Nemesis (2024)

The excellent 8-part conspiracy thriller Nemesis is not about drugs for once, but takes place in the financial world of trust offices, letterbox companies and dubious foreign money flows. The first Dutch-language Disney+ series convinces on all fronts. The script by creator and director Willem Bosch (Een Van ons, The Spectacular, Zina) is full of pace, has humor and is clear, despite the complex and shady subject matter. Bosch loosely based it on the book that Simon de Waal (Sleepers, Het Gouden Uur) wrote about it. The dialogues in particular stand out positively; no well-trodden paths in Nemesis but - in general - fresh conversations with a good joke here and there.

Nemesis' strongest asset - the ruthless goddess of righteous retribution - is the acting. Almost all roles are excellently cast. With Lies Visschedijk as mater familias and public prosecutor Sylvia van Maele who fights white-collar crime with tenacity, open-mindedness, introvertedness and vulnerability. Romana Vrede (Santos) ambivalently supports her as FIOD detective Lars van Deumen. The two undeniably develop a fine chemistry in their acting. Peter Blok provides a nice counterbalance as chief officer and fixer Ed Koppers.

Despite the last two episodes getting a bit lost in international tug-of-war and the plot twists sometimes being a bit too short-sighted or predictable, Nemesis remains captivating until the end. And remains reasonably exciting. But even more so, we see Dutch top actors here who know how to get the best out of themselves and each other.

Translated from Dutch · View original