Netflix is no stranger to creating gritty crime drama. Mainly in the style of Nordic Noir, these dramas have worldwide appeal, so it's no wonder they latched onto Woman of the Dead.
Set in the Austrian Alps (and in German), Woman of the Dead is a story told over six episodes and follows one woman's vengeful quest to get to the truth of what happened to her husband.
But what is it about, and is it any good?
What Is Woman of the Dead About?
Brunhilde Blum (Anna Maria Mühe) is a funeral director high up in the Alps in a renowned ski resort.
Mother to two children, her husband Mark is a police officer, and one morning when he gets on his motorbike to go to work, he is killed outside of their home in a hit-and-run accident.
Stunned by what has happened, things quickly escalate for Blum. As she mourns her husband, she discovers he was hiding a major secret.
Her husband had found a young woman who had been tortured and raped by a group of local men and not knowing who he could trust, he hid her.
Now Blum is on a mission for the truth and to find out who the men are. One by one she hunts them down but suspicions about her grow as it becomes clear that all is not as it seems in the small town.
Woman of the Dead Official Trailer
Is Woman of the Dead Worth Watching?
So here's the thing about Woman of the Dead. With just six episodes you would expect this story to be airtight, leaving little room for unnecessary nonsense that would ruin the story.
Not so, I'm afraid. The lead character falls into the usual trap of not telling anybody about her suspicions or asking for help, getting herself further into hot water.
I understand that she doesn't know who to trust but only to a certain extent. Sure, the town is controlled by the powerful Schönborn family, who are so dodgy, and it looks like the police chief is in their pocket.
But I just didn't get how in such a small town, when a strange car begins to follow her that she doesn't know who it is. Or why, for some reason, despite being a small town's undertaker, she has never heard of most of the people who live there.
There's actually quite a lot wrong with this show. Mostly the tired cliches are used throughout.
For example, she ends up in the hospital, is nearly killed, and there isn't a single nurse, doctor, or another patient anywhere to help her. And her teenage daughter is rebelling because, of course, she is!
There are really only about eight male characters in the show, and at least five of them are involved in the illegal trafficking of young girls, which begs the question, who's left in the town??
So to answer the question is Woman of the Dead tv series worth watching, the answer is probably not. There are far better shows to get stuck into, such as The Chestnut Man, Bordertown, and Entrapped.
