The scenario: Undercover agents infiltrate a drug kingpin’s operation by posing as a couple at the campground where he spends his weekends. They gain his trust and become close friends and partners in crime. Bad cops, twists and turns, double crosses, and sexual tension. Sound familiar? Of course, we’ve all seen a variation of this formula before. Undercover offers a fresh, irresistible take on this familiar premise.
Inspired by real events, Undercover is a Dutch-Belgian production. The binational partnership is integrated throughout the series by the joint law enforcement team assigned to catch the drug dealers, to its location in Limburg, a Dutch province on the border with Belgium, and its cast represented by both countries.
Tom Waes plays Bob and Anna Drijver is Kim, the undercover agents who move into a dumpy, little trailer close to the small chalet where Ferry (Frank Lammers) holds court. Ferry, with a large gut and slicked back hair, is a jovial loving husband in one life and a ruthless criminal in the other. John, his right-hand man is a loyal soldier while wife Danielle is lonely at home on the couch watching TV with her beloved pooch. Ferry is skeptical of Bob but eventually does business with him. Danielle is powerless to Kim’s allure. John is not buying it.
Undercover is a binge-y series; each episode ends in a cliffhanging twist. Even if you surmise what will happen next, it’s a suspenseful, entertaining ride. The international cast are new faces for us. It’s interesting and fun to hear them speaking in their native tongue. (Of course, as with all international programming, its intrigue all goes away if you watch the awful English dubs instead of the subtitles.) In fact, this is the show’s main selling point. We can add the Dutch setting and language to the long list of foreign countries that Netflix has brought to our screens.
(This review focuses on Season One from 2019. Undercover is a three-season series with 10, 10, and 8 episodes. After Season Three aired in 2021, Netflix released a prequel movie, Ferry. His saga continued in 2023 with another prequel, the eight-episode Ferry: The Series.)
D² Rating ◼◼◼◩☐
Trivia: What Dutch actress starred in Games of Thrones?
Answer below
Answer: Carice van Houten as Melisandre
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