Diksha Sundriyal
If you love dark crime dramas that explore the emotional depths of their protagonists as much as they deal with the shocking crimes at their fore, then the Finnish series ‘Deadwind’ (‘Karppi’ in Finnish) must certainly be on your radar. The show follows the story of a detective named Sofia Karppi, who, with each season, takes her and us on a rollercoaster ride of solving twisted crimes that are not easy to untangle.
Like its counterparts, the show divides itself equally between solving the crime and exploring the background of the characters. In this sense, it becomes much more character-driven than settling with plot-driven storylines. It keeps us guessing about the culprits, especially as it creates a number of red herrings to throw us off guard and surprises us in the end with a twist. But it also relies on the allure of its characters to keep us interested in their personal well-being.
With such balance in its storytelling, we wonder if the writers found inspiration from somewhere to create this engaging story. Is ‘Deadwind’ based on actual events? Let’s find out.
Deadwind: A Fictional World with Real Resonances
No, ‘Deadwind’ is not based on a true story. It is an original story created by Rike Jokela, Kirsi Porkka, and Jari Olavi Rantala. The idea first came to Jokela, who had been working on another crime drama, ‘Virta.’ The series had a female protagonist in her 30s, and when the show ended, Jokela wondered where life would take her in the 40s. He, along with Porkka and Rantala, pitched the basic concept of the show to the network. It was to be about a woman in her 40s, coping with the loss of her spouse and trying to be a good parent to her children.
One thing that they were very clear about, from the beginning, was the portrayal of the lead as just any other troubled detective. They wanted to emphasize gender equality as one of the main themes of the show, along with the social and environmental issues that become a part of the important sub-plots. It took them an entire year to get all the details about the character, which was important to set the crime they wanted her to investigate. Everything about her was established before diving further into the story, from flaws and weaknesses to the koi fish tattoo (meaning Karppi) on her back.
One of the key elements of the series is the way in which it ties several sub-plots in a complex way into a single narrative. One thing leads to another, and things that might not be directly related to a crime become important in pushing the detectives on the right path, eventually leading to the catching of the criminals. For this, the writers would first create all the separate storylines based on what themes they want to explore in a certain season and then crisscross the paths of the main characters in these storylines to create a coherent narrative that keeps the audience on their toes.
Read More: Deadwind Season 1 Recap
