# The Thaw (2022)

> After a young woman's body surfaces under melting ice in Szczecin, a police investigation uncovers the lives she left behind.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/83358

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 18
- Episode runtime: 50 min
- Status: Returning Series
- Genres: crime, mystery, drama
- Network: HBO Max, Max, HBO Max
- Cast: Katarzyna Wajda, Bartłomiej Kotschedoff, Cezary Łukaszewicz, Juliusz Chrząstowski, Karol Dziuba, Agnieszka Dygant, Marta Malikowska, Sebastian Fabijański
- TMDB rating: 6.8/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11558684/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: brooding, intimate, somber, atmospheric

## What critics say

Viewers find the grounded characters and Polish cast engaging, though the storytelling is uneven and the later episodes are faulted for coherence.

## Synopsis

The Thaw is a Polish crime drama set in the port city of Szczecin, where the discovery of a young woman's body under melting ice opens a patient investigation into who she was and why she died. Policewoman Katarzyna Zawieja leads the inquiry alongside her colleague Krzysztof Trepa, working through interviews, cold leads and the quiet testimony of people who knew the victim. Personal grief and institutional pressure press on the case as the investigators move between police offices, family homes and the wet, grey streets of the waterfront. The tone is brooding and intimate, with a somber, rain-soaked atmosphere that lingers on the bereaved and on the community around each victim. Its pacing is measured, favouring character and mood over spectacle, so the mystery unfolds through small human moments rather than sudden shocks. Viewers drawn to Nordic noir, moody European procedurals and detective dramas like The Killing or Broadchurch will find resonance in its patient, emotionally weighted storytelling about loss, loyalty and the secrets families keep.

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