At last, a TV drama worth watching. I came to "Borgen" on the back of good advance word and in the wake of other Scadinavian successes like "The Killing" and "Wallander" and wasn't disappointed. Excellently written and with a universal relevance and resonance in the political story lines (sleaze, corruption, foreign intrigue, political in-fighting etc), particularly considering Britain's own current coalition government took office about the same time the series was first produced. It all seemed real to me, the sets, the dialogue, the story lines as well as the portrayal of the different characters. Spread over 10 hour-long episodes afforded ample opportunity to get inside the skin of these characters and follow their development. Yes, one or two of the plot developments have the faint whiff of contrivance (the child abuse of spin-doctor Marcus, the marital problems of the Prime Minister and the rebelliousness of investigative reporter Kirsten) but the clever plotting and idiomatic dialogue keep it grounded. Each episode is different but linked thematically which invites continuity. The acting is superb, especially the three leads mentioned above. Good titles and theme music too!
