Lazy writing, forced situations
Okay, I understand I'm probably in the minority here, but I had some major problems with the writing in the first episode. Some of my points (to follow) may seem like nit-picking, but taken altogether they show lazy, uncreative writing. And for the record, I didn't hate the show. It had some highlights and I'm still trying to decide if I should continue past the first episode. It seems to me there is a fun premise and a talented cast being weighed down with uninspired writing.
Lazy Example 1: Unrealistic, Forced Dialog
In the first scene Frank talks with the new mob boss, who tells him "I know you don't like me because the commission passed you over, you being my brother's underboss you think you should've been the next in line." The obvious intention of this line is to bring the viewer up to speed on what's going on in Frank's life. But the whole thing is so unnatural and forced. From the character's point of view, there's absolutely no reason he needs to summarize why he thinks Frank doesn't like him. It's just lazy writing, trying to cram an entire back story into one awkward line.
Lazy Example 2: Cliched Scene
Let's take the example of the train scene when he forces the young guy to turn his radio down and return the man's hat. This is an absolute cliche. We've all seen versions of this scene hundreds of times where the protagonist takes out some random young punk who just so happens to be causing trouble nearby. They couldn't think of anything new? Once again, lazy writing.
Lazy Example 3: Too many coincidences
-The man on the train who he helped also happens to be the man who witnessed them hunting.
-The cabin they break into happens to be the cabin of the one guy he tried to bribe. Shortly afterward, our characters find incriminating pictures.
-He's a former bar owner interested in buying a bar. Within 20 seconds of walking into his first bar in Norway, someone offers to sell it to him.
-He finds a sheep on the road and manages to drive it to the correct house mere seconds after the boy who lost it was just talking to his mother about it. The same mother and son also just happened to be sitting in the same train car Frank rode in on. Later Frank sees the mother heading into the same bar he was just invited to. Lilyhammer is a town of 27,000 people....not small enough for so many chance meetings.
Lazy Example 4: Forced dramatic situation
A wolf kills a boy's pet, and six adults sit around moping like a person has died. I'm going to make the assumption that a wolf popping up around Lilyhammer is at a bare minimum, not a rarity. It's understandable the boy and even his mother would be upset, but for the rest of them to all sit around so distraught just feels like a contrivance. The scene gets even more awkward when the police woman arrives and lectures them. It's like the writers realized they had a thin premise and had to add her for some additional drama. The whole thing felt really forced to me. As a side note, after knocking the police woman enters not from the outside, but from another room. What is up with that?