Penoza | 5 Seasons | 2010 - 2017 | Thriller / Crime-Drama

A Dutch TV show about the Dutch underworld

Although it has been a few years (2010) when the show aired, I can still remember how I was drawn into the story from the first episode. Back then, I had to wait another week for the next episode as at the time there was no Netflix that released full seasons of a TV show yet. Penoza tells the story of Carmen van Walraven, played by Monic Hendrickx, whose husband was the head of a big drug empire. When he was murdered in front of their (at the time) youngest child, Carmen needed to step up and take on his role. Business continued as usual and it was only logical for her to take over his role as she knew the ins and outs of the company.

Of course, being on top of this empire comes with a lot of challenges and sacrifices. Her family definitely has to suffer quite a lot for her business decisions. She lets her family down on a regular basis, not because she puts the company first, but simply because (cartel) members make sure she has no other choice than to obey. Thankfully, the family van Walraven is cut out of strong wood and can adapt to the most extreme situations that they find themselves in over the years.

Not everyone can be trusted

But like in many of these underground businesses, a lot of egos are trying to get on top, especially in the cocaine business, and many of them would like to see Carmen fall off her throne rather sooner than later. Although Carmen has never really chosen for this role to be the kingpin of this huge drug empire her husband built, she is fitting the gloves perfectly at some point. She toughens quickly and over the years, you can see her having thicker skin than many of the guys. I don't think there's any person in Holland that watched this show and won't connect Monic Hendrickx with her role as Carmen. Her role is played so well that I have watched the seasons of the TV many times over the years. She demands certain respect when watching this show.

Good cops / bad cops

The family business is not only dealing with cartel orders and employees that turn to the other side at some point. At several points in the TV shows it's not clear anymore if the people that work for justice are really on the good side and fighting crime, or too closely involved for their own gains in this drug trafficking business that they can't be trusted to serve justice. You will also witness how a prosecutor will make it her personal vendetta to get Carmen van Walraven behind bars for many years. It becomes a true obsession at some point. How this works out, you will just have to see for yourself though as I really can't give away the answer here.

Good actors and one hell of a story

There used to be a time that many Dutch TV shows were just so so, but since Penoza aired, there have been more and more shows of this calibre with a great set of actors that have found a bit of fame thanks to this show. I personally compare shows that fall under the same category as Penoza. Especially Carmen's role is played so well along with the right hand of the family, Luther. He's a strong persona like Carmen and they make a great team. They both have the ability to remain as calm as can be in the most stressful situations. Fun fact about Luther: after his big role in Penoza, he later appeared in several other shows playing some similar roles, as he fits the gloves so well.

Disappointment it ended after 5 seasons

Whenever a new season aired, we watched the show from episode one all over again. That's how much we enjoyed it. Granted, we speak both Dutch, so I can't say if you will enjoy it as much as we did too. It was quite a disappointment when they announced season 5 to be the final season. Those that were fans, felt like saying goodbye to a yearly returning great show that got everyone on the tip of the seats. I could not see how they'd end this show the way they did though.

Thankfully, soon they announced that a movie was in the making. This was going to be the real end of Penoza, and the name was going to be "The Final Chapter". I have been nothing but excited since they announced that and had to wait a few years (!!) to be able to see it. It is just a few weeks ago since I could watch it as I'm not in Holland anymore. I wasn't allowed to see it from another country until the public Dutch TV channel aired the movie a few weeks ago. I will tell you about the movie in another blog though because so much happened there! You should probably start with the TV show anyway...

If I piqued your interest, go and find Penoza season 1 if you haven't seen it, I know I've seen them with subtitles a few times, so you should be able to see them. Let me know what you think in a comment if you saw it already, or if you watched it after reading this.

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