow old together' thing.

So, have you been watching Borgen, then?
No, what's it about?
Well, it's a political show, but basically, in season 2, episode 4, everyone sleeps with other, and stabs each other in the back. :pac:

snubbleste

Excellent series.
Why is Katrine's flat so small? I mean she can afford something bigger on her wage, can't she? or is this the way most single Danes live?

I still chuckle over the way the script called the Queen a bitch for keeping the PM waiting when she won the election. Could you imagine that happening in a BBC drama!?
The best episode was the Greenland one imho.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

The Black Oil wrote: »

. His

suicide, well, seemed inevitable as he was pretty crushed when he confessed all in Birgette's office. Suicide's a bit of an easy out scriptingwise, imo. I thought the photos would ultimately end up in Kasper's hands.

Laugesen is ruthless.

Yes, I thought that Kasper would end up with them and they'd use them to keep him in line. Although

there was a scene at the start where Birgitte was getting something out of her office bathroom cabinet and the pills were really obvious in the shot. I was thinking why do they want me to notice the pills? So as soon as she left him in the office I realised where it was going.

DeepBlue

Just finished series 2. I'm not going to include spoilers for those still watching but I thought it was a great series and was even better than the first series. Sidse Babett Knudsen is terrific as Birgitte and Johan Philip Asbæk as Kasper is fantastic too.
Peter Mygind as Laugesen deserves praise also as the loathsome Express editor.

born2bwild

DeepBlue wrote: »

Just finished series 2. I'm not going to include spoilers for those still watching but I thought it was a great series and was even better than the first series. Sidse Babett Knudsen is terrific as Birgitte and Johan Philip Asbæk as Kasper is fantastic too.
Peter Mygind as Laugesen deserves praise also as the loathsome Express editor.

Just finished season 2 too.

Can't wait for third - I've seen the new opening credits and that's that.

Looking forward to season 3

The Black Oil

snubbleste wrote: »

Excellent series.
Why is Katrine's flat so small? I mean she can afford something bigger on her wage, can't she? or is this the way most single Danes live?

iirc, it's something she mentioned in the first season...around the time she was going to stay with her mother 'living like a student', or something like that. It's probably small so the All the President's Men poster can be in almost every shot. :pac:

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

Although

there was a scene at the start where Birgitte was getting something out of her office bathroom cabinet and the pills were really obvious in the shot. I was thinking why do they want me to notice the pills? So as soon as she left him in the office I realised where it was going.

Hmm, I didn't notice the pills in this one, maybe a previous episode I can't recall, but yeah, once he wasn't headed to the meeting, and went for the bathroom, it was game over.

part time punk

The Black Oil wrote: »

iirc, it's something she mentioned in the first season...around the time she was going to stay with her mother 'living like a student', or something like that. It's probably small so the All the President's Men poster can be in almost every shot. :pac:

I think it makes a nice balance to the fab Danish furniture porn of Byrgitte's house Seriously though this is probably the best thing on tv at the moment, certainly the only one I'd look forward to. Loving the double episodes. Find I might just guess what's going to happen but only a minute or two before it does, it's not nearly as telegraphed as so much else on tv.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

part time punk wrote: »

I think it makes a nice balance to the fab Danish furniture porn of Byrgitte's house Seriously though this is probably the best thing on tv at the moment, certainly the only one I'd look forward to. Loving the double episodes. Find I might just guess what's going to happen but only a minute or two before it does, it's not nearly as telegraphed as so much else on tv.

Yes! I find that too. Like you kind of figure it out with the characters. I had no idea what the Labor guys were up to with the rumours and embarrassing their leader and what not and then just before they made their move I figured it out. It's very cleverly written, but then I think that's the strength of it. I remember reading an article about it and they were saying how this initiative from the TV guys was to put everything completely in the hand of the writers. No pandering to fan bases, or advertising pressure or anything like that. There's the one group of writers the whole way through and they're in charge.

seligehgit

born2bwild wrote: »

The current Danish PM is a chick, too.

Even hotter than Brigitte.

We get Inda....

LOL,ah Katrine is'nt half bad.:pac:Anybody reckon there is a certain subliminal chemistry between Birgitte and Kasper.I think he is great as the Rasputin like character.Reckon Alastair Campbell would have got the chop and he was considered the master of the dark arts in terms of spin doctoring.

Kiwi_knock

Finally watched the 3rd and 4th episodes. It is some pace they are going at, doing and concluding a storyline in one episode that could actually be spread over a season. And they still manage to make the storyline believable. The driver Kim is one lucky man. It does a good mix of politics and personal life, while still making it very believable. One of the best shows on TV at the moment.

seligehgit

CJhaughey wrote: »

Funny how some of the characters from other Scan-series seem to pop up again and again.
The car sales guy who lost his son in Afghanistan was the Prime Minister from the Killing II.

It is amazing the level of crossover between Borgen and Forbrydelsen,just waiting for Saga Noren from Broen to pop up!!Scandinavian drama whither of the political or crime genre is streets ahead of anything produced in English speaking world.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

seligehgit wrote: »

It is amazing the level of crossover between Borgen and Forbrydelsen,just waiting for Saga Noren from Broen to pop up!!Scandinavian drama whither of the political or crime genre is streets ahead of anything produced in English speaking world.

Saga was in Sweden, it's unlikely she'll show up. Martin Rohde might pop up though

Infoanon

Tonights episodes - Brilliant Television (S2 Ep5&6) especially Ep.6

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Man, that 2nd episode was emotional. Not ashamed to say I teared up at least twice. The series seems to be flying by this year. Only two more weeks

Kiwi_knock

Each episode of Borgen is better than the last. The second episode, was especially powerful. It was unsettling and difficult to watch at times, but it was brilliant TV. Definitely one of the best shows on TV, certainly not afraid to shy away from any subject.

trishasaffron

Glad to see I wasn't alone - I bawled my eyes out when Jasper's secret was coming out - I wanted to tear that right wing politician apart. Did you think he really had a broken arm?

Qualitymark

Wonder if Svend Age Madsenn is based on any Danish politician, with his creepy laugh and populist songs and simplistic right-wing politics.

Eurovisionmad

Fantastic two episodes last night, so fast paced!

On a side not Brigitte is definitely taking those antidepressants the way they made such a play of them and how she broke down in the bathroom after just makes it too obvious!

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Eurovisionmad wrote: »

Fantastic two episodes last night, so fast paced!

On a side not Brigitte is definitely taking those antidepressants the way they made such a play of them and how she broke down in the bathroom after just makes it too obvious!

She's not taking them, her daughter is. That's why she broke down in the bathroom because she was just after drugging up her child whose issues stem mainly from Birgitte's career and the impact it's had on them.

Eurovisionmad

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

She's not taking them, her daughter is. That's why she broke down in the bathroom because she was just after drugging up her child whose issues stem mainly from Birgitte's career and the impact it's had on them.

Nah I think she'll definitely end up taking them!

DeepBlue

Anyone else cheer when she fired the secretary.......?

Just me? Ok then........:pac:

Eurovisionmad

DeepBlue wrote: »

Anyone else cheer when she fired the secretary.......?

Just me? Ok then........:pac:

Yeah she was very dry couldn't stand her! I was also delighted when Kasper broke up with Lotte, she was one sappy b**ch!

Qualitymark

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

She's not taking them, her daughter is. That's why she broke down in the bathroom because she was just after drugging up her child whose issues stem mainly from Birgitte's career and the impact it's had on them.

When it showed Laura being given the pill, it looked to me like she was pretending to take it, by the way, not taking it.

What a perfect couple that creepy husband and the nasty prig of a doctor he's hooked up with make. Real guilt-trippers.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Qualitymark wrote: »

When it showed Laura being given the pill, it looked to me like she was pretending to take it, by the way, not taking it.

What a perfect couple that creepy husband and the nasty prig of a doctor he's hooked up with make. Real guilt-trippers.

I'd hardly call them guilt trippers. Birgitte over reacts to everything they say because she obviously feels guilty herself in the first place for the situation. The girlfriend only gave her professional opinion as a doctor.

Qualitymark

It seemed to me, watching the first series, that Philip started out as a good husband, committed and conscientious; but when he had to leave his important job to mind the children his weakness began to show. He started chipping away at his wife's self-confidence, unable to be strong in himself without the social prop of a title and a position.
In the second series, when he has, essentially, withdrawn from his family commitment, he is positioning himself as an independent judge and arbiter of his children's needs and behaviour, without taking any real responsibility for his children.

snubbleste

Really!?!
You are over-analysing it. Completely.

Also not only does Katrine have an extremely small flat, it also contains a VHS player. How fortunate for the storyline.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Qualitymark wrote: »

It seemed to me, watching the first series, that Philip started out as a good husband, committed and conscientious; but when he had to leave his important job to mind the children his weakness began to show. He started chipping away at his wife's self-confidence, unable to be strong in himself without the social prop of a title and a position.
In the second series, when he has, essentially, withdrawn from his family commitment, he is positioning himself as an independent judge and arbiter of his children's needs and behaviour, without taking any real responsibility for his children.

Not sure about this series but I agree about him in the first one. He was perfectly fine with his wife being in a high powered job as long as he had his too. Once he lost it it was a completely different situation and you could see that he was no longer as supportive of Birgitte now he was the one at home and she was the one at work.
He does seem to spend a lot of time with the kids, and in fairness they may live with Birgitte but she doesn't spend all that much time with them either. Since they've split up he seems to be building a new life and just setting up home with what's he name, while Birgitte is doing the opposite and just ignoring it. Neither one of them seemed to be that bothered about the kids until there was already a big problem with one of them.

seligehgit

Quite enjoy the buffon like characterization of the Freedom Party Leader Svend Åge Saltum!Reminiscent of the Jean Marie le Pen in France.Concur with the sentiment re how moving the last episode was in terms of the big secret reveal,bit telegraphed how it would it would play out nonetheless.Not convinced it will now be a bed of roses with Kasper and Katrine,he has too many issues and is a bit of a career orientated cad.Can only see a reconciliation between Birgitte and Philip,otherwise I find that whole storyline pointless and boring!