In the first season of “Odthaw”, Katarzyna Zawieja, a policewoman from Szczecin, investigates the body of a young woman found in the Odra River at the turn of winter and spring. In the process, it turns out that the woman gave birth to a child before her death. What happened to the child? The thirty-something officer is determined to find out the truth, but at the same time she has to deal with the trauma of losing her husband and raising little Hania alone.
This is the plot of the first season of “Thaw”, a Polish crime series directed by Xawery Żuławski. The production debuted in 2022 and was commissioned by HBO Max by HBO Europe. Marta Szymanek and Piotr Szymanka are responsible for the script for six episodes.
The main character was played by Katarzyna Wajda (“You Are God”). The cast also included Bartłomiej Kotschedoff, Juliusz ChrząstowskiCezary Lukaszewicz, Sebastian Fabijański, Boguslaw Linda, Andrew GrabowskiMałgorzata Gorol, Monika Krzywkowska, Piotr Zurawski, Ewa Skibinska and Marcelina Stepkowska.
The intricate plot, the unusual atmosphere of gloomy Szczecin and the exceptional cast quickly won the hearts of viewers. The first season was rated very highly, so expectations for the second were high. Did the creators of the series live up to the task?
In the second season of “Odthaw” we are still in Szczecin, but this time aspirant Katarzyna Zawieja will have to face a completely new case. Her difficult relationships with her father-in-law, mother and daughter and her easy tendency to fall into workaholism remain unchanged. She also constantly struggles with the loss of her husband.
The main plot line focuses on illegal smuggling of people for profit. The thirty-something policewoman will be close to solving the case at the beginning, but due to the decisions of her superiors, the situation will become significantly complicated. Zawieja will have to rely on her instincts and the invaluable help of her police partner – Krzysztof Trepa.
Katarzyna Wajda is once again joined on screen by Bartłomiej Kotschedoff, Andrzej Grabowski, Ewa Skibińska and Juliusz Chrząstowski. In the second season, the cast was joined by: Michał Czernecki, Nikodem Rozbicki, Eric Kulm Jr., Agnieszka Dygant, Miroslaw ZbrojewiczAndrzej Konopka and Thomas Schuchardt. In the director’s chair, as in the first part, sat Xawery Żuławski.
First of all, I would like to point out that I am not one of the series’ satisfied viewers. The first season had great potential, but in the end it was quite boring in my opinion. I was not captivated by either the acting or the plot. In fact, I consider the original, gloomy portrayal of Szczecin to be the only plus. In my opinion, the creators tried to cover up the script’s deficiencies in other ways, including pretty and unnecessary locations. The scene in the Szczecin Philharmonic was impressive, but was it necessary to illustrate the plot? Absolutely not.
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“Thaw” /Krzysztof Wiktor /press materials
Despite everything, I can appreciate a job well done, so technically I can’t fault the second part of “The Thaw”. The atmosphere is created by muted colors and very good shots. It is clear that the production received a large injection of cash and a greater scope for acting. Unfortunately, this is where the positives end…
It started well. The plot seemed interesting. The first scenes, in which Zawieja and Trepa almost discover a “living” transport, were really suspenseful. Unfortunately, the further into the plot, the worse it gets. The script starts to fall apart, and in a very spectacular way. The threads taken up create incredible chaos, and at the same time do not develop the characters in any way.
Zawieja’s difficult relationship with her family is somewhat sidelined. This season, the creators decided to focus on Kasia’s relationship with her police partner – Krzysztof Trepa. In fact, it is the only relationship that the viewer root for, but as a result, the main character turns into a character that you no longer want to follow. Her irrational and unjustified behavior is simply incredibly irritating.
Even though many more famous names appeared on the screen, mainly in the role of antiheroes, their incarnations are not at all impressive. The problem here is the one-dimensional characters. The actors have absolutely no opportunity to present the audience with “something more”. It is a great pity, because the story of the family manipulated by the father-criminal, which includes Agnieszka Dygant, Eryk Kulm Jr, Nikodem Rozbicki and Mirosław Zbrojewicz, could really introduce more chaos on the screen.
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Mirosław Zbrojewicz in the series “The Thaw” /Warner Bros. Discovery /press materials
The series has several strong moments worth noting: we see the reasons for the main character’s husband leaving, the tragic accident of a young boy that Zawieja is trying to solve, and her personal clash with a dangerous smuggler, played by Tomasz Schuchardt. In all the chaos, the viewer has the chance to experience the suspenseful emotions again every now and then.
The second season of “Thaw” definitely lacked balance. The action gained momentum, unfortunately at the expense of the three-dimensionality of the characters. At times, one would have liked to focus more on the emotions of the characters, but the series simply rushes forward. The creators wanted to do far too much in the six episodes they had. I recommend watching it to fans of crime series. I think that despite its shortcomings, they will like another story of a policewoman from Szczecin. I would rather advise against it to occasional viewers of similar topics.
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