Trapped - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

A place to discuss particular episodes, arcs and moments from the show's run.

[palmaire]

Episodes 1-3:

Spoiler

 

Things sure went down the crapper super fast there. I'm bored with the real estate development storyline but I assume it will come into play later. I'm also guessing the red herring (fish analogy now actually apt) kid who supposedly burned up his girlfriend isn't guilty of murder, then or now. His ultimate redemption will be coming. He has scars under that dratted wool cap, you think?

I have no idea where the human trafficking plot is leading or how it will eventually tie in. I'm not so much interested in the police chief and his ex-wife/kids but look forward to finding out his work backstory and how he and his "brilliance" ended up exiled to podunk town.

So far I'm fondest of the female police officer. Smart, loyal, empathetic, nice marriage. Plus she wasn't foolish enough to let the Lithuanian out of the damned cell. All feelings subject to change, but please don't make her the villain!

I need to use descriptions instead of looking up everyone's names because honestly.

 

Edited March 2, 2017 by palmaire

[Quilt Fairy]

@palmaire, there's no need for you to hide the contents of your post.  It's not a spoiler if it only covers what's been aired in the US.

I'm glad I'm not the only person watching this very interesting show.

[walnutqueen]

I am really enjoying this show, even though I find subtitles hard to read (bad eyesight made even worse with white letters on an oft snowy background).  It will be interesting to see how all the sub-plots come together.

[Quilt Fairy]

When I first heard about this show, I thought it was an American or British version of an Icelandic original. So I was very surprised to see that it actually WAS the Icelandic original.  I discovered that since I normally have the closed captioning on anyhow and the dialog is fairly terse, I'm fine with it.  In the first episode, when the policeman goes on board to talk to the Danish captain and he suddenly starts speaking English, I thought it was going to be a Hunt For Red October moment where now the whole thing is in English.

This is the first show I've watched on Viceland. I took that channel off my favorites list when it changed from HI or H2 or whatever it was in the end. I hope that it will not limit it's potential audience, because this is as good as most mystery shows on PBS.

[zxy556575]

I only heard of this when I saw it highlighted as a new forum here. I've watched five episodes and am really enjoying the atmosphere, setting, and characters, but it's a bit tiring to stay focused solely on the screen in order to read subtitles. I always have closed-captioning enabled anyway, but am used to doing other things and only glancing up every few minutes.

I expect I'll gradually watch the rest of the series but to ease the suspense, I went ahead and read the plot summary on wiki, which does tell the ending. Relief!

[walnutqueen]

On 3/2/2017 at 7:34 PM, Quilt Fairy said:

This is the first show I've watched on Viceland. I took that channel off my favorites list when it changed from HI or H2 or whatever it was in the end. I hope that it will not limit it's potential audience, because this is as good as most mystery shows on PBS.

I've found a lot of good shows on Viceland, so I hope more people give it a chance.

On 3/2/2017 at 9:27 PM, Lord Donia said:

I only heard of this when I saw it highlighted as a new forum here. I've watched five episodes and am really enjoying the atmosphere, setting, and characters, but it's a bit tiring to stay focused solely on the screen in order to read subtitles. I always have closed-captioning enabled anyway, but am used to doing other things and only glancing up every few minutes.

I expect I'll gradually watch the rest of the series but to ease the suspense, I went ahead and read the plot summary on wiki, which does tell the ending. Relief!

Yes, I miss not being able to do other stuff while I'm watching, but the show is so damned good, I am usually riveted anyways.

I still have Sunday's 2 episodes on my DVR and am really looking forward to watching them.

[Quilt Fairy]

The whole time I watched I kept thinking "Why didn't Masterpiece Mystery get this show? Then at least it would have the viewers it deserved."  Alternately, I wonder how the BBC would reinterpret it to the UK.  Somewhere bleak and moody up in the Scottish highlands or the Hebrides perhaps?

The ending was reasonably satisfactory, although quite sad.  There weren't unanswered questions so much as questions that could have been answered more fully. There was so little exposition in the first episode, you're just thrown into this group of townspeople and left to figure out all the relationships.  Now that I've seen the whole thing, I want to go back and watch again to pick up things I missed before.  For example, I spent 3-4 episodes not being able to tell the mayor from the ex-police chief until I realized they were the same person!  Not that they didn't look alike (I thought that was the problem in the beginning) but they (he) acted so differently.  As the mayor he seemed a slimy political glad-hander, whereas the ex-chief seemed like a total prick and not afraid to show it.  

[walnutqueen]

Yes, this is one series worth a rewatch, now that I'm more familiar with all the characters.  It's too bad more people haven't discovered Viceland, because this show should be a big hit for the PBS/BBC/IFC crowd.  

[Irlandesa]

I just discovered this show via a blog on crime TV and binged it in three days (although there was a bit of a panic when I checked On Demand today and the only episode available was the first one even though it said it wouldn't expire until 5/23--luckily it was available online). I found it very satisfying overall.  I guessed early on that the fire at the beginning of the series was arson and likely performed by the dead guy once they revealed who he was.  I liked that the people who looked like they were shady were shady even if they weren't technically murderers. 

As for the actual murderers--I liked finding out the FIL murdered the mayor. They spent the whole time building up his grief over the loss of his daughter so when the revelation happened that it was all a lie, the motive had already been established for him to snap.  It didn't feel like it came out of nowhere.  I didn't love finding out the woman killed the cut up man in a moment of self-defense.  While they did hint at something being up with Maggi's father, it felt a little out there.

On 3/2/2017 at 11:27 PM, Lord Donia said:

I always have closed-captioning enabled anyway, but am used to doing other things and only glancing up every few minutes.

I do other things too and like the freedom to look down so a show with closed captioning can throw me.  For instance, I love The Americans but I hate that I sometimes miss things or have to rewind whenever they hit Russia even if I appreciate the authenticity of speaking in the mother tongue.  But since I was sick the past few days, I felt less inclined to do two things at a time.  I wish I could break myself of the multi-tasking habit because there are quite a few closed captioned shows that I'd love to watch but put off lazily because I'm afraid I won't be able to not look away while watching so I'll miss things.

[ozziemom]

Just caught this show on Amazon Prime. Loving the scenery, now I feel like I need to visit Iceland, just not in a blizzard. It would be interesting to see what Masterpiece could do with this series.

[Enero]

I just finished this series and thought it was excellent. The subtitles takes some getting used to because like others I usually do other stuff while streaming, but once I just sat down and watched I found it very engaging. The conspiracy and twists were really good, though at the very end I did start to guess some of it. Also, it was a show I could binge watch and not get sick of it halfway through, due to the overwrought plot. The pacing was just right. The storyline twists and acting was somewhat understated which also made it easy to view the episodes back to back.

I wonder if they'll do a season 2? I'd be interested in watching, even though I'm skeptical as to where they could take the story and also if they could top the greatness that was this first season. 

Edited August 26, 2017 by Enero

[KitKat5]

I love this show! I found it by chance on VICELAND in February when we were having an unseasonably cold spell in Los Angeles, and was immediately fascinated by the unfamiliar language and setting. By the time it finished I was totally captivated by the excellent writing and performances. Now I am watching it again (somewhat obsessively) on Amazon and have even gotten my husband hooked, although he doesn't usually like subtitled dialogue. It's so much better the second time through, because I recognize all the villagers and can actually remember how they are related to one another (which I didn't pick up on completely the first time) and can now appreciate the consistency of the plot, including locations!  I even found the actual street where much of it was shot on location in Iceland using Google Maps, a nice place to visit when the temperature here is over 100 in late August.

[sskrill]

The Tunnel:  Iceland Edition.

I started out thinking "look how pretty" in episode 1 and then thinking "you'd have to be insane to live there" by episode 2.

That seems like a crazy difficult language.

I had difficulty keeping up with some of the plot because the characters names were so complicated

Overall I really liked it.

[Mindthinkr]

Late the party. My neighbors were discussing how good this series was the other night so I thought that I'd check it out. It's compelling and I can't wait to see how it sums up. 

[Mindthinkr]

I thought this series was so well done. Like an onion it took many layers to peel back and figure out exactly what happened. A thinking persons series. Well worth viewing. 

[Scorpiosunshine]

I watched when Viceland originally aired it, loved it so much that I kept the season on my DVR, and tonight I  just finished my second viewing! Now I am waiting anxiously for the next season!

 I find that Viceland has excellent programming in general, so I'm thrilled they aired this gem.

The question for me is: will they pick up season 2 as it airs, or will we have to wait a while? Eek! 

 

Ok, I just realized that The Weinstein Co had distribution rights butnsold the rights to Amazon. It looks like series 2 (season 2) airs in Iceland during Winter 2018, so maybe we will get it as it airs. Dang, such a long time either way.

On another note, I'm going to Iceland at the end of this year or beginning of next year, so I'll definitely check out some Trapped landmarks! 

Edited February 19, 2018 by Scorpiosunshine

[TV Glotzer]

Loved this show so much.  The series was filmed primarily in Siglufjörður, Iceland, which I happened to visit this summer.  Fun to see so many familiar sights, including the Siglo Hotel which appears in many scenes and is part of the plot.  The ferry to the Faroe Islands is also real but docks in Seyðisfjörður, another town on the other side of Iceland.  Can't wait for series 2.

Edited September 21, 2018 by TV Glotzer

[Quilt Fairy]

There's going to be a season 2?  That's my good news of the day!

[sinycalone]

Season 2 is available on Amazon Prime.  Watched all 10 episodes in about 2 days.  Very good.

[lidarose9]

Overall I was disappointed with Season 2. I was delighted to see Our Heroes again, but there were too many obvious plot holes that just never got resolved, and that's the very least you expect from a show like this. On the other hand, I enjoyed it very much (except for certain painful events that I won't go into)! I hope they do another season.

[TV Glotzer]

If they had to kill off poor 

Spoiler

Ásgeir

I was really hoping they’d viciously kill 

Spoiler

Þórhildur

too because I hated everything about 

Spoiler

her.

[MJ Frog]

Just saying, I could not agree more with your post, TV Glotzer.

Spoiler

She was an asshole, to the extent where I liked even her dumbass boyfriend more than her in the end. And she was stupid to a degree that actually made the writers look bad. If they have a third season and she's in it, she better have a serious redemption arc. Or get thrown off a bridge.

Edited September 9, 2019 by MJ Frog
Spoiler tagging potential spoilers.

[Enero]

Thus far, this season isn’t as good as the last, but still engaging nonetheless. 

I’m still watching the series. I’m on episode 6. The daughter is just argh. I

Spoiler

can understand her and the boyfriend naively taking the money they found. But the daughter taking the tracphone and then communicating with who could be the killer is stupid and infuriating. Why she did not tell the cops about finding the phone when they asked is again...stoopid

 I don’t understand what she’s hoping to accomplish here. 

Spoiler

And the aunt who  Andri and his Ex-wife sent the daughter to live with is useless. No wonder the girl is out of control. The aunt has no sense of concern or urgency about anything her “supervision” of the daughter borders on indifference. 

It may just be a red herring but I think the cop with the glasses is dirty. There’s just something shifty about him. Someone else whom I find suspicious is the guy who works at the plant, I think he might be a supervisor but he’s always trying to help  Vinkingur. He may be harmless and truly trying to help but I don’t know...

Spoiler

I feel terrible for Ebo, being black in one of the whitest countries in the world, not speaking the language and on top of that being harassed by his co-workers and supervisor. And though he has a wife and child back home in Africa, home is not really home because he can’t be true to himself, but he’s doing what he’s doing because his family needs the money. Talk about being caught between a rock and hard place. What a mess for him. 

Bardur is another one who seems useless. Is he retired and a house husband? Or on disability and house husband?

Spoiler

I can understand Hinrika’s desire to move on from him. When she was giving him the cold shoulder and eventually told him it was over I thought she was going to say he had an affair with the woman whom they took in last season who was trafficked from Africa. Maybe he was just curious but he seemed overly interested in the young woman when she was living with them. 

Spoiler

Also did Halla and her brother have an incestuous relationship? I’m assuming based on what the sister said she saw Halla do with the brother when they were kids and Halla’s  vehement denial and subsequent emotional breakdown it was something very inappropriate. 

Off to watch the rest of the season...

Edited September 17, 2019 by Enero

[Kiddvideo]

Really enjoyed the first seasons, but it took a while for me to figure out who was who. I read they haven’t started in the 3rd season yet, but I won’t mind the rewatch when it’s time.

One of the things that irritated me about S2 was Hineicka insisting Andri stay with them at The Yellow House, and then they put him on a couch when the government would’ve been responsible for the cost of a comfortable hotel room.

And then poor Asgeir. Was it really necessary for him to have been alive when the fire started? /shakes fist at sky

[LisaM]

I binged Seasons 1 and 2 back to back and finished last evening. SPOILERS below. 

I thought Season 1 was terrific. Really liked seeing how how the earlier fire impacted the recent events and particularly, how Andri's family was affected. It took a while to distinguish between a few of the actors/characters and to figure out how everyone was connected. I had just seen the actress who played Agnes as the lead in The Valhalla Murders so it was nice to see her in a different role. 

Andri and Hinrika do not look like the Hollywood picture perfect actors who often play cops on American tv shows - which was very refreshing. I quickly fell in love with both of them - especially Hinrika. 

Season 2 was quite good but not up to the level of the first Season due to the storyline. Loved seeing so many women in positions of leadership - Hinrika, the Mayor, the Minister, the Police Chief. In particular, I thought that Hinrika was great - very decisive and good leadership. Also nice to see Hjorter from Season 1 who has married and turned his life around after the fire. Interesting to see Kolbrenn from Season 1 still pulling strings. 

However, Season 2 was marred for me by the huge role played by Andri's daughter. UGH.

Spoiler

She was such an unpleasant character that I did not feel badly for her when she was kidnapped. I kept thinking that Andri would be better off without her! 

Spoiler

The death of Asgeir wrecked me. Kudos to the show for killing off one of the main characters but wow - I did not expect that. 

Looking forward to Season 3 and to seeing how the show gets Andri back to the small town again. Also interested to see who joins the police force. 

 

[LisaM]

Just read that filming for Season 3 is beginning. 

https://www.icelandreview.com/culture/trapped-season-3-filming-begins-in-north-iceland/#:~:text=Filming of the third season,September 24 and October 9.

 

[LisaM]

Third series entitled "Entrapped" coming to Netflix on September 8th.

[dleighg]

I've just watched the first episode, and have some thoughts.

So where is Andri's (ex) mother-in-law? Why does his (ex) father-in-law seem to have to live in an old-folks-home?

Trausti seems to have had a personality transplant and is acting like an ass.

Bardur seems to have cleaned himself up since last season.

[jewel21]

I just watched the first two seasons and fell in love with this show. I enjoyed Season 2 quite a bit. I agree that Andri's daughter was annoying and the Aunt's reaction to her was ridiculous. She is 15 years old. The whole give her space thing was annoying me. 

Color me surprised that there was a third season called Entrapped. I just finished the first episode and I am totally here for it. 

I do really miss Asgeir, though. His death really upset me and I'm bummed to have lost such a great character. 

[dleighg]

as I recall, the  name of the "Entrapped" season didn't make a whole lot of sense.