TV: Occupied 

A few thoughts -

  My latest binge watch on Netflix is Occupied a Norwegian television series.  I find the basic premise is a bit wobbly: Russia intervenes when Norway's new prime minister stops all petroleum production. That said the questions raised by the scenario resonate with me. Those questions are:

 -when must a nation/state rise up against an intruder or risk surrendering its very identity as well as its sovereignty? 

- to what extent do other nations have a claim on another nation's resources?

- how trustworthy is the new Russia under Putin?

- for that matter how trustworthy is any nation when its national interest (here represented by threat of war and energy security) is threatened?

  While I was relieved that the USA was absent during most of this first season, the above issues obviously could relate as much to the US in the middle east and Persian Gulf as they do to how Russia is portrayed in this fictional TV show. 

  The plot follows 3 Norwegian families, including that of the prime minister as they navigate the new terrain after the soft occupation begins. 

  Other random thoughts in no particular order:

- Norwegian sounds very different from Swedish, who knew?

- It's very odd to hear English automatically spoken with an American accent by actors who are not portraying Americans. I keep thinking where is the British accent (the proper accent)?

- This thing has so many plot twists that I am dizzy. Yet it seems eerily familiar. I must be watching too much television.

Here's an article with more detail.