The season opener, a chilling flashback to 1992 in Hornsherred, Denmark, opens The Chestnut Man season 2. During a school field trip, a teacher explains to some children how a baby cuckoo survives by pushing other eggs out of a nest. Later, playing hide and seek, young Emil comes across a gruesome sight—a dead boy in a huge nest. And the baby cuckoo has also been killed nearby, setting the scene for another disturbing mystery.
Today Zara Solak is being stalked by a dangerous man who sends her creepy videos of herself and a sinister hide-and-seek countdown poem. The messages quickly turn personal and mean, shaming her publicly. Alarmed, Zara rushes home to see if her daughter, who is staying with her ex-husband, is alright. The stalker tasers her and takes her away before she can do anything about it.
Meanwhile Europol investigator Mark Hess is back in Copenhagen after hearing that his estranged brother Jon has had a severe brain hemorrhage after a drunken fall. Jon’s neighbor, who is lonely, gives him his brother’s pet bird, and this becomes more personal when Mark’s homecoming, which he wasn’t too keen on, takes place.
Meanwhile, cybercrime investigator Naia Thulin is juggling work and family life. Her daughter Le still misses Mark and secretly has been tracking his movements on Snapchat. Le is not comfortable with Naia planning to join him on a father-daughter camping trip coming up
Soon, Naia is put on Zara’s missing persons case. Reports early on suggested Zara had been emotionally troubled after her divorce, going on a string of dating app meetups while taking stress-related leave from work. Her bedroom is a mess of drugs, a knife, a taser gun. The kitchen looks clean, oddly enough, though Zara’s daughter says her mother didn’t do it.
The media elsewhere continue to follow the controversial investigation of Emma Holst, a high school student who disappeared two years ago after being stalked. Her body has only just been found and the case has officially been closed down due to lack of evidence, leaving her mother, Marie, heartbroken.
Naia and her partner Sandra Lindstrom dig deeper into Zara’s digital records and discover dozens of threatening videos and images that were sent by the stalker. More importantly, the same Eastern European IP address that was linked to Zara’s messages also appears in Emma’s case, suggesting a disturbing connection.
Naia’s supervisor puts her on the case to bring in Mark Hess who knows how to trace international cyber activity. Their reunion is anything but comfortable. They’d been together for six months before Mark disappeared for work two years ago and there’s still a little tension between them.
No concrete criminal evidence exists but Violent Crimes Unit chief Esra Foldager is willing to lend some limited support. Naia runs into Mark by chance, and their interaction is cool but businesslike, implying that their past is not closed.
The investigation is ongoing when Zara’s daughter gets a text saying her mother has suddenly left for Paris. But the audience knows the horrifying truth. Zara is bound and held captive in an empty building, right across from her own house, desperately trying to scream for help as the police drive unknowingly away.
As Mark prepares to leave he sees something important…a countdown message exactly like the one Emma Holst received before she disappeared. He realises that the cases are linked and calls Naia immediately.
Naia leaves her family on a camping trip to follow Mark as they trace Zara’s final steps. Airport records show Zara never got on her flight. They walk back to her place and see an abandoned probate building across the street. They walk in and see an empty room with only one chair that has scratches and blood on it.
The episode ends on a dark discovery in the woods—Zara’s dead body, nestled inside a giant nest, much like the terrifying childhood flashback that kicked off the season.
Review of Episode
The Chestnut Man first aired in 2021 and quickly made an impact with its raw storytelling, creepy mood and intricate investigation. More than four years on, Hide and Seek proves the series has lost none of its edge.
The Season 2 premiere is a gripping beginning that mixes psychological tension, gruesome visuals and multi-layered character drama. The enigma of Zara’s murder is instantly captivating, and the tie to Emma Holst’s cold case gives it heft and immediacy.
The reunion of Mark and Naia gives an emotional touch to the investigation. Their partnership picks up surprisingly easily, but the season makes it clear that deeper emotional conflicts have yet to be resolved.
Episode 1 sets up another intense Nordic crime thriller with a disturbing killer, several linked victims and personal relationships under strain, with even darker revelations to come.
