Another slice of superior television drama from Denmark in the shape of Follow The Money – a crime drama about two cops who uncover a massive financial conspiracy involving one of Denmark’s biggest renewable energy companies Energren.
The drama begins with the body of a dead Russian worker being found near a wind farm off Denmark’s coast. Investigating officer Mads begins to investigate only to find his case being stymied.
Unable to get anywhere he teams up with fellow cop Alf from the Fraud Squad who is running his own investigation into the activities of the company. Meanwhile Energren CEO Sander Sødergren is planning even bigger things by floating his company on the stock market.
There are three story strands running throughout the series. Firstly the investigation by Mads and Alf, the pair make a great double act. Mads marriage is in freefall thanks to an affair by his wife (when the series begins she is sick and bedbound, by the third episode she reveals she has fallen for her doctor!)
Secondly there is the activities of Energren itself, in particular Sandor and his head of legal Claudia who begins the series ousting the previous head by uncovering the insider trading that the company is heavily involved with and then gets herself deeper and deeper into the mire thanks to a growing attraction to the Sandor and the new world she is involved in.
Last there is young garage mechanic Nicky and his dodgy friend Bimse who steal a car owned by a former Energreen employee who has just been paid off with two million in Euros. All of which is still in the car when the duo steal it. The car also contained an iPad with all the details of Energreens scams contained on it. When he realises what the iPad contains he tries to sell it back to Energren. Not the best of ideas as he soon finds he has a hitman on his trail. The same hitman has already taken out a journalist who was getting too close to the facts.
Nikolaj Lie Kaas as Sander and Natalie Madueno as ClaudiaOver the course of ten episodes Mads and Alf get ever closer to the truth as Sødergren and Claudia get ever more desperate until finally the truth comes out. As well made as any drama from the UK or US Follow The Money premiered in the UK in March 2016 on BBC4.
A second season aired in 2017, most of the major players returned. A ten episode third season, focusing on Alf and Nicky, is to air in 2019.
Original Danish Title: Bedrag
production details
Denmark / Danmarks Radio / 20×60 minute episodes / Broadcast January 2016 – April 2017
Creator: Jeppe Gjervig Gram / Writers: Anders August, Jannik Taj Mosholt, Jeppe Gjervig Gram / Music: Tobias Wilner / Executive Producer: Piv Bernth / Producer: Anders Toft Andersen
cast
Thomas Bo Larsen as Mads Justesen
Thomas Hwan as Alf Rybjerg
Natalie Madueño as Claudia Moreno
Nikolaj Lie Kaas as Alexander “Sander” Sødergren
Esben Smed Jensen as Nicky
Lucas Hansen as Bimse
Julie Grundtvig Wester as Lina
