PremiumChosen season 1 review: Danish sci-fi thriller series is entertaining albeit with multiple plot-holes
After the famed fictional Danish town of Middlebo is hit with a meteor, its name is changed to Meteorbo. Two decades later, a group of teenagers launch a quest to uncover what actually happened on that fated night.
Last Updated: 06.37 PM, Jan 27, 2022
Story:
Charting the events of a meteoroid hit almost two decades ago in Middelbo (a small Danish town), the series follows the story of the town Meteorbo, named after the incident. The narrative follows a group of teenagers as they try to uncover each other’s life secrets. This adventurous group try and uncover the town’s secrets. However, strange incidents hint towards the fact that the meteoroid hit may never have taken place.
Emma, the curious young girl, working at a museum near the crash site, tries to explore the possibilities of the incident and dig out the truth behind what actually happened. Hinting at a probable alien invasion, she discovers far more dangerous facts than she had ever anticipated.
Malaika Berenth Mosendane has been cast as Emma with Marie being portrayed by Andrea Heick Gadeberg. Albert Rudbeck Lindhardt, Mohamed Djeziri, and Andreas Dittmer also feature in the series.
Review:
Netflix’s new sci-fi Danish series Chosen revolves around a group of teenagers. In a very Enid Blyton-esque setting, the series has these teenagers dig out mysteries that have remained untold with the passage of time.
The fact that they all belong to the fictional town of Middlebo (where the history of a meteor crash lent the moniker of Meteorbo), they feel it’s their duty to uncover the hidden truth that has evaded public knowledge for years. The bunch, headed by Emma, launch their quest into a supposed alien citing in their area, which actually led to the damage caused by what was packaged as a meteor hit.
However, the only drawback that the makers can be discredited with is the unequal treatment of characters in the group. Except for Emma, none of the ‘find-outers’ possess any agency or are delved into. Their backstories, vaguely hinted at often, are never revisited. Especially Marie (played by Andrea Heick Gadebjerg), deserved more screentime, with the actress shining in almost all sequences that she is a part of.
2021’s Danish film Breeder had Andres Heinrichsen in it. The actor plays a crucial role in this series.
Albert Rudbeck Lindhardt plays the wheelchair-bound leader of the ‘investigation,’ while Elvis is played by Mohamed Djeziri and Frederik by Andreas Dittmer.
Christian Potalivo and Jannik Tai Mosholt of The Rain are scriptwriters for the show. The makers have seemingly taken hack measures to populate the characters in the group by just adding stereotypical people.
There’s Frederik, the cute yet dumb friend and Elvis the privileged, rich kid. Their unconvincing character arcs will probably compel viewers to disengage from their mission. In fact, after a juncture, it feels like Emma is on a solo journey to find the truth.
With only six episodes to its first season, the developers fail to space out the narrative (though at junctures it is indeed gripping) evenly. But while the setting takes considerable time, the climax feels rushed. Too many sub-plots abruptly collate and fall into place, not particularly doing justice to any.
Verdict: Narrative-wise, the first three episodes feel the most engaging, after which, the series plateaus with confusing plotlines. Once the angle of extra-terrestrial life is introduced into the story, it feels like the scribes didn’t know where to go with it. Chosen is engaging, albeit with its share of shortcomings.