I
think I just watched the final (series 1) episode of “Borgen”. My goodness,
that show is spectacular, and very reminiscent of another television favorite
of mine: “The West Wing”!
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| Series 1 DVD—damn you, region encoding! |
For
those who aren't already familiar with the Danish series, this is the general premise:
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| Pilou Asbæk |
Courtesy
of various political maneuverings, Birgitte Nyborg (played by Sidse Babett Knudsen)—a politician tied to Denmark’s moderate political party—finds herself
thrust into the role of Prime Minister. However, the world of politics being
what it is, she only has two people within her inner-circle whom she feels she
can trust. One of those people is her (gorgeous) secretive spin-doctor, Kasper Juul (Pilou Asbæk). One of the things Kasper’s keeping a secret about, though, is his
relationship with a powerhouse news anchor named Katrine Fønsmark (Birgitte Hjort Sørensen), and their role in orchestrating Nyborg’s rise to power.
So,
getting back to the “West Wing” comparison, you’ve got: President Bartlett in
Prime Minister Nyborg; John Lyman and Sam Seaborne in Kasper Jull; and, CJ Craig and Danny
Concannon in Katrine Fønsmark. There’s even a niche for Leo MacGarry and
Abigail Bartlett in Nyborg’s Financial Minister and husband, respectively.
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| "Borgen" Principal Cast |
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| "The West Wing" Principal Cast |
At
any rate, I highly encourage any of my stateside friends to conduct a desperate
search for it—it’s worth the watching. (Just make sure you find the version
with UK subtitles—unless you happen to speak Danish.)
In
the meantime, if I can't find someplace in the US to watch series 2 and 3 when
I get back, I may have to consider never forgiving KG & MM for introducing
me to the show in the first place!
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