Tag Archives: Sascha Zacharias

REVIEW Rebecka Martinsson: Arctic Murders (S2 E1&2/8)

The Swedish series Rebecka Martinsson returned to the UK tonight (Friday January 8) for its second series.

It feels like a long time since we’ve seen the urban-prosecutor-turned-hometown-sleuth, but it’s immediately obvious things have changed considerably since the last time we saw the show. Ida Engvoll has vacated the lead role and has been replaced with Sascha Zacharias, so instantly I was looking out for what she would bring to the part.

Some readers of this site have already hinted that Zacharias hasn’t got the same energy or presence as Engvoll and the second series has suffered because of the switch.

After digesting all this negative opinion, I came into this series with low expectations. And that’s saying something, because even though the show is very popular the first series was only a solid, enjoyable watch, and certainly not gold-standard Nordic Noir.

The fact that there has been two years since the first series (at least here in the UK) is probably a good thing as it’s almost given Zacharias a blank canvas and head start of sorts because Engvoll and the series is almost a distant memory in television terms.

And, I have to say, she did a good job.

All the regulars were still there: police chief Mella (who I loved in the first series), her on-off love interest and police dog handler Krister Eriksson, quirky pathologist Lars Pohjanen (Bordertown/Sorjonen’s Ville Virtanen… YES, I’d forgotten he was in this and I do love watching him onscreen), and the rest of the Kiruna police team, who are partial to discussing cases over fika.

The first, two-part story of this new second series concerned the Sami, that indigenous tribe of people who inhabit the northern areas of Sweden and Finland. We saw young Sami herdsman, Jon Åppas, incensed by a group of illegal poachers who journeyed into the wastelands to kill reindeer (indeed, the story was called The Reindeer Boy).

Jon took revenge on poacher Putte Larsson, and their feud began to escalate until, by the end of the first episode, Jon was dead, killed by a bolt gun.

The first episode did move very slowly, and it felt at pains to re-establish Rebecka as both a character and as an actress – we saw her help the police investigate the feud, the dead reindeer, and the possible leads. We also saw her relationship with Krister dip (he has a new girlfriend) and reconciled, temptation in the form of an old friend who asked her to come back to Stockholm, and we saw her live the life of Swedish summer. Saunas, aquavit, grilled fish, swimming naked in the lake… it all looked glorious, liberating and, during our own lockdown here in the UK, hugely aspirational.

The land, the lifestyle… these first two episodes of Rebecka Martinsson were certainly balm for lockdown eyes.

But in terms of thrills and spills, the story didn’t travel breakneck speed, nor did it contain many twists or turns. Instead, it was a slow, melancholy tale of a long-standing family beef, of Sami custom and tradition. In some ways, the tale and the outcome reminded me of Hinterland/Y Gwyll in the sense that it featured taciturn rural folk who made their own laws, fomented their own feuds over the generations and who did not trust the police.

Where once we thought poachers had killed Jon, the answers lay much closer to home.

But what viewers really want to know is whether Sascha Zacharias was an able replacement for Ida Engvoll.

Honestly? I thought she was fine. Engvoll has a very striking face and brought with her a very distinctive – almost fierce – kind of energy to the role. Zacharias, on the other hand, is softer with a more classical face, and only occasionally does she show the same kind of spark as Engvoll’s Rebecka. However, that’s not to say she’s a bad replacement… she’s just different.

I’ll be interested to see how she gets on throughout the rest of the series.

Paul Hirons

Rating: 3 out of 5.

READ MORE: ALL OUR NEWS AND REVIEWS OF REBECKA MARTINSSON

Rebecka Martinsson: Why did Ida Engvoll leave?

Series two of Nordic Noir Rebecka Martinsson begins in the UK on More4 on Friday (8th January).

Based on the novels by Åsa Larsson, the series tells the story of a Stockholm-based lawyer who returns to her hometown in the north of the country in Kiruna.

The show became a hit in the UK in 2019, but a new actress – Sascha Zacharias – has replaced Ida Engvoll for the second series.

But who is Sascha Zacharias and why did Ida leave?

Who is Sascha Zacharias?

41-year-old Sascha is the daughter of Swedish actress Ann Zacharias and actor and singer Sven-Bertil Taube, and was born in Stockholm.

When she was 18 she went to Rome and landed roles in Italian dramas, including Raccontami and Caroline Desideri. She also starred in the film Tatanka, adapted from a novella by Roberto ‘Gomorrah‘ Saviano.

Since returning to Sweden eight years ago, she appeared in small parts in Modus and Beck.

She’s also trained to be a dental nurse.

What did Sascha say about Rebecka Martinsson?

In an interview with Aftonbladet, Sascha said: “I am very grateful to be able to take over from such a fantastic actress.

“When I watched the first series, I thought a lot about how Ida did certain things. 

“But on second viewing, I did not feel that I needed to pick up exactly where she left off, in that storyline, because Rebecka is now in another place and has to find herself.”

“I just hope I am accepted, that people do not think they have wasted their time if they watch the series.”

Why did Ida Engvoll leave?

Although there has been no official statement from Ida, we managed to track down a spokesperson, who told us: “Scheduling difficulties prohibited Ida from being part of the second season. She was, however, one of the show’s executive producers.”

And that’s important to remember: she’s still part of the show’s background team.

Since Rebecka Martinsson, Ida has starred in Netflix series Love & Anarchy, and will star in the upcoming Sweden film, White Trash.

Rebecka Martinsson: Arctic Murders (series 2): Friday 8th January, 9pm, More4

READ MORE: ALL OUR NEWS AND REVIEWS OF REBECKA MARTINSSON

NORDIC NOIR More4 confirms series two of Rebecka Martinsson

We’re already into planning for 2021, and there’s a big one – one of a few actually – coming in January.

Based on an award-winning series of books by Åsa Larsson, series one of Rebecka Martinsson was a big hit with Nordic Noir fans.

Starring Ida Engvoll, the Swedish series told the story of a prosecutor who returned to her roots in Kiruna to attend the funeral of the priest that confirmed her.

Series two sees Engvoll replaced by Sascha Zacharias in the lead role.

And now we have a confirmed transmission date for the second series.

Several years have passed and Rebecka’s anxieties about truly fitting in and whether she made the right choice have worsened. As a distraction she throws herself head-first into work to solve gruesome crimes in the area.

Rebecka Martinsson: Arctic Murders: From Friday 8th January, 9pm, More4