Non uccidere

The lead actress is so clearly able to think that you can see her insights and perceptions developing right onscreen.

'Non Uccidere' is a rather solemn Italian detective series, set in a Turin that always feels cold, a drama that feels closer in style and substance to a Scandi-noir than to 'Inspector Montalbano'. It's well plotted, with a young-ish female detective at its centre who is stubborn but talented, quietly-spoken but unyielding to anyone. There's also a background story, not resolved even after 12 episodes, about her mother's involvement in a murder many years before. There are few moments of light relief here, or even action sequences, and it can seem slow - but I liked the fact that its heroine is neither a classical female sterotype nor an extreme opposite. I'd recommend watching it, but it might have been even better if its makers had had just a little more sense of urgency as they put it together.

Overall I really liked this crime series, having watched many others from the UK, Sweden, and France. Some of the stories are better than others, and the switch off to background drama between Valeria and her mother got a bit boring after awhile, for some reason. I think it is because the mother is so passive and calm that you can't imagine she was ever fired up enough to kill someone, and the switching around just interrupts the flow of the crime investigation. Valeria herself can get tiresome with her inability to ever relax or smile, and her refusal to take more realistic caution (such as having her partner with her to investigate someone dangerous in remote locations- really?) And why is she "sort of" with that much older guy, and living at home, when she could be with her obviously smitten partner or someone like him? But these are minor points of an intriguing series showing me interesting aspects of life in Turin, Italy (and do their grown children always live with their parents?) Looking forward to the second series being on PBS soon!

While there are certain flaws, this series got me hooked. Part of the pleasure is the pacing, which is somewhat relaxed but for me adds to it. Walters pbs intro makes an offhand reference to the Montalbano series which he says non uccidere is superior to and from a certain perspective, this is true. There is virtually no levity here and there are many touching scenes.

We have a beautiful detective with no affect, who goes off the reservation frequently but always solves the crime in the last five minutes. Yep cookie cutter stuff. It is entertaining and the plots are well drawn out with interesting characters and it does match Denmark's "The Killing" in mood and complexity. The main character needs to be drawn out more, driven and severe can only last for so long. I suspect we are inching towards a gradual unveiling. The series could also be better at broadening the other members of the crime team, because it seems like a one trick pony crew.