Miu The Mysterious
Episode 1 of Copenhagen Cowboy starts with the camera panning across a whole row of pigs at the slaughterhouse. This backdrops two figures, one male and one female. The male chokes the female and she struggles to breathe. This opener paves way for a young woman called Miu invited into the home of Rosella, who happens to be accompanied by a whole rabble of women. They fuss over her and continue to touch her. After, she’s shown to her room and given a list of things she needs to do. Rosella’s biggest wish though is that she wants to have a child. She knows the chances of that, at her age, are slim. However, she needs it to happen faster and offers to pay Miu 10,000 krone if she’ll make her pregnant. This seems to be the whole reason Miu is actually here, as she seemingly has spiritual powers. Another character introduced is Rosella’s brother Andre. He’s a shady character, he doesn’t believe in people like Miu with her “gift” and during a separate scene, we see him picking out women from a line at a seedy club. This happens to be one of Andre’s “dolls” whom he uses to market his company. This Miu character is rather weird, as we cut to her making strange facial expressions and wandering around the house, stepping all over the sofas and conducting some sort of personal ritual only she knows about. In the basement are a bunch of women who happen to be part of Andre’s club and used as prostitutes. They’re in personal hell, after having been in Miu’s position as Rosella’s personal assistant, doing all sorts of nasty jobs. They serve as a warning for what could happen to Miu if she’s not careful. Miu is forced to sit in while Sven and Rosella have sex, although we did see earlier on that Sven is not faithful to his wife, given he forced himself on one of the girls in the basement. Now, these women happen to be undocumented immigrants from various parts of Eastern Europe, and we’re introduced to Cimona who had her passport taken off her at the border. Now she’s forced to work with Andre just to get it back. Miu sits with Rosella at breakfast. Despite the deal being 10,000 kroner, Rosella feels that she’s actually pregnant and given the ease at which this occurred, she changes the deal to 8000 instead. Andre burtsts in and immediately smacks Sven upside the head, lashing out at him and beating him for sleeping with “Andre’s girls”. Andre also brings up that Sven owes him 15,000 too. Was this Miu’s doing? Did she influence Andre to beat Sven? Regardless, it’s clear these poor women are stuck in Andre’s tyrannical, slimy grip and they’re desperate to try and get out. It’s risky business though, and they need to find the right time to go. That night, Rosella awakens to find herself bleeding. It seems she’s not pregnant after all, and in fact she decides to move Miu down to the basement, still in her underwear. The hierarchy here is very different and it seems Miu is about to experience the very hell she’s been shielded from thus far. Miu is not taken away with the other girls to Andre’s club though, at least not yet. As the episode closes out, we cut to the slaughterhouse where Miu’s one friend, Cimona, tries to run away. Unfortunately, she’s choked out and killed by a shadowy character called Nicklas, explaining the scene at the start of the series.
The Episode Review
Copenhagen Cowboy is undeniably well produced. It’s artistic, aesthetically stunning and features an array of really impressive camera pans which feeds into the whole arthouse style this Danish series is going for. But yet, when it comes to the narrative, this one really hasn’t got out the traps yet. It’s a quiet, subdued episode that takes its sweet time to introduce Miu and the other characters. We’re drip-fed exposition and even then, there’s not much in the way of development. Hopefully things improve in the episodes ahead as this one definitely has potential. Whether that will materialize into something more sustainable and doused with a gripping story is another matter.
