The Thaw

I went into The Thaw expecting a solid Polish crime series, and on a technical level, that’s pretty much what I got. The setting in Szczecin and its moody surroundings really nails the vibe for a crime story like this. But over the course of six episodes, I just couldn’t warm up to a single character—especially the lead investigator. Not only do we barely learn anything about her, but I’m pretty sure she doesn’t crack a smile the entire time. That kind of disconnect made it hard to care about watching a second season, which I’ve heard is even worse. (10/07/2024)

What a letdown. If the main idea behind this series was to portray the Polish police as a group of less-than-bright individuals, then I can say they certainly got their message across. Personally, I felt this was more a byproduct of poor writing rather than intentional storytelling. I couldn't connect with the main character, Katarzyna Zawieja, played by Katarzyna Wajda. It's not that I have anything against Wajda, but her character just didn't win me over due to the screenplay; she wouldn't have passed a police psych test in my book. On top of that, the series often seemed to lack logic, with scenes playing out like something from the Wild East. All of these factors combined left me feeling rather disappointed overall. / Lesson learned: Before you try to solve everyone else's problems, make sure you've got your own sorted out. 3*- (05/30/2022)