Streaming series review - Arctic Circle: Season Four

Arctic Circle: Season Four *** (out of 5) I’ve previously reviewed the first three seasons of this Finnish police procedural rather favorably, as shown in the link to their coverage, below. Season Four does not disappoint, though it veers off in a surprising and unusual direction.

https://patch.com/missouri/clayton-richmondheights/streaming-series-review-arctic-circle-season-3

The first three were each about a single season-long mainstream sort of crime. This one centers around murders in a bizarre religious context. New Police Chief Nina (Iina Kuustonen) again handles cases with international and security elements. A major conference is coming to town, and a known terrorist from the US is posing a threat to one or more of the visiting honchos. The basis for conflict turns out to be a prophesy from a former cult leader about creating specific conditions to pave the way for Christ’s return, opposed by a faction that thinks they have it wrong, and that the events they’re creating will bring the Antichrist. Adding more urgency is the believed necessity of timing what they prepare with the proximity of an approaching comet.

Throughout the four-episode season, it’s unclear as to who is on which side of that theological clash and who might be the Messiah the prophesy is about. This is further complicated by Nina’s pairing with a national security agent who is being driven nuts by incoherent recurring voices in his head. Psychopathy or Divine origin? Zealots can be a dangerous lot, immune to any doubt about pursuing whatever mission they think their deity has ordained, regardless of its costs to others.

One may appreciate the brevity of this year compared to the others, since watching the array of monomaniacal creeps can be discomforting. Having a bunch of Americans in the supporting cast shifts a fair amount of dialog to English, reducing the imposition on subtitle-averse mystery buffs. There’s a lower percentage of personal sidebars compared to the running time for the crimes in question. That perk comes at a cost, since Nina’s daughter with Downs Syndrome (Venla Ronkainen) has been a valuable asset in prior years, contributing more heart and plot advancement than most protagonists’ progeny throughout the genre.

(Arctic Circle: Season Four, mostly in Finnish with subtitles and English, streams on MHz Choice as of 3/25/25)