Borgen – Season 1
OVERVIEW | NEWS | CAST | SEASON 1 | SEASON 2 | SEASON 3 | SEASON 4 | SOUNDTRACK
1. Decency In The Middle
The final countdown to election day is full of surprises on all sides as Denmark prepares for parliamentary elections. Birgitte Nyborg, facing her first election as party leader, decides at the last minute to head in her own direction – the question is whether the voters will reward or punish her for this change of course. Likewise, Birgitte’s press advisor Kasper Juul and TV journalist Katrine Fonsmark are each thrown off track in their own way in this super-professional, super-competitive race.
2. Count To 90
Birgitte Nyborg is undeniably the winner of the election, doubling her party’s seats in parliament. Focus now turns to the negotiation of alliances and the forming of a new coalition government. Turbulence, toil and surprises ensue, and Birgitte’s election win begins to look more like a loss. Katrine is going through hell, but continues her dedication to her work. In addition to losing his job, Kasper is losing his grip. And in the middle of all the commotion, Ole Dahl’s funeral takes a strange turn.
3. The Art Of The Possible
After only a few short months as prime minister, Birgitte Nyborg has negotiated her first finance bill into place. But before the final ratification, several members of parliament withdraw their support. Ousted politician Michael Laugesen is in a new position as a newspaper editor and is out to get Nyborg, who lets her family down on more than one occasion at home. While Kasper finds a new job, Katrine is still extremely vulnerable as she experiences yet another shock.
4. 100 Days
TV journalist Katrine Fonsmark gets the scoop of her life when an anonymous source contacts her with important security policy information. The pressure is on prime minister Birgitte Nyborg to kill the story, but she decides to go her own way. In the process Katrine finds herself in some intense situations and runs into problems with her boss, but in the middle of the turmoil help appears from an unexpected angle.
5. Men Who Love Women
With the support of her Minister of Trade and Industry, Birgitte puts forth a proposal for gender quotas on Danish companies’ boards of directors. The proposal meets resistance both in and out of government – and the country’s most powerful businessman gives Birgitte an ultimatum that could have serious consequences. Meanwhile, members of the media choose to focus on the very attractive and ambitious Minister’s private life, which turns out to be morally problematic. While Katrine turns down at first an offer of help to take better care of herself, Kasper gets into a muddle with the ladies.
6. State Visit
Birgitte faces her first state visit, as the president of the former Soviet republic Turgistan comes to take over the chairmanship of an international board and announces his intention to invest one billion euros in Danish wind turbine technology. However, the simultaneous arrival of a renowned Turgistani poet and dissident places Birgitte in the middle of a significant, escalating conflict. She also faces conflict at home as her father becomes an unwelcome guest in the eyes of her husband.
7. See No Evil, Hear No Evil Speak No Evil
When surveillance equipment is found in the offices of an extreme left-wing political party, it looks like the work of the Danish Security and Intelligence Service – but why? Illegal monitoring of a legal political party is a serious offence, and it quickly becomes clear that Birgitte and minister of justice Hoxenhaven have very different opinions of the case and its consequences. Birgitte’s home life suffers from her absence. Katrine, who has otherwise been in good spirits, must make a difficult decision.
8. The Silly Season
It is summer, and not much is going on in parliament. Yet when Michael Laugesen announces that he has written a book – to be released in a few days – containing disclosures of all sorts from his years in politics, something happens. Kasper is forced to deal with people and events from his past which he has fought to put behind him. When Birgitte realises she must make an effort to win back her family life, she spontaneously plans a holiday for the whole family.
9. Divide And Rule
Though Birgitte is surprised at the defence minister’s choice of new fighter jets, she allows him to make public the decision on the government’s behalf. When unpleasant surprises surface in the wake of the big plane purchase, the media launch an offensive against members of parliament. Meanwhile, Birgitte becomes more and more controlling both at work and at home, costing her dearly. Katrine is really on her toes but runs into problems with her boss when she acts too arbitrarily.
10. The First Tuesday in October
Birgitte is suffering in the opinion polls before a new year in parliament, while the Labour Party is picking up headway.