I added the «comedy» tag to this series. Originally the description read «drama», but it's so much more than that: if you watch this series, you'll (hopefully) notice how funny, smart and unpredictably original its dialogue is. Generally, I'm not a fan of any actor, I rather believe in good casting. Yet I need to mention that Pal Sverre Hagen does (again) a magnificent job. He appeared on my radar while watching «Kraftidioten» (English: «In order of disappearance»), a movie in which he plays a psychopathic drug dealer in an incredibly humoristic fashion. The story of Valkyrien may be a little farfetched, personally I think it's exceptionally original in its writing. It is very off beat, unpredictable, even philosophical. In short: very smart and funny. All actors are very well cast and do a marvelous job. Superb writing and a must see if you're in for something original.

Leif Lien is Chief Technical Officer for Norway's Civil Defence in the Oslo area; this puts him in charge of the network of tunnels and old bomb shelters under the city. In one of these shelters he is preparing for the end of civilisation; something he is sure will happen soon. Ravn Eikanger is a doctor who has been told that he can't use an untested new procedure to treat his terminally ill wife. Leif allows Ravn to use the clinic he has built in his shelter in exchange for also treating other 'customers' who don't want to go to official hospitals. The third person in the shelter is Leif's friend Teo Naustvik who is wanted by police and criminals alike after a botched robbery left him with a bag full of cash and his criminal colleagues locked in a bank vault. Over the course of the series Ravn attempts to find a cure for his comatose wife while the rest of the world thinks she is dead… and his daughter grows to suspect that he murdered her. A police officer closes in on Teo, with tragic consequences and Leif is frustrated that nobody is taking his warnings that civilisation is in danger seriously.Enjoyment of this series, as with many others, does rely on just accepting what we are told even if it is medically or scientifically unlikely/impossible. If you can it is rather fun. The story is intriguing as the genre was uncertain; at times it was a crime drama, a medical drama, a comment on the ethics of medical research and the money to be made in the field and even elements of a post-apocalyptic thriller. The characters are interesting, particularly the rather paranoid Leif and the likable but incompetent criminal Teo. The largely subterranean setting gives the series a good atmosphere. The cast does a fine job; most notably Pål Sverre Hagen, Sven Nordin and Mikkel Bratt Silset as Leif, Ravn and Teo respectively. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to people looking for something a little different.These comments are based on watching the series in Norwegian with English subtitles.

This is a great series. OK, the medical stuff isn't in the least bit realistic and the developments happen much too quickly - but, hey, it's a thriller. It rattles along and it's thrilling. Best of all, though, is the fact that there are such good characters and such good acting. A standout is Pal Sverre Hagen, who is excellent as the very unusual Leif. The comic relief from the disaster-prone Teo, also very well acted, really made me laugh.

If you are looking for playful and exciting entertainment but don't care about medical or scientific impossibilities, then you can manage to get through this series. I guess the creators of the series thought that if the show is entertaining enough, people wont focus on the medical impossibilities that litter the show e.g operating on people with anesthesia, two doctors who seem to specialize in everything under the sun etc. You also have to put up with the usual moralizing about global events (climate change, pharmaceutical companies, health care)that is fairly common in Danish and Norwegian movies, and to a lesser extent in Swedish series. So, if you can ignore the scientific silliness and just go on a crazy roller coaster ride for the entertainment, this series is for you. If there's a second season, I'll probably watch it but after a while I fear that the sheer impossibility of the plot events may just cause me to lose interest.