I’m watching Forbrydelsen II, The Killing II, the Danish TV series which is so gripping… unbelievably gripping! I have finished watching part 1, which I originally saw on TV, and now I’m also re-watching part 2.
If I say it is a police procedural it really gives no idea of what terrific drama it is. The story starts with the discovery of a woman’s body; she may have been murdered by ann ex-husband, or maybe it was a sadistic intruder… but once the main character of the series comes into the action, Sara Lund the detective who sees things others miss, who grasps things others haven’t thought of, who is intuitive, obsessive and maybe a little strange, other scenarios are suggested. Sara thinks the woman might have had knowledge the killer wanted… and before long a TV station receives a video, other suspects come into play and another person is murdered.
As well as the crime, there is another story playing; series 1 dealt with the election of a new Lord mayor of Copenhagen, this series deals with the threats to national security and the power-play of different political parties. It doesn’t matter that the viewer doesn’t understand or know anything about Danish politics, al is made clear by the clever script and the fine acting.
The series is Danish, so the script is Danish and there are subtitles; up until now I have had no trouble following the subtitles and even got to a stage where I didn’t even notice them. However, there is an actor in the new series who is so charismatic, who acts with his eyes, the tiniest twitch of expression, the smallest movement of his head, who is so watchable that I find I keep missing the subtitles because I’m watching him. Nicolas Bro plays the part of the Minister of Justice, newly appointed and relatively inexperienced, and put into a position of power because it is believed it will be easy to manipulate him… wrong! Oh well, I’ll just have to rewind and watch again!
Lois Elsden 