La investigación

When I started watching this thanks to the Comcast Watchathon, I had no idea it was based on a real investigation.

I didn't know about Kim Wall and in a way my pathetic ignorance was a blessing as I really had no idea how this was going to end. All the successive twists and turns were at times excruciating. They were also fascinating as the plot unfolds and resources are developed, so very slowly, that become critical in the solving of this murder.

I am a huge fan of Scandinavian TV and so have no problem with the subtitles. I realize they may not be everyone's cuppa.

This series is slow and laborious. I suspect it more reflects actual police work than many American shows.

The actors are recognizable from other Danish/etc. Series and Malling especially stands out as simply exceptional. But all the actors are wonderful.

It is interesting that we never see the accused. I actually liked that. I live in a state where there have been mass shootings very close to home, and I hate even hearing the names of those murderers. In real life, they deserve to be not seen. Not heard from.

I loved this. I am so glad I got a chance to watch it. I recommend it.

"The Investigation" is nothing like any other shows about investigations. It is a drama purely about the investigation process as it unfolds sequentially. There are no flashbacks, and we get to peer into the lives of the victim and the perp solely through the interpretations of the investigators and the victim's parents. It becomes quite a mystery ride especially being a foreign-language series with English subtitles. The feel almost mimics what it's like to be in a submarine (the very thing they are investigating). Your view is very limited and you only get to digest information one nugget at a time. It may be slow at times, but overall very captivating.

After all the sensational headlines revolving around this case, this drama brings the focus back on those dealing with the aftermath of a brutal crime by focusing on both the parents of the victim, and the investigators doing the work of making sure the perpetrator (who very tellingly gets no screen time or mention by name) will spend the rest of their life in prison.

Top-notch acting, cinematography, and the usual subdued approach of these scandi-dramas makes for a very bingeable limited series. Really enjoyed this one.

I didn't realise when I started watching this that it was a true story. I thought it was so well done. It was slow, but I enjoyed the pace, it seemed to reflect the snails pace of the investigation. They had so little to go on, and were so persistent and relentless, refusing to give up on getting justice. I enjoyed watching how all the various teams, divers, forensics, detectives, prosecutor, just keep going, edging closer to the truth. An awful, tragic crime and so many people caring deeply about the outcome.

Also, the music is wonderful.

In the summer of 2017 Jens Møller, head of the Copenhagen Homicide unit, is called in when a privately built submarine sinks. The builder of the craft survives but there is no sign of Swedish journalist, Kim Wall, who was also on board. At first the maker claims he put there ashore before the accident but there is no sign on CCTV. When the sub is recovered he changes his story; now he claims that she died when she hit her head on a hatch and he 'buried her at sea'. Without her body it will be hard to charge him with murder. Divers and cadaver dogs are used in an attempt to find the body but the operation will be far from easy as there is a huge area of water to search.

If this plot had been suggested as part of a 'Midsumer Murders' story it would have been rejected as far to unlikely... however it actually happened; making the news well beyond Denmark and Sweden. The story is told from the point of view of the investigators; we never see the builder of the submarine; in fact he is never referred to by name... after what we learn about of him he doesn't deserve to be remembered. The story is taut even though the final resolution will be known to anybody who watched the news concerning the case; as the search lasts months one wonders if the vital evidence will ever be found. The cast, which features many familiar faces does a fantastic job playing the characters in a no-nonsense way. Overall I'd certainly recommend this; it might not be fast paced but I found it gripping.

These comments are based on watching the series in Danish with English subtitles.