SERIES REVIEW Entrapped

Andri and Hinrika are back!

Netflix confirms Entrapped transmission date

One of our favourite crime dramas – Trapped – recently made the switch to Netflix and its third series renamed Entrapped.

Now, after over almost year of speculation and waiting (it was broadcast in its native Iceland back in October 2021), we finally know when it’s going to be shown here.

Police duo Andri and Hinrika, get drawn into a war in the remote highlands, where two rival groups fight over specific pieces of land, but for very different reasons.

The neopagan and peaceful sect, The Extended Family, led by its founder and spiritual leader Oddur (Egill Ólafsson) has raised camp on the land, see the land as sacred and want to be close to their heathen Gods. A group of Icelandic bikers, led by an angry young man, Gunnar (Haraldur Stefánsson), also claim the ‘sacred site’. In order to take ownership of the land, he calls for backup and soon a group of Danish bikers arrive by ferry, led by the Danish leader, Hopper (Bo Larsen). The clash of the two groups leads to the death of a young man, Ivar (Auðunn Lúthersson). It turns out that Ivar was not unknown to Andri, so he feels obliged to join Hinrika in the North to investigate the murder case.

Entrapped: From Thursday 8th September, Netflix

READ MORE: ALL OUR NEWS AND REVIEWS OF TRAPPED

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First full trailer for Trapped series three unveiled

Only this week we brought you news of teasers for series three of Icelandic series Trapped, or Entrapped as it’ll be known on Netflix.

Now Icelandic state broadcaster has released the first full-length trailer.

Police duo Andri and Hinrika, get drawn into a war in the remote highlands, where two rival groups fight over specific pieces of land, but for very different reasons.

The neopagan and peaceful sect, The Extended Family, led by its founder and spiritual leader Oddur (Egill Ólafsson) has raised camp on the land, see the land as sacred and want to be close to their heathen Gods. A group of Icelandic bikers, led by an angry young man, Gunnar (Haraldur Stefánsson), also claim the ‘sacred site’. In order to take ownership of the land, he calls for backup and soon a group of Danish bikers arrive by ferry, led by the Danish leader, Hopper (Bo Larsen). The clash of the two groups leads to the death of a young man, Ivar (Auðunn Lúthersson). It turns out that Ivar was not unknown to Andri, so he feels obliged to join Hinrika in the North to investigate the murder case.

It starts in Iceland on RÚV on Sunday 17th October, and will then come on to Netflix… soon.

READ MORE: ALL OUR NEWS AND REVIEW ON TRAPPED

NORDIC NOIR Trapped series three gets Icelandic transmission date

The highly-anticipated third and perhaps final series of Trapped has been confirmed to broadcast in its native Iceland on Sunday 17th October.

In addition, the show’s home channel, RÚV, showed two teaser trailers during the recent election coverage (grabbed for us by an eagle-eyed viewer and reader of the site).

The beloved Icelandic crime series will pick up two years after the ending of the second season. Police duo Andri and Hinrika, get drawn into a war in the remote highlands, where two rival groups fight over specific pieces of land, but for very different reasons.

The neopagan and peaceful sect, The Extended Family, led by its founder and spiritual leader Oddur (Egill Ólafsson) has raised camp on the land, see the land as sacred and want to be close to their heathen Gods. A group of Icelandic bikers, led by an angry young man, Gunnar (Haraldur Stefánsson), also claim the ‘sacred site’. In order to take ownership of the land, he calls for backup and soon a group of Danish bikers arrive by ferry, led by the Danish leader, Hopper (Bo Larsen). The clash of the two groups leads to the death of a young man, Ivar (Auðunn Lúthersson). It turns out that Ivar was not unknown to Andri, so he feels obliged to join Hinrika in the North to investigate the murder case.

As we now know, this series will not air on BBC Four like previous series. Instead it will appear on Netflix outside of Iceland and will be known as Entrapped.

However, the UK transmission date is still unknown and could be in 2022.

READ MORE: ALL OUR NEWS AND REVIEWS OF TRAPPED

Entrapped (Trapped) finishes filming, airs in Iceland in the autumn

Trapped (Ófærð) creator Baltasar Kormákur says that Entrapped – the new Netflix version of Trapped, or series three of the icelandic crime show – has finished filming and will premiere in Iceland in the autumn.

It’s hoped that it will follow on to Netflix worldwide soon after.

The show’s home channel, RÚV, said in a statement: “The TV series Ófærð has enjoyed great popularity. No Icelandic drama series has received more views in this country. 

“The popularity of the shows has also spread beyond the [country]. The first two series were shown on Netflix and Amazon, among others. Filming for the third series has been going on recently, and it ended recently.”

Kormákur himself said: “It’s been a complicated year, but it has gone very well and we have got through it. And towards the end, of course, COVID was starting to lighten up a bit. There were some delays, some actors being quarantined, that delayed us. But this has still been a great year in many ways for filmmaking. “

In terms of the series itself, he says: “It will be exciting. Very exciting. And quite different from the previous series. It’s a slightly different tone in it.”

“There are events there, perhaps something poetic, that we have not seen before. It’s a religious cult we create in Iceland. It is related to atheism. And the motorcycle gangs, which are now known here, that collide. And it will be a bit like Icelandic history or the west.”

More news as we get it…

READ MORE: ALL OUR NEWS AND REVIEWS OF TRAPPED

Trapped “spin-off” Entrapped to return on Netflix in 2021

We got very excited when the news broke that Icelandic favourite, Trapped, was to return for a third series.

Now new details have emerged, with this third “spin-off” series now to be known Entrapped. It will also debut on Netflix.

The streaming giant announced that the sequel season will still star and Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Ilmur Kristjánsdóttir and introduce Danish actor Thomas Bo Larsen.

Netflix says that Entrapped will pick up two years after the ending of the second season: the police duo Andri and Hinrika, get drawn into a war in the remote highlands, where two rival groups fight over specific pieces of land, but for very different reasons.

The neopagan and peaceful sect, The Extended Family, led by its founder and spiritual leader Oddur (Egill Ólafsson) has raised camp on the land, see the land as sacred and want to be close to their heathen Gods. A group of Icelandic bikers, led by an angry young man, Gunnar (Haraldur Stefánsson), also claim the ‘sacred site’. In order to take ownership of the land, he calls for backup and soon a group of Danish bikers arrive by ferry, led by the Danish leader, Hopper (Bo Larsen). The clash of the two groups leads to the death of a young man, Ivar (Auðunn Lúthersson). It turns out that Ivar was not unknown to Andri, so he feels obliged to join Hinrika in the North to investigate the murder case

Executive Producer and Creative Director Baltasar Kormákur: “It is a great honour that Netflix wanted to take on the next chapter in the Trapped saga. Trapped is the most successful TV series in Iceland’s history and I am in no doubt that relaunching it as Entrapped with Netflix around the world will take it even further. The show will keep on tackling crimes in Iceland through its unique setting, bringing stories of our beloved main characters and their search for justice in a country deeply rooted in its traditions.”

The production of Entrapped has commenced in Iceland and will launch on Netflix 2021.

READ MORE: ALL OUR NEWS AND REVIEWS OF TRAPPED

LISTEN TO MORE: OUR TRAPPED SPECIAL PODCAST

REVIEW: Trapped (S2 E9&10/10)

We waited three years for this second series of Trapped and now it feels as though it’s over in a heartbeat. The last two episodes had a lot to tie up and, perhaps, throw in a twist or two, so it was time to settle in and see what happens.

We start off in a heart-breaking way. Badly injured and barely hanging on, Ásgeir is dragged to his car by the killer and driven away as the urgent calls from Hínrika come in over the radio. When there is no reply they track the car and see it’s heading out of town. Racing after it they soon find it on fire. They are shocked and horrified as they put out the flames and see Ásgeir dead in the back seat.

This series has focused a lot on the glitchy interaction of the trio and to know that Ásgeir (played so well by Ingvar E. Sigurðsson) won’t be returning for the third series, is very disappointing. The balance of their different personalities has been one of the best parts of Trapped.

But still, the show must go on.

In the morning, Andri is talking to Þórhildur to get some information about the phone that is now lost. I’ll say this for scriptwriters Sigurjón Kjartansson and Clive Bradley, they are very consistent in their portrayal of this teenager. She remembers nothing of the texts. This is astonishingly ridiculous, as there is no way Þórhildur wouldn’t remember every single text. They weren’t flippant comments about the weather. At this point, the character is almost caricature. It’s truly odd as all the others are infinitely better written, and the depth of characterisation is one of the show’s real strengths. Fair play to Elva María Brigisdóttir, though, who plays the part as well as the script will allow. (Please give her something better to work with next time round.) Distressed and overcome with emotions, Andri cries quietly in the bathroom until Hínrika tells him they’re losing Ásgeir’s murderer and need to get moving. Only then does Þórhildur remember one of the texts and it puts the killer at Gísli’s funeral.

Stubborn Ketill has teamed up with the reporter and shows her where he has found barrels of toxic waste in a hole on the heath from where it leaks into the lake. He informs the police and they come to investigate. Car scenes with Andri and Hínrika must be the most frequent ones in this series, they form an intimate setting, usually with stunning background, in which to discuss personal issues or speculate about the case. Now they try to understand what made Ásgeir go to meet the killer alone. Both feel guilty but maybe, as Hínrika says, he wasn’t trying to prove anything but just doing his job. It’s a subdued conversation.

Everything points to this being waste from the plant that was recently dumped at the site. The mayor ponders, maybe the old woman was right about the curse, but Ketill scoffs that it’s nothing but typical Icelandic greed.

Andri and Hínrika continue to the plant to talk to Stefán, who they have found out is head of waste management there. He’s off sick but a worker tells them the waste is typically shipped abroad. They go to talk to Stefán at home. As they arrive a raven caws repeatedly, never a good sign. And as Tom has pointed out in comments previously, there are other indicators that Andri and Hínrika are now on the right track. (I had some bad feelings about him from the start too, but only because Arnmundur Ernst Björnsson played a neo-nazi copper in a previous series of Shetland, so not really a valid reason.) Once inside, suspicions increase as Stefán isn’t home and may have been out all night. The gun safe is ominously empty. Trapped is considered and methodical taking its time to explore the plot without feeling slow. Then there are the intermittent waves of dangerous situations or breakthrough in the case which gives a sense of urgency and pace to the narrative. It’s well balanced just what you want from a great crime drama.

Laufey, had agreed with Andri earlier that she should drive Þórhildur and Aron to Reykjavik to keep them safe. But the killer was following them waiting for his opportunity. It comes when they stop at a petrol station and we now have confirmation that Stefán is the killer when he attacks Aron and abducts Þórhildur. So here is the situation we’ve been expecting since the trailer came out, our detective’s daughter in serious danger.

Luckily there are already plenty of extra police officers in town and Trausti is also back with his SWAT team. Roadblocks come up in a hurry forcing Stefán onto small side roads.

Andri, who remarkably is still allowed on the case, and Hínrika are unsure what Stefán’s motive is or where he might go. To find out they visit his friend Víkingur. But instead it’s Ebo who has information about the toxic waste that was dumped, though he’s not keen to share it at first. Stéfan was paying Finnur to get rid of the barrels rather and when Finnur died without having paid the workers Pawel tried to get the money from Stefán directly.

With Þórhildur in harm’s way, others start talking about secrets from the past. Jórunn opens up to Hínrika and tells her that Stefán is Halla’s son who she gave up. The second domino to fall is Elín who reveals that her father was a violent sadist and Gísli killed him and with the help of Halla fed him to the pigs. Pigs eat everything, Elín says. It’s both matter of fact and poignant at the same time.

Meanwhile, the police are closing in on Stefán. Some riders have seen him trying to ford a river but getting stuck and continuing on foot with Þórhildur. The police have something to go on and a helicopter spots him at an old ski cabin in the countryside.

Andri and Hínrika ask Halla, who is back in town to come with them to help. In the car she completes the gruesome story the other two women started. Andy’s prediction from last week turned out to be correct. Her father raped her repeatedly and she’d lived in fear until Gísli killed him. The flashbacks are disturbing. The thought that Gísli might have told Stefán the truth sickens her. She admits that when Gísli came to her for help she refused it. This is what led to his desperate act of revenge when he had lost everything.

Arriving at the cabin we have a clear setup for a final showdown. Andri is allowed in the cabin to talk to Stefán, who is armed, while the SWAT team remains outside. So far Andri has seemed too calm considering his daughter has been kidnapped but now there is some emotion and he is asking Stefán to tell him where she is, but he refuses. Two weeks ago, you were a normal man with a normal life, Andri says in an effort to get Stefán to start talking. And he tells his side, how Finnur had taken the money because he wanted to buy Gísli’s farm and everything snowballed from there. The point of no return leading to three murders being when he found out who his parents were. He’d felt like a freak and that everyone knew it. Without it he wouldn’t have snapped.

Hínrika brings in Halla and for the second time a son is shouting at his mother in pain over having been given up. Over having apparently been deemed worthless. While emotions run high Hínrika manages to throw out Þórhildur’s jacket for the search dogs. They find her where she’d fallen, at the bottom of a slope with hands tied and mouth taped, struggling to keep her head over the cold water.

The situation in the cabin is tense and when they hear over the radio that Þórhildur is safe, Stefán puts the gun under his chin and ends it. It’s a desperate end but almost inevitable the way the plot was laid out. The family secret was a curse after all.

Hope instead rests with Víkingur and Steinunn who might mend their relationship and Elín and Aron who could find a new and happier life in Reykjavik.

Andri also has a chance to mend things with Þórhildur. It’s a sweet moment when he visits her in hospital and rests his head on the pillow next to hers and she tells him “I will be ok, and you too”.

It’s interesting to see how often they chose to link back to the events of the previous series of Trapped. Þórhildur talks about Eirikur killing Hrafn because her aunt was killed in a fire. Hjörtur’s experiences as wrongly accused and convicted effects how he reacts when Víkingur is in trouble. Trausti talks about how he feels responsible for Sigurður’s suicide. It’s very reasonable that such horrible events should leave a deep impression on people and quite natural that they resurface from time to time.

There are also many parallels between the crimes in the two series. In both cases, rape is the original crime, which leads to other immediate crimes and has further consequences years down the line when the past comes back to haunt those involved. Notably, four people; Dagný, Hrafn, Gísli and Ásgeir were all burnt alive with Hjörtur and Halla also injured.

So what do we make of this second series of Trapped?

It wasn’t quite as perfect as the first, it has to be said (perhaps because of Þórhildur’s storyline, perhaps because it was missing that central, explicit trapped theme). However, it wasn’t far off and certainly another high-quality series, with Andri and Hínrika once again proving that they’re a formidable partnership and one of the best police pairings (if not the best) on television at the moment. Add in an emotional storyline and those familiar Nordic Noir socio-economic and cultural themes and it really did deliver. Inherent in a second series is that we get to know the recurring characters better, and there was a sense we got that in this one. At the end of this series, I’m already curious who we will meet again in the third series, whether it be main or peripheral characters. Just too bad Ásgeir won’t be one of them.

Charlotte Carling

FOR OUR EPISODES ONE AND TWO REVIEW CLICK HERE

FOR OUR EPISODES THREE AND FOUR REVIEW CLICK HERE

FOR OUR EPISODES FIVE AND SIX REVIEW CLICK HERE

FOR OUR EPISODES SEVEN AND EIGHT CLICK HERE

REVIEW: Trapped (S2 E7&8/10)

Last week’s cliff-hanger left us with Pawel dead and a bloody Víkingur trying to flee the scene. Now Andri and Hínrika arrive at the plant to find Ásgeir warding off an angry mob of Polish workers while Víkingur, who has been severely beaten, is held in a locked room inside the plant. He is calm, almost stoic. Hjörtur is all the more shaken and apologetic for not having been able to stop the attack on Víkingur. As we know, Hjörtur has some knowledge of what awaits Víkingur through his own experiences. Normally unfazed, but now confused and anxious he tells Andri later “we both know this community is going to crucify him”. This part is particularly well played by Baltasar Breki Samper.

Andri and Hínrika have an initial look at the crime scene and speculate about what might have happened, when the boss of the plant shows just how disposable the worker was by asking that the finish their work quickly as there is an important guest coming. No concern whatsoever for the murder victim. Hínrika has only to raise her eyebrows to dispatch him.

The social commentary about what value we place on some people is harsh but not unfair.

Ásgeir, once again working on his own while Andri and Hínrika are teamed up, puts Víkingur in a cell at the police station and have him examined by a doctor.

Having heard the news at the plant, Stefán updates Ebo on what happened and takes him to the station to make a statement. Ebo hesitates, but with Stefán hovering behind his back, then explains to Ásgeir what happened, not perhaps realising he’s providing good motive for his boyfriend to kill Pawel.

Hallas brief display of unguarded emotion and closeness with her sister is gone and the façade back in place when Elín wants to talk more about what happened when they were young. They are false memories Halla claims, but they clearly both know differently. Surely abuse of some sort as was suggested in the comments last week. Elín seems to relinquish her attempt at creating a relationship with her sister. Halla’s full focus is on the business deal to be secured with the Americans though she is also meeting separately with Jórunn, from the local committee, and gives her a wad of cash. They clearly have shady dealings that need to be kept secret, but is this about the plant or something personal? The two of them and Kolbrún make for a great trio of rather cold, calculating and self-serving women.

Guðrún has secured fingerprints from Víkingur on the murder weapon and with means, motive and his DNA all over the scene, his lawyer tells him it doesn’t look good. When interviewed by our now almost constant duo, in their calm and methodical fashion with curious looks and twitching eyebrows, he denies having had anything to do with either Finnur’s or Pawel’s murder. And we want to believe him though the evidence isn’t speaking in his favour. These interview scenes are one of the best things about Trapped. The way the main characters go about them with a respectful and subtle demeanour is very particular.

Elsewhere, Aron is naturally angry at the gossip around town about his family and turns to Þórhildur for some comfort, but she is ever the petulant teen, telling her boyfriend, whose father just was murdered, that she wishes her father would get his throat slit. It’s in keeping with how they’ve portrayed Þórhildur so far but taking it maybe just a bit too far. I wish they’d give her a bit more credit. Aron is fed up with her and refuses to talk to her. He may also be a troubled teen but at least he is aware of how serious the situation is.

Once the CCTV footage from outside the plant comes through, Víkingur suddenly looks a lot less guilty and the police have to reconsider once again.

Meanwhile, Ásgeir and Barður go up on the mountain and find thousands of dead fish floating on the lake. A ban on drinking tap water is immediately put in place and before long there is no water in the taps at all. Tension is rising in the community.

At a meeting in the town hall Hafdís is trying to calm down fears about the pollution. Instead an old woman, Gríma, takes over and manages to stir up emotions with claims that old Þorir, who disappeared 35 years ago, caused a curse on his family by building his house on a charmed stone. and the curse is spreading over the whole town. A surprising number of locals seem to accept this woman’s opinion as credible fact and agree there is a curse. Although believing in curses is over the top, the mentality and reaction of a small community when faced with, as yet, unexplained horrible and frightening events, is not incredible.

At Finnur’s sparsely attended burial, Andri sees David, the boss from the plant, giving Elín what turns out to be half a million in cash. This is surely not out of the goodness of his heart so what money is this? What has been going on at the plant?

At the police station Ásgeir and Guðrún are flirting over dead birds and samples of polluted water. A home cooked meal at Ásgeir’s place seems to be in the cards. Finally, we’re getting somewhere with these two.

Ásgeir’s main colleagues are still making him feel left out since they form a constant pair handling all the important aspects of the investigation. There is a communication break down and frustrations on all side. Hínrika insists on a tense talk and emphasise that they must be able to work as a team.

Somewhere in the process we find out that Hínrika had been pregnant but miscarried. An unusually emotional moment for her.

It takes Aron to make Þórhildur do the right thing and hand in the phone she found to the police. Ásgeir reads the texts to Tryggvi, who has an oddly limited reaction to what is clearly a very interesting lead. Ásgeir does realise the importance and tries to contact Andri who is now away with Hínrika at the plant questioning David about the money he gave to Elín at the cemetery. As it turns out he has an explanation, gambling, and alibi, affair with an MP, and is nothing but a red herring keeping them occupied while their colleague is on the trail of the actual killer.

Frustrated that Andri isn’t answering, Ásgeir texts the presumed killer and agrees to meet him. We know nothing good will come of this, and there is a clear build up.

There is finally some urgency with the colleagues as they realise Ásgeir might be in trouble, but it’s too late, he isn’t answering their calls. He is pursuing the killer who managed to take back the phone and run off. Suddenly he appears from the dark and stabs Ásgeir twice in the stomach and leaving him bleeding on the ground.

That’s the most anxiety-inducing cliff-hanger so far and a very exciting set-up for the final two episodes. We need Ásgeir to pull through. Who will turn out to be the killer and what was their motive?

Quote of the day comes after Andri has sighed “Sometimes it’s not easy being a parent”. Hínrika retorts “Sometimes it’s not easy having parents”. I’d like to know what teenage Hínrika was like.

Charlotte Carling

FOR OUR EPISODES ONE AND TWO REVIEW CLICK HERE

FOR OUR EPISODES THREE AND FOUR REVIEW CLICK HERE

FOR OUR EPISODES FIVE AND SIX REVIEW CLICK HERE

REVIEW: Trapped (S2 E5&6/10)

As we return for our next two episodes of Trapped, the red herring brothers are now in the clear for unlikable and all but friendless Finnur’s murder, and the Hammer of Thor are no longer a threat.

Instead, the police must shift focus to solve the murder and “bear in a crisis” Andri believes the killer is local and attends Gísli’s funeral.

It’s these layers that make Trapped so engaging and engrossing. Now we’re halfway through the series, the layers are being peeled back, and we’re shifting our focus onto the families themselves at the centre of this mystery, namely those of Gísli’s and Finnur’s.

Andri and Hínrika talk to Elín to learn more about her husband. She knows others didn’t like him but does not want to connect the dots of what she is telling the police. Unconvinced that a foreman would be at much risk of breaking his arm at work, Hínrika checks with the hospital and it’s clear it was not an accident, as Elín had believed. A chat with Hjörtur, who is preparing his home for the arrival of the baby, confirms that it was Víkingur who had broken Finnur’s arm six months ago when the homophobic racist had taunted Víkingur with old stories in front of the crew who, as Hjörtur puts it, “are not from the most liberal places”. So how much bad blood was there between them? Enough for Víkingur to kill Finnur? That would maybe be too simple?

As the gravediggers had pointed out, there is a lot of bad blood in that family. Other mysteries are hinted at too, as the father had disappeared without a trace when Gísli and Halla were in their teens. Of course, it’s not unheard of that people are lost out on the mountain and never found, the landscape can be very treacherous.

Víkingur struggles to make it through the funeral service listening to his aunt’s platitudes and his mother’s sobs that to him are anything but genuine. When family and guests are gathered afterwards, it all becomes too much for him and years’ worth of anger and hurt come to the surface. He has a few choice words for them all but Halla, Ólafur and Steinunn are on top of his list. It’s a great and cathartic scene for Víkingur (and played very well by Aron Már Ólafsson) publicly shaming the hypocrisy around him and laying a firm accusation at his mother’s door of abandoning him as a young child only to move to the next farm over. She crumbles under the weight of it as he finishes “you have no child”. Words which have been a long time coming.

On the way home after the funeral, Hínrika too has come to the end of the road. Quietly and calmly, as if all out of energy, she ends her marriage. Clearly, she has felt unsupported for a long time and it must be embarrassing, as police chief, to continually have to turn a blind eye to Barður growing weed at home and smoking it in plain view for everyone to see. One has to wonder how come she has tolerated this for years. Maybe that sense of knowing what it means to be lonely. There was a rather touching scene in the first series where the subject came up briefly between her and Rögnvaldur, the man in the wheelchair on the outskirts of town. We must surmise a little because what we get with Hínrika is often just a few words and a frown.

In our podcast (listen to that here), Ilmur Kristjánsdóttir suggested that she might want to see more personal storylines for Hínrika, and here we got a bit of that. Seeing more Hínrika is always very welcome.

Ásgeir, meanwhile, is continuing along with effective police work. Having previously got Aron talking about the family cars, he follows up with the local car dealer and finds that Finnur had plenty of cash to dispose of. Pleasingly, he also keeps in touch with Guðrún who is back in Reykjavik.

Things are not going well for Ebo. With Finnur gone, he tries to get money owed for extra work from Pawel instead. What this extra work is we don’t know but it certainly won’t be anything above board and could be connected to the murder. Pawel has the upper hand and easily fobs off and humiliates Ebo. So far, his brother-in-law has suspected something, but not known about Ebo and Víkingur. The latter removes all doubts when he turns up drunk at the foreign workers’ barracks shouting for Ebo and begging him to stay with him in Iceland. While it’s easy to feel sympathy for Víkingur’s situation, his selfishness and thoughtlessness here, putting Ebo at risk and asking him to abandon his child, is just too much.

While other family members are angered by Víkingurs behaviour at the funeral, Elín shows compassion. There was a lot of truth in what he said she tells her sister as they have a moment together. But she has compassion for Halla too. She remembers. She knows. It’s alright. Hallas is shaken and for the first time there appears to be some genuine emotion in her face and not just guarded display of what might be seen to be appropriate. This isn’t any old family secret, but at the series halfway point it’s too soon to reveal to us.

The funeral yielded no lead for the police so the next day Andri and Hínrika goes to have a look at Finnur’s home. They find not only Andri’s worst nightmare, a used condom left behind by Aron and Þórhildur, but also some money that had fallen out of the bag. Now there is a definite sense of urgency and they pick up Aron and Elín for and head for the station. Elín, realising this could be a very dangerous sitiuation, suddenly displays a no-nonsense parenting style. She grabs Aron’s phone as he texts Þórhildur to hide the money. Once again there is the feeling that these kids are portrayed as just a little too naïve. At 15 and 17 they would be smart enough to give up the money once the police are onto them. Instead Þórhildur is incredulous that she needs to be questioned and keeps mum about the phone she’s found. In fact, she later agrees to a meeting with the person who is still looking for his money, putting herself at even greater risk. I’m not sure if she is meant to try to find the answer to her father’s case or she’s just hungry for extreme danger.

The situation leads to some tension when Andri is frustrated over Hínrika having let Þórhildur go. Hínrika calls Andri out about his behaviour with a gem of a quote: You can’t just stomp around like a bear in an existential crisis!

Classic Hínrika, telling it like it is.

With the money were papers that lead Andri and Hínrika to speculate that Finnur might have been trying to buy Gísli’s land to turn a quick profit. Not surprising on Finnur’s part, as greed was his driving force, but what would the motive be for Gísli to attack his sister? What had she done? The initial question still needs an answer. Was it political or personal?

Ketill, who had been warning about the environmental impact from the drilling at the plant, suddenly seems to have tangible evidence for his claim when he finds dead birds on the mountain. He is convinced his son got sick from poisoned water and Hínrika orders tests to be carried out. It’s interesting how we see this character in a different light as the plot progresses. Ketill has gone from vitriolic protester, to concerned father at hospital trying to help Hínrika get answers from his son and now they have a better understanding even when he’s back to his cause with passion.

At the plant, Ebo once again asks for his money and Pawel and his vile friends threaten him and are about to attack him but Ebo manages to escape and with Stefán’s help goes to see his boyfriend. Hearing about what happened, Víkingur storms off to the plant to confront Pawel before Ebo can stop him. We know this can’t end well.

There is a power cut at the plant and Hjörtur goes to check out what has happened. He finds Pawel dead by a welding station with the flame still burning. It appears menacing somehow. Hjörtur arms himself with a spanner and quickly follows the sounds of someone running from the scene. At the end of a red-lit corridor, that resembles something out Red October, Hjörtur suddenly stands face to face with a blood-soaked Víkingur. With that cliff-hanger we are surely meant to wonder if the obvious solution is also the right one. It doesn’t look good for Víkingur.

So we have some different strands in play here, with the overriding question of how are they all linked? Whatever the reason (and some of our eagle-eyed readers have been suggesting there are links to some of the Icelandic Sagas), there are familiar forces, specific to Nordic Noir and, especially, Trapped: socio-political machinations, an existential study of identity and culture, and, when it all comes down to it, family.

There is always a good ebb and flow within the pace of a well-crafted story to build excitement and draw you in. Trapped does the job beautifully and is thoroughly engaging and moreish, and as the layers begin to peel back it’s becoming ever more engrossing.

Charlotte Carling

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PODCAST: Sigurjón Kjartansson and Ilmur Kristjánsdóttir, Trapped

Going deep into Icelandic crime drama with Trapped.