These are undoubtedly the most beautiful credits in TV series so far. “Follow the Money” (“Bedrag”, in the original version) opens with images of characters embedded in the cold decor of functional offices, or in some urban settings such as a garage. Water enters computer keyboards, flows from the grille of a car, gradually fills the blue meeting rooms…
In Danish, there must be an exact equivalent of the expression “take the water”: because this is what these credits designed by the specialist company Benny Box say. It shows a society – in both senses of the term, the social world and the business – that takes the water (See the credits here).
Death under the propellers
“Follow the Money” is a Danish economic thriller in 10 episodes, revealed this Wednesday night on RTS, with a second season. The beginning remains good in the country: we found a corpse at the foot of a wind turbine, not far from Copenhagen. He is a worker in Ukraine who works in the field of giant propellers. The police officer in charge of the investigation, “Mads” (Thomas Bo Larsen, previously seen in “Festen” then “Pusher”), quickly realizes that other suspicious deaths have occurred at the site. Security conditions can be shaky.
Energgreen, the company that operates the field, is in trouble for other reasons. He was the victim of leaks that benefited dubious interests. Claudia (Natalie Madueño, beautiful and efficient), an employee of the legal department, receives the mission to isolate the source of the failures. However, his pursuit led to his own downfall. Alexander (Nikolaj Lie Kaas), the boss of Energreen, seems determined to clean up these conspiracies, but he also seems willing to do anything to attract potential investors. In Abu Dhabi, facing an Emirati noble who wants to bet on lasting power, Alexander takes all the risks, to the point that Claudia is worried.
Thanks to Jeppe Gjervig Gram, who was the main screenwriter of “Borgen”, “Follow the Money” proves how mature the Danish genius is in TV series. The cast was flawless from start to finish. Although there are no devastating twists at the end of episodes like “The Killing” (“Forbrydelsen”, revealed only ten years ago), the tension remains permanent.
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A true economic fiction
Above all, “Bedrag”, “deceit”, holds its economic stakes unique. In Norway, the powerful thriller “Mammon” – which is also shown on RTS these days – mixes business and politics, with a strong emphasis on the second. “Follow the Money” has some sub-plots related to the ministry involved in Energgreen’s maneuvers, but the point of view, and the heart of the drama, remains inside the company, and in the scenes to its owner. Walking is more unusual than it seems; often economic fictions use it as a pure context, ethereal, background of sentimental or psychological tactics.
Jeppe Gjervig Gram and his authors show a certain courage. “Follow the Money” certainly presents a critical view of business, without falling into anger or caricatured stripping. In Abu Dhabi, the series even evoked one of the soporific symposiums that really focus on business life. At first at least, Alexander is shown ambiguously, but within the confines of business. And the creator did not choose a terrible oil magnate, he favored a more modern track, also a good goal at first glance, of new energies. Original.
Follow the Money (Bedrag). 10 episodes. Starting this Wednesday night, RTS Un, 10:20 pm On DVD, with English subtitles, from Nordic Noir.
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