A story of loss following three neighboring families from the 1970s to the 1990s, The Days the Flowers Bloom is written by Jonas Gardell and directed by Simon Kaijser – the team behind the award-winning Don’t Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves.

Erik (Ramsus Luthander, Spring Tide) is an only child raised by his mother Bodil (Rebecka Hemse, best known to MHz Choice subscribers as Martin’s daughter in Beck) and who had an especially close relationship to his grandfather, Josef (Peter Schildt, who has appeared in multiple episodes of Beck, The Sandhamn Murders and Blue Eyes). It’s Erik’s thoughts we hear the most throughout the series. His quest to track the fate of unknown Jewish relatives in Estonia sets the tone of loss and the pain of survival. Erik continues the tradition he learned from his grandfather of gathering flowers to remember those who are not here – presumably picking them on the days the flowers bloom.

Benny (Johan Rheborg, Kieler Street) is the most detached of the characters – a playwright who re-creates key moments from his childhood in drama. This may be how he copes, or perhaps it’s his way of exacting revenge. Unlike Erik and Mikael, Benny is arguably at his most interesting when we finally get a window into his upbringing. Benny himself fades into the background as we see scenes from his past unfold before us like… well, yes, like a play.

Erik may be our guide and Benny may be the detached observer, but it is the trajectory of Mikael (Ulf Friberg, Lukas in Gåsmamman, Ek in Maria Wern and Holger in Don’t Ever Wipe Tears Without Gloves) – and, to a greater extent, his mother, Anita (Anja Lundqvist, who played Kattis in Gåsmamman and Kim Leko in Alex) – that you can’t turn away from. Here is where we are treated to acting at its finest. Anita contends with Torbjörn, her older son, who is in the throes of addiction. We see Torbjörn’s impact on Mikael as a teen and as an adult, yet it’s the quieter and more subtle journey of Anita that sticks with you.

In the end (or is it the beginning?) you may judge the character’s choices. Or wonder who deserves better. Either way, The Days the Flowers Bloom is a worthwhile series that lingers in your thoughts.