THE THAW, a new HBO Max series from Poland, is currently airing. This is a crime and thriller series that is officially classified as "drama" on IMDb. As we've come to expect from Polish films based on international releases, the production quality is excellent. You should be impressed by how beautiful both the aural and visual sides of these shows are, whether they're on Netflix, HBO, or in theaters.

We've also come to expect a few more twists and turns in these Polish films. As a result, it's impossible to know who's "good" and who's "bad." Or, to put it another way, most characters will have a little bit of both. Just like in the majority of South Korean genre films. It always makes for a much more engaging story that keeps you guessing.

I was hooked from episode 1 of The Thaw, but I still ended up with the feeling that this could have been a series in five episodes instead of six. It’s not that an entire episode is irrelevant. Instead, it’s just the overall feeling that the storyline could have been a bit tighter in some places.

Also, the final pieces of the puzzle won’t be revealed until the very end. As I said, it does keep you guessing. And sure, there are a few hints in the wrong direction. Nothing in the hardcore “red herring”-department though. That’s a bit of a pet peeve of mine.

I don’t like it when the story directly tells me one thing. Then later changes this premise and goes “Ha! Got ya, didn’t I?!”. Because no, you didn’t “trick me”, you just flat-out lied which is something else entirely. In any case, The Thaw doesn’t do anything like that. It’s just that most people have their own secrets and demons, which a revealed as the story progresses.

The absolute star of the HBO Max series The Thaw is Katarzyna Wajda as the police detective Zawieja. Her full name is Katarzyna Zawieja, but – as it’s usually the case with police officers – we only really hear her called by her last name Zawieja. Katarzyna Wajda (Wycieczka) is very strong in the lead role and really makes everything come together in this plot.

Other key characters are played by actors, you might recognize if you’ve watched some of the internationally released Polish productions from recent years. Bartlomiej Kotschedoff was in the awesome Netflix horror slasher Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight (2020) and Monika Krzywkowska from All My Friend are Dead (2020) which was also released on Netflix.

Also, I want to mention that even the opening credits are really gorgeous. Complete with the Billie Eilish song “When The Party’s Over” which really works perfectly to set the tone of The Thaw.

Watch The Thaw on HBO Max
The Thaw was written by Marta Szymanek, who also worked on the HBO series Wataha. The director is Xawery Zulawski who already directed on more than a handful of series prior to working on this one.

While I did feel that The Thaw was maybe a bit too slow at times, I also enjoyed the slow burn. Especially since it allows us to focus on the characters. Most of whom are dealing with various traumas. Having said that, I also have to mention that suicide is quite a big part of this story in a few different ways. It’s not the core element of the story, but it does come up several times.

If you like a good crime series that is both character-driven and with a focus on some dark elements as well as thriller-driven at times, then The Thaw is definitely worth checking out.

The Thaw (org. title Odwilz) premieres with two episodes on HBO Max on April 1, 2022.