Modus Season 1 Review: I'm A Sucker For Scandinavian Noir

"Modus" is currently available on Amazon Prime until 7/31/20. It originally aired in 2015 on Swedish TV and later in the US on PBS. It's based on a book "Frukta Inte" by author and lawyer Anne Holt.

"Modus" stands for "modus operandi" (MO for short). It's a pattern of behavior that someone (typically a criminal) follows. I kept thinking it meant something in Swedish but, alas, it does not.

This eight part series follows psychologist and ex FBI profiler Inger Johanne Vike (Melinda Kinnaman) as she returns home to Stockholm. Interesting Note: Melinda is the half sister of Joel Kinnaman who starred in the American version of another Swedish show-- "The Killing". See my reviews of that great series

Inger has an ex and two children-- one of whom (Stina) is autistic. Stina witnesses a murder during a wedding reception but she cant communicate the identity of the killer. Police detective Ingvar Nman (Henrik Norlen) is called in to investigate. Is he a potential love interest for Inger?

Soon there are lots more murders--first TV chef isabella Levin, then Bishop Elisabeth Lindgren. How are all these people connected? What deep, dark secrets are they hiding? Marcus Stahl and his partner Rolf Ljungberg are involved but we're not sure how.

We know "who" the killer is right off the bat. He's Richard Forrester (played by Marek Oravec). What we dont know if "why" he is killing? I don't give away any other plot details. Suffice to say, the killer's motives are a bit far fetched for my liking. I'll overlook it though since I enjoyed everything else about the series.

Grade: 4 1/2 Monsters (out of 5). If you like Scandinavian noir like I do, check out "Modus" on Amazon Prime. With eight episodes it's a fast watch. Sure the plot is a bit convoluted. Who cares? It's still fun. I love the icy atmosphere and the intriguing characters. Why does everything look so much better in Europe?

There is also a season 2. It's currently available on Amazon Prime if you sign up for a free 7 day trial of PBS.