Finland’s Cold War turns hot as ‘Shadow Lines’ returns

Student turned spy Helena is back in the thick of the Cold War, but with Finland’s new President and The Fist facing threats from inside and out, it’s a very different game.

‘Shadow Lines’ season 2 Source: Distributor

Finland during the Cold War was stuck between a rock and a hard place – otherwise known as the Soviet Union and the USA. Join one side, get crushed by the other. And while their politicians had to tread a very fine line, behind the scenes the secret organisation known as The Fist was protecting the country against threats from both sides. That’s the world of Shadow Lines.

The first season ended with Helena Korhonen (Emmi Parviainen) finally uncovering the truth about what happened to her mother. Her personal journey played out against the backdrop of the global tensions gripping Finland. Starting out as a student in the US, a personal attack saw her return home under the wing of her godfather (and Deputy Chief of the Finnish Security Police) Yrjö Ylitalo (Hannu-Pekka Björkman), secret chief of The Fist.

‘Shadow Lines’ season 1 – Helena (Emmi Parviainen). Source: SBS

Across the first season she joins and becomes an essential part of Yrjö’s top secret task force, all the while trying to uncover a past she barely remembers. The season ends with her with a tape that may explain what happened to her mother, but still leaves open the question of why it happened – and more importantly, who was responsible for her fate. (She also gets to be a bit more of an action hero this season, for fans of two-fisted spy antics.)

For Yrjö, season 2 begins with him seemingly on top of the world, with his chosen candidate for the Finnish presidency, Urho Kekkonen (Janne Reinikainen), now in power. But already trouble is brewing. There’s a general strike planned for his first day in office, and now that the new President is safely in power Yrjö has a new job: persuading him that he still needs The Fist to handle his dirty work.

‘Shadow Lines’ season 2. Source: Distributor

There’s also the little matter of Finland’s delicate position in Cold War Europe, with both the KGB and CIA all but openly trying to tip the country to one side of the other. Helsinki isn’t exactly the kind of big city where a spy can fade into the shadows; a lot of their covert operations aren’t that covert if you know where to look.

Which is why the rise of a new nationalist organisation known as the Brothers of Wrath comes as such a surprise. A blackshirt-wearing fascist group, their goal is to create a “Greater Finland”, retaking the region Karelia, which Finland ceded to the Soviet Union after the war. For a nation that’s already lost large parts of their country to their much larger neighbour, this kind of war-mongering could put the entire state at risk – especially as their leader (Tommi Korpela) is a real piece of work, and seems to have the backing of powerful outside forces. 

Usually The Fist would be all over this kind of threat, but the first episode of season 2 sees the organisation reeling from a shock loss. Rather than bringing them together, it’s the kind of wound that tears the group apart, causing a split that leaves them divided right at the moment when they need to be working as a team.

‘Shadow Lines’ season 2. Source: SBS

Among the surviving members, Olavi (Sampo Sarkola) is given the mission of infiltrating the Brothers of Wrath and finding out just how much of a threat they pose. A background player in season 1, he’s now thrust into the spotlight and gets plenty of Bond-style action as he goes deep undercover – and as one of the series’ supporting characters, he’s also just that little bit expendable, which helps make his adventures one of Shadow Lines’ more dramatic storylines.

Meanwhile, fellow Fist member Aune (Katja Küttner) plots her own brutal mission of revenge, which is a nice change of pace for one of the older members of the team. As for Tabe Slioor (Jessica Grabowsky), the stylish socialite (and real-world figure), she’s given plenty of opportunity to use her glamorous lifestyle and extensive contacts to weave her way through Helsinki society digging up dirt for The Fist.

‘Shadow Lines’ season 2. Source: Distributor

The second season of Shadow Lines is bigger in scope than the first, with the action ranging from fancy parties and sneaky break-ins to full-scale conflict on the border with the Soviet Union. There’s a greater tension in the tone of the storylines too, with the cast in the kind of danger they may not walk away from and the whole organisation under threat from outside and within.

But it’s Helena’s personal quest that takes the series down its darkest path. She’s willing to risk everything, even The Fist itself, to uncover her family’s secrets. She’s already lost one parent: what will she do when duty demands the sacrifice of the only family she has left?

Shadow Lines season 2 is now streaming (along with season 1) at SBS On Demand. Jump into season 2:

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