jeffpsy

I recently took a flier on Viaplay, the streaming platform that specializes in Scandi drama. Among the first offerings I watched was "The Dying Detective." I recommend it, the story of a retired but highly regarded detective who is in poor health after a mild stroke. While recovering, Lars Martin Johansson is encouraged by his doctor to turn his attentions to a 30 year-old cold case, involving the murder of a 9 year old girl. Up for the challenge, he puts together an informal team to look into the case.

The drama operates on several different levels: The first is of course the detective work itself. The second level is the development and dynamics of Lars' makeshift investigative team, a group of interesting but motley characters. The third level is that of Lars coming to terms with aging and his own mortality.

It's extremely well acted, with Rolf Lassgard solid as a rock as the aging but still sharp detective. Because the series contains only three episodes, the flow of the plot is very tight, with very little flab in the story. I appreciated the way various sub-plots were addressed and resolved. For example, late in the story, we got important information on why Lars doctor had steered him to this case in the first place.

I liked the series enough that I was disappointed to learn that "The Dying Detective" represented the tail end of a trilogy. I wished that I had started with the first series. Subsequently, I learned that the first two installments of the trilogy weren't currently available to me in the US anyway. The Dying Detective is good, brief, and can be savored like a dry martini; give it a try.