After a Decade, Danish Sequel More than Worth the Wait (Borgen: Power & Glory REVIEW)

Anyone who really knows me, knows that I tend to shy away from politics, as much as possible. 

But, like every other "absolute", there's an exception… and when it comes to the (fictionalized) world of modern Danish politics? I’m SO THERE FOR IT… which brings me to Borgen: Power and Glory [aka, The Best Political Show, streaming anywhere, ever, period], available on Netflix.

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But first, a brief history. Borgen (without the colon or afterwords) offered a brilliant look at the political climate in Denmark, airing from 2010-2013 (which I viewed voraciously, as soon as it was available for U.S. streaming).

Centering on an up-and-comer—the (fictional) rise to Prime Minister of Moderate-Party-leader-to-co-founder-of-the-New-Democrats, Birgitte Nyborg (the simply-brilliant Sidse Babett Knudsen)—Borgen offered an unflinching look at exactly what such a trajectory could do to a person (and, equally importantly, to that person’s family and to all of their other relationships)… the highs, of course, but countered by so very, very many lows. 

When I—and most likely, the rest of the world—came to the end of Borgen, we assumed the tale had been told… that Birgitte’s journey had concluded, for us.

And so it seemed… for some nine years.

But apparently that wasn’t the case; Birgitte had another chapter in her story still to be told. 

Which brings us to 2022, and Borgen: Power & Glory.

When B:PG picks up, Birgitte has been in her current position as Foreign Minister to the new Prime Minister (Signe Kragh, leader of the Labour Party [played by Johanne Louise Schmidt]), for awhile… in a rather different space from where we last saw her. The PM is a decade younger than Birgitte, and über media-savvy—posting casual selfies with pro-femme hashtags to her socials, on the reg.

At home, Birgitte has embraced life as a divorcée, seeing her adult(ish) children, rarely, and forgoing the whole dating scene, entirely. [For the first time, she has both a powerful job and the freedom to make something of it… exactly what she’s always wanted.]

It’s never smooth sailing, though, and the latest problem to be dealt with concerns a huge cache of oil, just discovered off the coast of Greenland (which, as part of the Danish realm, means it’s something Denmark can claim significant interest in).

The majority of Greenlanders celebrate this news; their population may be small, but good opportunities to make money are even more scarce, and the deposit of oil promises to be enormous.

Birgitte—as a good New Democrat—initially denounces the oil-drilling plan, for the environmental damage it would cause.  Only a day or two later, though, finds her making a hard u-turn. Given Greenland’s status as part of the Kingdom of Denmark, apparently Denmark would actually be due the lion’s share of the trillions of kroner which the oil would bring in, so… (we all know how loudly money talks, eh?).

Her decision to push forward with the drilling sparks not only party-wide dissension, but also ignites a firestorm among the superpowers, with the U.S., Russia, and China all working overtime to ensure the others won’t gain more of a foothold in strategically-placed Greenland.

In short, it’s a royal kerfuffle for Birgitte and her team to try and navigate.

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As was the case with the original Borgen, there are multiple side-plots running concurrently. Here, we see the return of journalist Katrine Fønsmark (Birgitte Hjort Sørensen)—now the head of her network’s news division—facing her own troubles, at being a boss. Birgitte’s son, Magnus (Lucas Lynggard Tønnesen), pulls a stunt to free some pigs headed for slaughter, which ends badly (and very publicly). And, Birgitte copes with aging, as she endures some of the worst side effects of menopause (a condition that certainly doesn’t care if she has a very important job, and could do without the hot flashes, sleeplessness, and general discomfort plaguing her). 

I loved Borgen: Power & Glory from the first beat… at least as much as I loved the original. With its fascinating characters (brilliantly acted, all), ripped-from-the-headlines scenarios, and the same precision of writing—writing which always understands and honors who these characters are, rather than trying to mold them into something they aren’t—there wasn’t a single minute when I doubted the story, when I wasn’t holding my breath to see how someone would act.

This is perhaps the only show I can unequivocally say, we really, truly needed… even though I had no idea such was the case, until I watched it. 

~GlamKitty

Note: While it isn’t necessary to watch the original Borgen (three seasons), in order to understand what’s going on, here, I would highly recommend you start there, if you’ve never seen it, and watch it straight through. There are some amazing story arcs—some of which carry over—which are best-appreciated by seeing them play out, start to finish.