Netflix Review: Lilyhammer

So, over Christmas break (yes, CHRISTMAS break...not doing the PC holiday switch) every TV show and their mama was on hiatus. Since the wife doesn't watch college bowl games, and I don't watch parades, there was literally nothing for us to watch together. I figured it was a good time to scroll through my trusty Netflix account to find a new television series to watch.

Before I go any further, no, sheep, I did not start on Sons of Anarchy, Breaking Bad, or Walking Dead. I wanted something fresh and off the beaten path. So after scrolling through my phone for 6-7 grueling minutes, I stumbled across the Netflix original series Lilyhammer.

How could I resist? The cover photo had Steven Van Zandt (Silvio Dante from The Sopranos) looking extra Guido in front of an outdoor winter landscape, next to a bloody (no, I'm not going British on you, actual blood) snow angel. Who didn't love Silvio? I was sold. I couldn't just jump right in though, I had to play hard to get. I had to put Lilyhammer through my famous 3 rounds of research.

Round 1: I carefully read the Netflix plot description: (psst...the colon means read the words in the picture below)

I mean shit, it got 3 & 3/4 stars, even Ed McMahon would have to push this bitch through to the next round (Star Search reference anyone?)

Round 2: I looked it up on Wikipedia. I found out that this show actually debuted in 2012 in Norway, fitting because that's where Lillehammer is located (geography people where you at?). It was the country's number one rated show in 2012 and most of the show's dialogue is spoken in Norwegian. That last tidbit almost scared me away, but then I realized that I have watched 4 seasons of different Flavor Flav series on VH-1 in my lifetime, and lord knows Flav barely speaka da English. Round tres it is.

Round 3: I checked on of the Wikipedia source links. I picked the Metacritic link which displayed 3 positive reviews (from the L.A. Times, the Philadelphia Daily News, and Entertainment Weekly), 2 mixed reviews (from the N.Y. Times and the Hollywood Reporter), and zero negative reviews. Time to press play.

I was pleasantly surprised, this wasn't the average run of the mill "fish out of water" story. Going into it, I was thinking My Cousin Vinny Becomes a Mobster and Goes To Norway, but it was nothing like that. Okay, it was kind of like that, but instead of Van Zandt's character fumbling around adjusting to his new Norwegian habit, the writers reversed it and had Norway adjust to Frank Tagliano/Giovanni "Gianni" Henriksen.

The first couple episodes took a little getting used to with the subtitles. The show is basically 50-50 English and Norwegian and not hard to follow, but if your wife is a habitual Facebooker/Pinterester and you constantly have to tell her what was just said you might miss the next line or two (don't worry, it only took her a couple of episodes to get in line).

Just like the description above stated. Van Zandt plays a New York mobster turned FBI informant after an attempt was made on his life. He is put into the witness protection program, and after remembering how beautiful he thought Lillehammer looked during the 1994 Winter Olympics (the Tonya Harding Olympics), he requested to be relocated there.

From day one of his arrival, Gianni makes no attempt to integrate into Norwegian culture and keep a low profile. He attempts to bribe and successfully blackmails a government worker. He shoots a wolf against police orders with a pistol he managed to smuggle through 2 post-9/11 international airports (we'll just leave that alone). He buys a nightclub and stocks its bar with illegal bootleg alcohol. He manages to shake down what seems to be every savvy businessman in town. He builds his own mini-mob filled with pieces from the local biker gang and many of the town's knuckleheads. He gets a local lady pregnant, and he thwarts an attempt on his life from his former New York mob family.  And that's just the first eight episodes of season one.

All in all, both of the seasons of Lilyhammer were pretty damn enjoyable. Van Zandt's performance made me reminisce of the good ol' days of The Sopranos. He had great comedic timing, and he played up the whole stereotypical mob guy act to a tee. I even enjoyed the Norwegian actors. Two of my favorites were Jan (pronounced Yon; played by Fridtjov Sahiem), who was the perfect not so undercover pervert, and Torgeir (played by Trond Fausa Aurvag), who was great as the village idiot trying to be a tough guy to impress Gianni. They even hit us with somewhat of a Sopranos mini-reunion in the season 2 finale.

I fully recommend Lilyhammer to anyone looking to try something different as far as television viewing habits go. In this current age of the intense serial drama, Lilyhammer is something fun and refreshing as long as you go in with an open mind. You're welcome.