Tired of the shoot ‘em first and ask questions later dramas—where, after the gore, the plot begins to unfold. This is how most American-made dramas (and so many European ones) are formulated today.
My recommendation is to take a look at Borgen and then WHAT/If: Both on NETFLIX.
BORGEN is a behind-the-scenes drama of Denmark’s politics, with a wonderful Danish cast of honored actors and actresses.
Honors go to Sidse Knudsen as Prime Minister Birgitte Nyborg. She is the thrust of the four-part series. Sidse is bright, articulate, and beautiful, and yet when she is with her children she is a solid mom, tender and loving—(who goes a little overboard, no doubt trying to compensate for no time for them).
The theme is the age-old question: Can a woman handle a career as successfully as a man already trained, powerful, and years ahead in experience, and not lose out on her personal life?
In order to compete with the quick movement and all-males-in-power scenario, she must schedule meetings at the last moment and always be on the ready and decisive—prepared for battle. Men, on the other hand, do this easily because they are not bothered by problems at home. Their wives handle emergencies while he handles the same for the country.
In other words, can she do it all?
You bet!–At least for a time—note that throughout, no one gets shot down and killed to draw you into the story. This Prime Minister is an accomplished woman in her early 50’s who decides to go into politics driven by a sense of what she thinks is right for her country, a person who takes pride in her work and her commitment to this powerful position.
Ms. Knudsen was already an accomplished actress before she won the role of Prime Minister. Her training and abilities are displayed in the early shows. Meanwhile, she and her husband, English professor Phillip Christenson, played by Mikael Birkjaer, try to live up to this agreement of being a “house husband” while Birgitte literally works all hours of the day and night.
This works out smoothly for a short term, that is until he is offered a new position at the college and he wishes to break their contract and take the position. A weak character, he is never comfortable doing just that while Birgitte is reading a newspaper and listening to the 6:30 news.
Unable to speak his frustration, he walks away from the sink and Birgitte looks at him dumbfounded. As she shrugs, you know what she is thinking, ‘Well, that’s our agreement.’
With no discussion, he decides to take the new position which eventually ends the marriage, leaving the responsibility to his already overworked wife. Who else?
The main reason I am giving you the background is just in case you are not a “political drama” type of person. The interaction of the characters both at the newsroom and the two lead characters are interesting enough to keep you glued for the hours. A caution: these types of 3 and 4 series (with 11 episodes per series) take up a lot of your time.
To show how far our Prime Minister has gone from the reality of a close family which she seeks… there is a scene where the four of them are having a Sunday brunch out on their porch. She has helped make a great breakfast, and everyone is enjoying the good weather… and now WHAT do we talk about? So you see, she has a long way to go before reentry into the household world she emotionally left so very long ago.
After you’ve seen a show or two, you will become captivated with the setting and the rest of the cast: Rounded out by handsome Pilou Asbaek as Kasper Juul who is the Prime Minister’s press secretary which means he puts in the same long hours she does.
Then there’s Birgitte Sorensen who is the character Kathrine Fonsmark. Bright and beautiful, she is a young, ambitious woman who speaks her mind. She’s also a little impish and naive. Her boss Torben Friis, head of Station V1, played by Soren Malling, respect and play off each other very well.
To answer the question of responsibility of both work and home—can a woman truly accomplish both, our Prime Minister has gotten over her now ex-husband and is still spinning at one hundred percent… until her daughter has a nervous breakdown plus one.
The issue comes down to a teenager who feels she will never accomplish what her mother has, and the counselor informs Birgitte, “The therapy of your daughter is the result of your position as Prime Minister.” A plain, simple and direct explanation, but what will the Prime Minister do about it?
The clue of what’s to come is in her statement to the therapist, “What? And stay home and be a full-time housewife?”
Soon ex-husband Phillip breaks up with his accomplished girlfriend and now he has a lot of thinking to do. No, his ex-wife does not run into his arms. She continues to the other side of the room and finishes preparing to return to the office. By now, she’s a robot still on the way to accomplishing great things.
This should be enough to intrigue you into giving this intellectual, highly tense high drama show a chance. I am at the end of Season 2 and starting Season 3, and filled with plenty of questions.
Will she resign and spend more time helping her daughter heal? Will she take her ex-husband Michael back again? Find a new lover? Run for the next term? Or will she quit altogether and become the sweet, demure, attentive parent that she has tried to be ever since her daughter became mentally ill?
MORE LATER.