Does Netflix's 'The Asset' Ever Get Any Better?

I was drawn to Netflix’s The Asset (Legenden) because it was trending in the streamer’s top ten - it’s currently the most-watched non-English show of the week - and because it was billed as a scandi noir. I’m a sucker for a good scandi noir, and while The Asset technically fits the genre, I don’t think a series should automatically qualify just because it’s a crime drama set in a Scandinavian country.

It should also be good. The Asset is not.

Still, it’s one of those crime dramas that feels like it could be good, like the big twist is just around the corner, ready to kick the story into gear. Unfortunately, that never happens. The Asset remains as straightforward and generic as they come. If you’ve ever watched a show or movie where a police officer infiltrates a criminal empire by befriending the girlfriend, nothing here will surprise you. Honestly, it’s the kind of show where you could watch the first and last episodes and easily fill in the rest yourself.

So if you’re watching the first couple of episodes and wondering, “Does this ever get better?” the answer is a resounding no.

I’ll spoil the entire plot here because, well, that’s what I do and because it’s spectacularly simple to do here. A police cadet, Tea (Clara Dessau), is tasked with infiltrating a criminal empire run by Miran (Afshin Firouzi) by befriending his wife, Ashley (Maria Cordsen). Tea poses as a jewelry store owner and connects with Ashley over her love of jewelry.

As the two grow closer, Miran - ever the paranoid drug lord - starts to doubt Tea’s intentions. But eventually, she wins him over, too. At one point, Tea witnesses one of Miran’s rivals gun down his brother. After attending the funeral and earning more of Miran’s trust, Tea is brought in to help launder drug money.

Things get messy. To set up a sting operation, the police take Ashley and Miran’s child away, pressuring Ashley to turn informant in exchange for custody. Tea reveals her true identity to Ashley, who feels utterly betrayed by someone she thought was her friend. Still, she agrees to wear a wire and records Miran confessing to killing his brother’s murderer.

Miran briefly escapes and nearly kills Tea, but ultimately spares her. Tea persuades him to take full blame for his crimes and clear Ashley by claiming he forced her involvement, allowing Ashley to reunite with her daughter. The friendship between Tea and Ashley, however, is beyond repair.

In the final minutes, the series teases a potential second season: someone - likely sent by Miran - tries to kill Tea, but she survives. Meanwhile, Miran - now in prison - leaves Ashley a key to a storage unit packed with drugs worth millions. The implication is clear: Ashley isn’t done with the criminal world, and Tea will once again have to find a way inside.

I don’t think I saw any snow in the series, either, so I don’t know how it can respectfully call itself a scandi noir.