The opening scenes of Oxen make it clear that there are some deadly secrets floating about in this gripping drama. If a man watching a suspicious bundle being shoved into the boot of a car on a dark night doesn’t give it away, events at a funeral the next day make it even clearer. When decorated war hero Niels Oxen, attending the funeral, asks a senior defence department official “Can trust you on that?” in relation to an investigation into events that caused the death of his comrade, and said official looks decidedly uneasy, you get the feeling Oxen is about to face some problems. You’d be right.
Based on a best-selling book series by author Jens Henrik Jensen, this six-part Danish series (which has done so well that a second season is underway) is a pacy drama that draws us deep into the trouble surrounding the highly trained Special Forces soldier. When Oxen (played by the well-cast Jacob Lohmann) accuses an officer, Hannibal Frederiksen, of panicking under fire, causing the death of his comrade, it starts a series of events that sees his own life spiral. There are plenty of people who want Oxen and his accusation to go away, and in a sense he does.
There is an investigation – but when chairman of the Defence Committee overseeing the investigation is murdered, and false evidence has Oxen expelled from the special forces, his PTSD sees his life spiralling. Losing contact with his wife Birgitte and son Magnus, and plagued by nightmares, he spends more time in the woods with his dog than he does with people. But when local dogs start dying and then people too, Oxen reluctantly finds himself accepting a request from PET (the police intelligence unit) head Frigg Mossman to help the investigation. Soon, he’s working with determined PET detective Margrethe Franck, who's dealing with her own challenges.
This is a story where things move fast: a body count that keeps growing, a lot of people who really don’t want the truth uncovered, and some genuinely shocking moments.
To help you keep up, here’s a quick Oxen who’s who for the main characters of this powerful drama (and where you might have seen Lohmann’s familiar face before).
Niels Oxen
Jacob Lohmann as Niels Oxen. Credit: Mike Kollöffel
Trained in the Special Forces to lead the way, Oxen is a soldier of exceptional abilities. However, when he loses a comrade in battle due to an officer's failure, he is drawn into a descending dark spiral that ultimately robs him of his job and family. He completely loses trust in the system he went to war for and ends up as a loner. He dreams of a completely normal family life where he can go on fishing trips with his son. But the brutal reality looms. Escape is not possible. But then he’s facing something familiar, that might make him feel alive again: danger. Oxen is played with convincing steel, anger and at times utter weariness by leading Danish actor Jacob Lohmann, who has brought his piercing stare to dramas including Darkness: Those Who Kill, Godland and Darkland and dark comedy Fathers & Mothers.
Margrethe Franck
Josephine Park as Margrethe Franck. Credit: Mike Kollöffel
Police investigator Margrethe Franck (Baby Fever’s Josephine Park) is driven by a sense of justice. She is deeply loyal, and she expects unwavering loyalty from others. She pushes herself far beyond what is expected, not to prove something, but because it is deeply ingrained in her to complete what she has started. But she’s far from perfect: She doesn't necessarily respect her own boundaries and is prone to lying about her own background. After surviving a murder attempt, she is in a constant battle with herself. When life gets too close, she pushes it away, and when it turns its back on her, she is lonely. She needs to be needed, and when she and Oxen turn up, they find common ground in their attempts to deal with the injuries life has deal them – in Franck’s case, literally as well as emotionally.
Frigg Mossmann
Ellen Hillingsø as Frigg Mossmann. Credit: Mike Kollöffel
Mossmann (Ellen Hillingsø of Call Me Dad) is the top executive of the police intelligence service. She possesses humour and sudden empathetic insights but also a raw brutality. Her husband has just passed away, and she carries the grief and loneliness with her, even though she appears outwardly present and decisive. In parallel with her leadership position, she has been following a trail for several years, attempting to uncover a secret power network. She plays people against each other with indifference, exploits their weaknesses, and withholds information when it serves her purposes. Only she knows the true agenda. It’s a poisonous and dangerous position that leaves her isolated.
Johnny Gregersen
Mikael Birkkjær as Johnny Gregersen and Anders Heinrichsen as Hannibal Frederiksen. Credit: Mike Kollöffel
It’s clear from the start that Gregersen (Borgen’s Mikael Birkkjær) is deep in the middle of something dangerous. He’s part of a gathering at a luxury estate owned by the Corfitzen family, and during a nighttime phone conversation with his wife, Tine, he mutters “that idiot we're about to start investigating, he's here too”, moments before he walks around a corner and sees someone shoving a body into the boot of a car. Chairman of the Defence Committee, he’s the man Oxen approaches at the funeral, and despite his assurances to Oxen, Gregersen is under pressure to make the Oxen problem go away.
Hans Otto Corfitzen
Henrik Birch as Hans Otto Corfitzen. Credit: Mike Kollöffel
The ruthless owner of the Nørlund estate, and one of three leaders of a mysterious network known as Danehof, Corfitzen (Henrik Birch of Prisoner, Seaside Hotel and A Lucky Man) has no time for those who disappoint him. Moments after Oxen walks away from Gregersen at the funeral, Corfitzen approaches him, making a blunt demand that he shuts down the commission. Gregersen’s life might be in danger if he doesn’t do as he’s told.
Kajsa Corfitzen
Brigitte Hjort Sørensen as Kajsa. Credit: Mike Kollöffel
Kajsa Corfitzen grew up in the shadow of her brother, who was supposed to inherit the estate, and the power that goes with it. When her brother died at the age of 12, her cousin Hannibal was chosen as the heir. But although he’s made it to the rank of major in the army, Hannibal (Anders Heinrichsen) is weak and Kajsa (Birgitte Hjort Sørensen, who played journalist Katrine Fonsmark in Borgen) is strong. With an elite education in the financial sector, and the female sharpshooting champion three years in a row at the Cambridge University Rifle Association, at one point, she applied to join the Danish Special Forces but was turned down. Despite her background of wealth and privilege, Kajsa has had to fight for her place in her part of the world.
Sara Kaspersen
Sandra Yi Sencindiver as Sara Kaspersen. Credit: Mike Kollöffel
Ministerial secretary at the Ministry of Justice, Kaspersen (American-Danish-Korean actress Sandra Yi Sencindiver, whose diverse CV includes Alien: Earth, Foundation, Backstrom and The Bridge) aspires to Frigg Mossmann's position and gains her trust by sharing information. But is she exploiting Frigg's loneliness?
Martin Rytter
Thue Ersted Rasmussen as Martin Rytter. Credit: Mike Kollöffel
Rytter (Thue Ersted Rasmussen) is Frigg Mossmann's passive-aggressive deputy in the Police Intelligence Service. He wants to be helpful to Margrethe but is afraid of her close collaboration with Mossmann. He is unaware of Mossmann's attempts to investigate the secret network.
Oxen is streaming at SBS On Demand.
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Oxen
series • drama • Danish
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series • drama • Danish
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