The Killing

There aren't many programmes where I feel I mustn't leave the room for a moment for fear of missing something - but this is one of them. As I write, the serial is around the middle of its run on BBC4 (so there are no ad breaks), with two episodes back-to-back each week. I can't remember the last time I saw a twenty-part serial. I didn't think anyone still made them. If they can be this good, there should definitely be more of them.

I don't yet know where the story is going. So far suspicion is falling on one person after another and there is a lot of (not always completely believable) politicking at City Hall. It doesn't sound much, but the direction and acting put this into a very superior category.

Sarah Lund, the main investigator is an obsessive, but a very believable one. I don't know how her more impulsive colleague Jan Meyer avoids strangling her out of frustration with the way she treats him. Her family and boyfriend likewise. Perhaps these are plot developments still to come!

One unusual feature is the focus on the reactions of the family of the murdered girl. The actress playing her mother deserves every award going.

Update 27 March: it ended last night on BBC4. Whew! Saturday nights won't be the same. I stand by what I wrote above, but, if you see it, be prepared to be a bit frustrated with a lot of unanswered questions at the end, and you may be wondering at one or two coincidences. Still, my enjoyment of the serial did not really come from its being a whodunit. The characters and the atmosphere were what really made it.

Excellent, Excellent ! Without a doubt a series that captures the true feelings of ordinary people caught up in tragic circumstances.I was amazed to see it on mainstream TV in the UK, a rare pleasure for someone who lived in Denmark for an extended period of time.

The plot and the manner in which it is given to the viewer gives a great insight to life in that country and the way they deal with such events. The characters are vivid and not glamourised, the way they interact is genuine and the flow of the series is very believable.

I have recommended this series to all of my friends, and have heard nothing but praise for it, even though they had never thought to watch a subtitled series before in their lives.

Again : Two Words explain everything about this wonderful series : Excellent, excellent!

I've just finished watching all the episodes and I've not been so engrossed in a series since 24 (the original series) was on TV many years ago. In many respects it does remind me of 24.. 20 episodes spread over 20 days, many twists and turns, the main characters stumble from one wrong turn to another until the final denouement.

But that isn't its main appeal, I'd even go so far to say that it detracted slightly from the series as a whole. The absolute best part of this is just the sublime acting. The whole thing is about characters wrapped up in a mild cliffhanger plot, its how they react to each other and developments that really makes the difference from what we usually get on TV.

The filming is very good, and little touches abound in it - my favourite is still how Sarah Lund can breeze along with her eyes shut, yet Jan Meyer cannot follow behind her without stepping in something. That's a double act that Hollywood will never be able to match.

There are faults with it though. Unless the Danish police are really well funded I found forensics turning up at a snap of Sarah's fingers in the middle of the night to be somewhat unrealistic (they must have good overtime payments in Denmark), similarly a DNA sample would be tested and the results back in less than an hour, and its nearly always dark too - maybe they all sleep during the day. Either way, these are things you just live with as its a TV show and reality has to be strained.

In short - watch it, even with subtitles, you won't miss the developing characters and their reactions to their changing lives.

I don't watch a lot of TV, but I'm quite partial to Danish thriller productions which I generally rate more highly than British, and even others well known for quality work - for example, Swedish, German and French.

This multilayered narrative, with three interwoven stories: the investigation of a grisly murder; a tough female police detective in the midst of marital problems; and the shenanigans of a local mayoral election - all merge, in different ways, in the process of discovering the identity of the murderer.

It's a long process, however, covering twenty episodes (which I saw on SBS TV). Viewer's interest is captured from the outset with the circumstances surrounding the murder crime scene which opens up the mystery. From my perspective, though, one of the most interesting aspects of the entire series is the slow, plodding work so well portrayed by the script, actors and director. To some extent, it reminded me of the excellent work the British did do with the series from mid-1960s to mid-1970s, called Softly, Softly, still one of the best TV cop shows ever made.

It's the unrelenting search for the killer by Sarah Lund (Sofie Grabol) - despite internal police politics - that kept this viewer hooked, initially. That alone, in a lesser quality production, is often not sufficient, however. In The Killing, though, that initial hook just dug deeper into my psyche - with an imaginative and believable script that managed to shift suspicion from one character to another, week by week: a local school teacher, a mayoral candidate, a local political lobbyist, a small time criminal, among others - but all the while keeping the viewer guessing. Additional murders occur as the story unfolds, further muddying the waters.

If you are familiar with Danish productions, then you'll know that you won't be disappointed in the production standards, the acting, directing and photography; and the sound track, particularly, is appropriately haunting. My only criticism is that the good detective's marital problems, although a necessary plot device, are just a mite intrusive for my liking. However, without those complications, Sarah would not have stayed on the case. And, just as well...

As all good narratives should, the beginning foreshadows the ending, with sufficient - although oblique and ephemeral - clues along the way to point the viewer in the right direction. So, when watching this series, you really can't afford to miss one frame if you want to play detective - and get it right. While I vacillated between suspects, my choice for "the bad guy" (which I should not reveal, of course) ultimately proved correct. Overall, the story is an engaging, intelligent and all-too-believable mystery that will not disappoint.

And, to that extent, The Killing is equal to my personal favorite in TV whodunits: The Singing Detective (1986) which, although somewhat spoofy, is nevertheless a fascinating personal mystery and the most imaginative use of music in drama I've yet seen.

As a final note, I read recently that The Killing has been redone for American TV. One can only hope that the production is equal to the Danish.

(Update March, 2018: Recently, I re-watched this first series and found an interesting connection. In Episode 12 of The Killing, there appears Lars Simonsen - as Peter Larsen, a briefly potential suspect in the killing, but cleared. In Episode 18, Kim Bodnia - as Bulow, Internal Affairs Investigator - enters the scene, hounding Sarah Lund. Both men appear as major characters in The Bridge, Series 1.)

This is series is a little like 24, in that each episode is a day, not one hour.

Its pace is slow and like Wallander its based on characters and relationships.

The plot is complex and detailed.

If you liked the BBC series State of Play, you will love this!

All the actors are very convincing and its so realistic.

Theis Birk Larsen and his wife are convincing and at times make it seem like a documentary.

Its worthwhile watching and once pass episode 3 you will be hooked.

Well done BBC for showing it!