Blogs by Ella Fisher

Normally, Dutch series are not really my thing. Still, I decided to give Sleepers a chance after seeing so much about it on Teun Kuilboer’s Instagram. In my opinion, he is the best actor we have. The question was whether this series would be worth writing a blog about. For me, the answer is yes.

This is a series that pulls you in immediately. There is no slow build up. The story grabs you from the first moment, which makes it very hard not to binge watch. The theme of police corruption is fascinating, especially because of the unexpected angles the story takes. Things happen that you do not see coming at all.

One of the main characters, Martin, played by Robert de Hoog, finds himself in an increasingly difficult position. Every decision he makes seems to be the wrong one, and the problems keep piling up. The tension is built extremely well. What I really appreciated was how far he is willing to go to protect his family. His acting is very strong, just like Teun’s.

What surprised me most is that the corruption goes much deeper than just Martin. You might expect that to some extent, but it is still shocking to see how many officers are involved. When you translate this to real life, it feels almost impossible to stay loyal to both worlds at the same time. As a Dutch production, this series shows how far we have come in terms of quality.

You do need to be able to handle some blood. Personally, that does not bother me. I could probably watch a surgical procedure while someone calmly cuts into a steak. That said, the death of Tarik really affected me. It felt extremely unfair and honestly made me a bit nauseous. I never fully knew how to read Tarik, whose real name is Chemsedinne Amar, and that unpredictability made him interesting. During that scene, I actually broke out in sweat. I never saw that coming.

For most of the series, I had the feeling that things would somehow work out. That changed completely when Willem was kidnapped. For a moment, I was genuinely afraid he was dead. Then I thought they would never write out a main character like that. Thankfully, they did not, because I am not sure I would have finished the series otherwise.

There were episodes that were so intense that I immediately watched another one. If you are not careful, you will find yourself watching until the middle of the night. That would have been fitting for a series called Sleepers, but I tried to avoid it. Still, when a show makes it this hard for me to stop watching, I know it is good.

One point of criticism is the excessive use of the k word, especially in the first season. I know it is commonly used in music and pop culture, but I personally did not enjoy hearing it so often. In season two, this seemed to be reduced, so maybe they received feedback on that.

What also stood out to me is how Martin comes across as a kind, sincere, and reliable family man, while in reality he is anything but that. For me, he was the most unpredictable character of all. One decision that was harsh but understandable was the murder of Willem’s girlfriend, even though it was not Martin himself but the woman he worked with who carried it out. She was spying on Willem and passing along information. Still, something broke for me at that moment. Martin should have told Willem the truth first, even if Willem would not have listened. Because of that, the ending of season three makes sense to me. Personally, I feel Martin has gone too far now, and that is where my sympathy for him ends.

What this series does incredibly well is keeping you in suspense about whether Willem is alive or not. I kept watching because I simply could not accept the idea of him being dead. I sometimes get very emotionally invested in characters like that.

If you do not like feeling frustrated, I honestly would not recommend watching Sleepers. There are many moments that will frustrate you as a viewer. One scene that really made me angry happens very early on, when Henk van Praag is killed. It felt deeply unfair and painful for the main characters, since he was basically their father, the man who raised them.

I did not cry, although there were moments where I probably could have. For me, the tension outweighed the sadness. The series feels realistic, or at least close to what could be real. Because it takes place in the Netherlands, it makes you wonder how much we as citizens really know about what goes on within the police force.

There are some very hard scenes. Tarik’s death, being placed alive in a coffin and sent into an oven, hangings, limbs being cut off, suffocation. For a Dutch series, this level of brutality makes it truly unique. The death of Martin’s wife felt the most predictable to me, especially after what happened to Willem’s girlfriend. Still, a part of me hoped Willem would not go that far.

One thing is absolutely clear to me. Sleepers is, without question, the crime series for me. I have honestly never seen anything this good. What sets it apart is the rawness, the constant tension, and how well the story is written. It also made me think about how people with power can easily abuse it, just like in real life. If you are still unsure after reading this, I honestly do not understand why. If you enjoy action, this series belongs on your list. I promise you will not regret it. I would even watch Sleepers again, and that says a lot, because if a series is bad, you never feel that urge.

After Sleepers, I wanted to watch another series, preferably with some action. I hesitated between Amsterdam Empire and Klem, but eventually chose Amsterdam Empire because I think Famke Janssen is a very strong actress. I was personally a bit shocked by her appearance. I do not know if it was digital or cosmetic, but she looked very artificial to me. That is just a detail, though, and it says nothing about her acting abilities.

When I started the series, I honestly had no idea what to expect. Having just watched Sleepers, I did have certain expectations, but I tried not to compare the two. I expected Amsterdam Empire to be decent, with a different type of tension, and that turned out to be true. The series starts strong. The main character Jack, played by Jacob Derwig, is shot at the beginning in a flashback. Right away, you want to know why this happened, so that hook works very well.

I found the series entertaining. At times, it felt a bit like a soap. Betty, played by Famke Janssen, is extremely jealous after her husband cheats on her and chooses another woman. Her reaction is understandable, but the lengths she goes to for revenge felt excessive to me. Still, I could understand her emotions, even though at some point you would expect someone to move on.

Patrick van Doorn, Jack’s son played by Jesse Mensah, was refreshing to watch. He had a nice role and brought humor at unexpected moments. Victor Löw, who played Bolle, also deserves praise. The role suited him perfectly. The scene where he is drugged was genuinely funny and very well acted.

The name of the coffee shop, The Jackal, was a great choice, and setting the series in Amsterdam was an obvious and smart decision. There are some intense scenes here as well, but Sleepers is far more extreme. If you want a solid series without excessive violence, this might be a better fit for you.

The outfits for Famke’s character were brilliant and perfectly matched the personality she portrayed. This is a series you can watch to relax, without having to think too deeply. My only real disappointment was the lack of a very strong storyline. On the other hand, so many films and series have already been made about the drug world that it must be difficult to come up with something truly original every time.

If there were to be a second season, I would watch it, but I would not go in with high expectations.