Finns, Soviets, and American Spies

The Finnish spy thriller “Nyrkki” is must-see TV

This week, I watched the first two seasons of the Finnish spy thriller “Nyrkki,” and it’s damn good.

Set primarily in Helsinki in the mid-1950s, the series follows the exploits of a super-secret Finnish intelligence service called Fist (AKA “Nyrkki”), whose mission is to protect Finland’s independence from all outside threats.

Season One is set in the weeks leading up to the 1956 presidential election in which Finland’s longest-serving president, Uhro Kekkonen, was first elected.

The Soviet Union wants Kekkonen, a personal friend of Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, to win while the American CIA is pouring cash into the campaign of Social Democrat Karl-August Fagerholm, whom the Americans view as more pro-American and anti-Soviet than Kekkonen.

The job of Nyrkki is to see to it that neither the US nor the Soviet Union influence the election but that the interests of neutral Finland prevail.

Added to the mix are Nyrkki’s efforts to help Finland get the Soviets to return Porkkhala, a port city it leased from Finland for a Soviet military base.

There’s plenty of Cold War intrigue and espionage to make any fan of spy thrillers enjoy the ride. Plus, there is an over-arching sub-plot about a mysterious young woman named Helena, whose godfather, Yrlö Ylitalo, heads up Nyrkki.

We first meet Helena in New York City where her godfather sent her to attend university.

Her life and childhood shrouded in mystery, Helena frequently has dreams and flashes of memories that in no way comport with what Yrlö has told her about her past. While her godfather wants her as far away from Nyrkki as possible, unexpected circumstances drop Helena at Yrlö’s door after she quickly dispatches a man who tries to kill her in a New York alley.

Much to her godfather’s dismay, Helena insists on joining Nyrkki, where she proves to be a very effective operative.

It’s almost as if she was raised and trained for it…

With Kekkonen’s election secured at the end of Season One (that’s not a spoiler; he was Finland’s president from 1956 until 1982), Season Two features a CIA plot to fund a shadowy Finnish paramilitary group that seeks to reclaim by force the eastern Karelia territory the Finns ceded to the Soviets after the 1939 Winter War. By funding the group, the Americans hope to spark a conflict between Finland and the Soviet Union to shake the Finns out of their neutrality and bring them into NATO.

Defying Kekkonen’s orders, Yrjö Ylitalo directs the operatives of Nyrkki to stop the paramilitary group’s efforts, unaware that some of his operatives support the group’s mission.

The series is cleverly written and has a solid, memorable cast.

I was particularly taken with Emmi Parviainen’s portrayal of Helena. She pulls off a complex character who is both lost and assured, confused and clear-minded. That’s not an easy task.

Nyrkki’s leader, Yrjö Ylitalo, is masterfully played by Hannu-Pekka Björkman, whose cigar-smoking, gone-to-seed veteran spymaster runs the group with an iron fist, often using manipulation and violence to get what he wants from both his enemies and his operatives alike.

While Season Two is very good, the first season is flat-out exemplary from start to finish.

“Nyrkki” doesn’t waste time setting up the plot with endless exposition. Instead, it allows the viewer to slowly catch on to the players in this spy game while letting the action tell the story. Sure, there were occasions when I would wonder, “Okay, who is this person?” But after a couple of episodes, I realized that all of my questions would be answered as the plot unfolded.

It looks as though the producers are planning a third season of “Nyrkki.” Boy, I hope so. While there are no cliffhangers that would make the lack of a third season disappointing, the series is so clever and entertaining that I wouldn’t mind seeing more of it.

You can see “Nyrkki” on Amazon Prime, AMC, or Sundance Now. Though, it might be listed under the American title, “Shadow Lines.”