When a thriller begins with a bunch of boxes being delivered to an office, you know the contents are going to be explosive.
For a group of Helsinki journalists, the arrival of a big stack of boxes is hardly worth a second glance. Even when the boxes are opened, their contents – a seemingly random jumble of court documents, bank statements, and classified information from thirty years ago – don’t seem to give away much.
But while they’re rummaging through the boxes, the handyman working quietly away in the background has cut the phone lines and internet. By the time anyone asks him what he’s up to, he’s wired a bomb to the front door and is handing out plastic ties so they can bind their wrists and ankles together. They’re his hostages now, and he’s got quite a story to tell.
The opening of Helsinki Syndrome sets up Elias Karo (Vikings’ Peter Franzen) as your typical disgruntled loner, demanding the journalists he’s taken captive go through the boxes of documents to prove a conspiracy that – at first – seems like it exists only in his mind. Things are rarely what they seem in a thriller like this, but even the most sceptical viewers are going to find a few big surprises here.
For starters, the reason why Elias is so angry is based in fact. Back in the 1990s, a financial crisis rocked Finland. Thousands lost their homes and businesses due to reckless behaviour by banks, who were themselves bailed out by the government. Attempts to find redress through the courts all failed, because what the banks did was technically legal, leaving their victims high and dry.
Series creator and head writer Mikko Oikkonen (Bordertown, Estonia) originally about the crisis, but during the COVID pandemic he and the producers decided to turn their research into a drama series. Part of what inspired them was the way the effects of the 1990s crash were still lingering… which brings us back to exactly why Elias is doing all this.
Thirty years ago, the banking crisis destroyed his family business and drove his father to suicide. When Elias applied for financial support during COVID, his business didn’t qualify because of the black mark the collapse left on his financial records. Now he’s out for revenge.
Psychologist Jarmo Kiiski (Taneli Mäkelä). Credit: Fisher King
For the police outside, that’s all they need to know. Investigative psychologist Jarmo Kiiski (Taneli Mäkelä) steps up as hostage negotiator, while criminal investigator Tapani Kolehmainen (Antti Luusuaniemi) heads up the police on the scene. Right from the start the pressure’s on to send in SWAT, but Karo seems to have turned the building into a fortress – if they’re going to get in, it’s up to Kiiski to talk his way in.
Inside, the journalists are initially dubious about Elias’s story. Bad things happen to good people all the time, and they don’t usually start taking hostages over it. But the more they dig – even at gunpoint – the more it starts to look like Elias might be onto something. Corrupt government officials, dodgy judges; there’s a lot of puzzle pieces missing, but that doesn’t mean they can’t piece together the broad outlines.
Investigative journalist Hanna Raivio (Oona Airola) is among the hostages. Credit: Kimmo Korhonen / Fisher King
Outside, the police are getting desperate. The last thing they want is for Elias to become a folk hero. They need to keep him isolated, on edge, feeling like he’s alone in the world. And they need to know what’s going on inside, especially as the hostage situation quickly starts to draw serious attention both locally and internationally.
Then Elias realises he needs someone on the outside to follow up the leads the investigation has turned up. That gives Kiiski what he wants – a freed hostage – but now Elias has an agent on the outside, and now the tension is cranked up even higher.
Elias Karo (Peter Franzen) has a lot on the line. Credit: Fisher King.
As the series goes on, it’s increasingly clear that his need to balance the books isn’t going to be satisfied by a simple news report. He’s got something more serious in mind, something that will shake the system to its foundations. Which raises another question: how is he going to get away with whatever he has planned when he’s trapped in a building surrounded by police in a country where everyone knows his face?
Helsinki Syndrome seasons 1 and 2 are streaming now at SBS On Demand.
Stream free On Demand
Helsinki Syndrome
