Netflix’s 2025 Nordic series, The New Force, is set in the 1950s, when the Swedish police department conducted an experiment by hiring female police officers. The ‘skirt police’ stemmed from necessity, and it was not just some brave feminist move. Most men didn’t want to take up the low-paying, high-stakes job, so the District Chief, Gunnar Svard, decided to tap into the unused labor pool. For the female officers who joined the police force, it wasn’t about the money; they were interested in bringing about a change. The show focuses on three best friends and colleagues: Siv, Carin, and Ingrid. Carin was brave, and she didn’t hesitate to walk into shady establishments for the sake of an investigation. Siv was ready to prove how seriously she took her job and was determined to become a detective. Ingrid was level-headed, and she always chose her words carefully. While their approaches to the job were different, their experience with their sexist colleagues united them.
Spoiler Alert
Did Ingrid report Wallin?
Ingrid and Officer Wallin were paired together to patrol the streets of Klara. At first, he didn’t interact with her at all, to the point that Ingrid considered quitting her job. It was almost as if he didn’t consider her worthy to even have a conversation with. Eventually, they had brief interactions, where Wallin mostly said what he had to, without taking into account Ingrid’s opinion. His disregard for her opinion was evident when she repeatedly told him that she wasn’t hungry, yet he bought pastries for her and encouraged her to have them. She ate them, because he expected her to, and she was afraid that he might be offended if she didn’t accept it. Ingrid gradually started to make little compromises that didn’t seem like much at first, but it soon turned into a disaster. She felt proud of herself when she pulled out her gun and pointed it at a man who was trying to escape during a raid at an adult film theater. Wallin praised her for her courage, and Ingrid finally felt that she belonged there.
Wallin took it upon himself to hone her shooting skills, and they often took a break from patrolling and indulged in shooting games. He even introduced her to his friends’ group at the station, and together they had a merry night at the bar. Ingrid thought the worst was over, and she was finally getting comfortable at her job. But soon things changed drastically for her. One evening, Wallin took her to a remote location, and she found a young communist worker bound in chains. He was seen sticking posters on the wall in Klara, and while the punishment wasn’t supposed to be this serious, Wallin and his friends believed communists, Jews, and “other parasites” deserved to die. Ingrid was a Jew, and she didn’t think that she would come across such openly anti-Semitic colleagues. Her grandmother had warned her not to embrace her Jewish identity publicly, but Ingrid thought she was being scared for no reason at all. After she learned that Wallin and his friends were a racist, anti-Semitic, oppressive bunch, she realized that she was wrong; the world hadn’t evolved at all.
Wallin wanted Ingrid to participate in the torture, and she was ashamed of herself for punching the victim. She was afraid of her colleagues and feared facing severe repercussions if she protested. After contemplating the situation, Ingrid finally decided she needed to take action against Wallin. She reported him to Police Sister Berg, but when Berg pointed out that her testimony alone wasn’t enough to take action against Wallin, Ingrid offered to gather evidence against him. She knew that it could get dangerous, but she was willing to take the chance, and Berg was proud of her decision. Wallin sensed Ingrid’s hesitation, and even though she was willing to join him on his adventures, he didn’t seem too keen.
Did Siv break up with Oscar?
Siv didn’t want to be known just for her beauty. She knew she had the potential to become a competent detective, and she just hoped she would manage to prove herself. When she crossed paths with Detective Oscar Thornberg, she felt hopeful. He’d appreciated her for the way she tackled a drunk man with a pocket knife, and that was the beginning of their friendship. When her patrol officer, Rossi, insinuated that Oscar was only talking to her because she was a beautiful woman, she felt the need to make sure that wasn’t the case. Not only did she directly ask Oscar if he was interested in her, but she also shared a tip with him to prove how serious she was about becoming a detective. Oscar was impressed at first, but when he figured out that it was Carin who’d gone to the brothel undercover and not Siv, he started to distance himself from her.
Siv knew she had messed up, so she apologized to him. She felt seen when her colleagues appreciated her for bravely tackling a drunk man and arresting him. She was all the more glad when Oscar complimented her. They ended up spending the night together drinking and walking around Klara. The next morning, when Rossi played a dirty prank on Siv, she was devastated. No matter how hard she tried to earn the respect of her colleagues, her efforts weren’t ever enough. Oscar was there by her side, and they shared a kiss for the first time. Oscar took her to his apartment, and they got physically intimate. Just when Siv caught herself falling for the detective, she discovered he was a married man with two children. He never wore a wedding ring, and it was evident that he didn’t live in the apartment; it was the place he took girls to. When Oscar discovered the reason why Siv had been ignoring him, he apologized to her and explained that he wasn’t in love with his wife, and he had developed feelings for her. But at the same time, he was not ready to part ways with his wife, and Siv refused to be in a relationship where she wasn’t valued.
How did Carin expose Svard?
Carin had lost her badge on the first day of patrolling, so she ended up at a brothel, because the last time she saw her badge was when she attacked a sex worker. She thought maybe Monica had found her badge and kept it with her. Carin lied about working for Jack, the pimp, to enter the brothel. She didn’t expect to meet Jack in the process, and he sensed that Carin was lying about her interest in working with him.
When Jack got distracted by some of his clients, she found her way to Monica and asked her about her badge. Monica had no idea what she was saying, and she begged Carin to leave. She was bleeding profusely, and she feared that if Jack found out that Carin was with the police and Monica knew her, he would destroy her. The next morning, during routine patrol, Carin and Johan Reimer were asked to check out a dead body that was found at a nearby lake. Carin immediately recognized Monica, and she wondered if she was somehow responsible for her death. While the detectives had concluded that there was no foul play and she died as a result of drowning, Carin strongly believed there was more to the story. The fact that she was bleeding, her face was bruised, and she was afraid of Jack were reasons strong enough for Carin to become suspicious. When she realized that the male detectives, particularly Fischer, weren’t interested in her theory, she decided to conduct her own investigation. She tried to gather information from Katina, who also worked with Jack, but instead of finding something worthwhile, Katina used her to grab Jack’s share of the cash that she owed to him and left town. Jack figured that Carin had helped Katina, so he asked her to pay him the 15000 kronor that Katina owed him. Carin lied to her boyfriend, Arne, that her mother needed the money, and he agreed to help her. Soon, Arne figured out the truth when Jack attacked him on the streets and mentioned the money that Carin owed him. Thankfully, a couple of patrolling officers saw Jack attack Arne, and they arrested him. The cops had been on the hunt for Jack after his brothel was raided. But clearly, District Chief Svard had an interest in protecting Jack.
What was Svard’s connection with Monica?
The New Force’s ending revealed that Monica was Svard’s daughter. Carin had almost joined the dots, but she assumed Svard had a romantic connection with Monica. The taxi driver who’d dropped Monica off at an illegal abortion clinic had contacted Carin, and that was how she found the clinic and stole the telephone book that had a record of all the patients and their emergency contacts. Monica’s emergency contact was Svard, and Carin assumed that he must have forced Monica to go through with the abortion. On Reimer’s advice, Carin spoke to Fischer and handed him the telephone book to establish the connection between Svard and Monica. But instead of taking any action against Svard, Fischer used the information as leverage. He promised not to dig into the case as long as Svard remembered that he owed him a favor. The doctor who performed the illegal abortion was arrested, and when Carin interrogated her, she confirmed that Svard had come to pick up Monica. She had warned Monica that the operation might not go well, but Monica had insisted she do it. She was in a terrible state when she left the clinic; the doctor had asked her to go to a hospital, but clearly she didn’t make it.
On the day of the evaluation, Carin decided to expose Svard in front of the committee. She told them about the evidence she’d found against him, and Svard didn’t have any choice but to explain his actions. Svard stated that Monica had contacted him recently and asked for his help. He picked her up from the abortion clinic, and they were on the way to the hospital when she died. He didn’t want to raise suspicion, so he disposed of her body in the lake. Presumably, Svard had had an affair with a sex worker, and Monica was his illegitimate daughter. She contacted him only during emergencies, times when she needed her family by her side. He chose to close the case because his relationship with Monica would’ve hampered his chances of becoming a police commissioner, and it’s also likely that his family didn’t know about Monica. Whatever he did was out of his fear of losing his job and his family.
What choice did Carin make?
After the truth came to light, Superintendent Thulin bluntly told Carin that if she chose to publicly speak against Svard, they would not consider recruiting any female police officers, but if she chose to remain silent, the recruitment would go as planned and she and her friends would continue to work at the station. After learning Svard’s secret, Carin realized that Monica’s death wasn’t his fault, and she didn’t consider speaking against him worth losing her job for. She had considered distancing herself from the police force, but she came to realise how important their presence was, and her personal issues must not affect the lives of the other female officers. Her friends celebrated when they learned that the experiment was considered a success, and they would be allowed to continue working at the station. Siv and Ingrid were visibly disappointed when Svard announced that he was assigned other tasks, so he would no longer continue as District Chief, and Fischer would take his position. Fischer was a misogynist, and he was very particular about not letting the female officers work on anything important. While the girls will get to keep their jobs, they will have a tough time dealing with Fischer. Considering the humiliation Svard faced and the fact that he had abused his position, he would perhaps not be considered for the Police Commissioner position.
Will There Be A Season 2?
It is likely that The New Force will return with another season. A lot is yet to unfold, especially now that Fischer has taken over as the District Chief. Siv and Ingrid suspected that Carin was involved in this sudden change of decision, and she would be ridiculed by her female colleagues for making things more difficult for them. Since Svard was the one who’d introduced the female police force, he was always on their side, but now things were about to drastically change for the worse. The ending of The New Force also underlined how the problem wasn’t really one man; the entire system was designed to oppress women. Men such as Jack existed because there had always been a demand for sex workers, and the lack of resources was often the reason women were forced into this line of work. Monica died because she was denied a legal abortion. She had to resort to illegal options when things got complicated, but it was too late. Carin perhaps realized that her job wasn’t about finding just ‘the criminal’; it was also about changing the system bit by bit. While the doctor who performed the illegal abortion was put behind bars, Jack was set free. And that was just the tip of the iceberg.
Carin’s personal life will be a mess in the upcoming season. Arne had decided to part ways with her, and she had found out in episode 6 of The New Force that she was pregnant. Carin wasn’t ready to have a child yet; she wanted to focus on her career. She’d also realized that society treated pregnant women differently; her friend had to leave her desk job because she wasn’t considered capable of performing her duties. She couldn’t get an abortion legally, and as a police officer, she would not just have a moral dilemma but would also risk losing her job. Moreover, she was responsible for the arrest of the only doctor she knew who performed abortions. Carin will have to make a difficult decision, and hopefully her friends will help her figure things out.
In season 2, Ingrid will likely continue gathering evidence against Wallin, and she might discover some uncomfortable secrets, since it’s likely that many higher-up officers and influential politicians were also involved. In the first season, it became evident that Siv was envious of Carin. She wanted to become a detective, but evidently Carin was more effective in her investigation work, especially because she didn’t follow the rulebook. Perhaps in the next season their difference will affect their friendship, and Siv might double-cross Carin to climb the career ladder. Also, it looks like Ingrid might have feelings for Siv, so we have to wait and watch how that goes. The girls will have a lot on their plate in the next season—they will have a challenging time navigating their sexist workplace and an intolerable boss along with ensuring the safety of women and minorities in society. But hopefully they’ll stick together until the end.
