When the Past Becomes the Present ... in Helsinki ("TV Tuesday")
"TV Tuesday" ... The one thing that good storytellers--of any genre--never forget is the importance of the human element at a story's center: why the audience should care about what happens to the characters therein. (If there's a lot of stuff happening, but we feel no connection to those it's all happening to, what's the point?) Finland's "Koukussa" (or "Hooked" , in English)--streaming now on Amazon--is a fine example of how to take a group of characters (including some thoroughly unlikable ones), and make us care. Oskari Autio is a Helsinki cop at the top of his game in the drug unit, with a one-two punch--a reliable network of informants, plus killer instincts--that's led to an impressive conviction rate over the years. At home, he plays single father to sensitive, smart, teenage son Niko (with whom he has a good relationship, all things considered), and both of them are fond of Oskari's easy-going, girlfriend...