As Topic continues to bulk up its catalog of European series, the streamer reached out to Collider once again to share an exciting new title that is set to premiere in mid-February. Helsinki Syndrome is an eight-episode thriller series that centers around a man who takes extreme measures in order to exact revenge on the Finnish government, which ruined his life once he discovered a scandalous cover-up. We can now share with you the trailer for Season 1 of the series, along with the release date: February 16.

The trailer for Helsinki Syndrome reveals that leading man Elias Karo (Peter Franzén) came up with an elaborate plan to take hostage four very specific individuals: All of them journalists. His intention is to use their knowledge and influence to start a massive exposé on the Finnish government, all the while not caring about the consequences. It’s a good idea to gather experienced journalists to tell your story, but they might not cooperate or do their very best to put the story together, given the fact that Elias has them at gunpoint.

The Fourth Estate in the Hot Seat

The thriller portion of the series seems to unveil ticking-clock style, as the police from Finland starts to mount a whole rescue operation outside the building, complete with snipers, drones, and negotiators. Meanwhile, the trailer for Helsinki Syndrome suggests that the series will tackle the role of the Fourth Estate, and the way that mainstream media sometimes forgets that they should keep the government in check, and not be used as a weapon by it.

helsinki-syndrome
Image via Topic

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Same Continent, Slightly Different Syndrome

The title of the series is a reference to the Stockholm Syndrome, something that happens when people are taken hostage and develop a psychological (and sometimes emotional) bond with their kidnappers. This happens due to a series of factors, including despair and the power imbalance, which makes it an abusive relationship by its very definition. In Helsinki Syndrome, this may relate to the fact that the four journalists are put in a terrible situation by Elias, but they’ll come to understand his story once he starts providing evidence of a government conspiracy that was never investigated by mass media.

Helsinki Syndrome is directed by Juuso Syrjä (Bordertown), Marko Mäkilaakso (Abominable Snowman), and Lenka Hellstedt (Me and Morrison). The series is written by Mike Oikkonen (Bordertown) and Olli Suitiala (Sirkus), along with freshmen screenwriters Thomas Hakola and Olli Koivula.

Topic premieres Helsinki Syndrome on February 16. You can watch the trailer below:

Check out the official synopsis here:

“We will find the truth; we will find the culprits.”

From the producers of Finnish TV series “Bordertown,” this eight-episode drama thriller tells the story of entrepreneur and family man Elias Karo, who takes four journalists hostage to get them to reveal a government coverup that destroyed his family and countless others 30 years ago. In the 90s, a bank manager and a district court judge took his family’s possessions with the Finnish government’s blessing and caused a financially triggered tragedy that still continues today for hundreds of families who find themselves ineligible for any COVID assistance, bankrupting their businesses. Elias hopes that by holding the journalists captive, he can expose the corruption and conspiracy to keep Finland’s working poor from getting ahead.