The Sommerdahl Murders

I really wanted to get hooked on this as I love Danish TV but this is pushing the limits. It has real potential but to emphasise so much on the breakdown of the marriage of the lead character has turned it in to a soap opera. Half the time you forget they are actually supposed to be out solving murders. It doesn't help that Dan Sommerdahl and his wife Marianne are not exactly likeable, you end up not really caring what happens to the relationship. The saving grace is André Babikian, he give his usual good performance.

The script, the actors, the plots and the ongoing lovedrama under the surface along with the main drug history. It is so intelligent written and directed and now I am looking for more scripts by Lolita Bellstar. I really hope there will be a season 5. The three leading actors are brilliant in their different characters. And especially Dan Sommerdahl played by Peter Mygind.

The other night I watched Midsummer murders, season 23 (or something like that). It was miserable in comparison with this wonderful wellplayed drama. Please, please, please give me a fith season and then a sixth one. It is seldom that I think of the characters the day after I saw them on film or tv. But here I do.

Marianne is such a needy selfish drip. She's a forensic pathologist that works WITH her husband and has his respect in addition to being married to him. She acts like she just sits home all day waiting for him to come home. Be more realistic if she complained about having to see him all day, every day. They solve murders together. Not thrilling enough, so she sleeps with someone else and flirts with his best friend. Lame. Fast forward through her scenes.

The plots are slight and the scripts are light, but the good natured camaraderie among the cops saves the day. You won't find the disfunction and bad vibes of UK or US shows of this type and that's a big plus. On the plus side, you also don't find the prudery of UK/US shows; people here hop into each others' beds with regularity and ease and that is refreshing. This is a feel-good snack where you don't have to think too much.

Don't look for any deep meaning or character revelations in this series. But do expect an entertaining time waster that is more comfort food than nutrition. The scenery is beautiful, though.

As other reviewers have said, this is a decent show. The mysteries are good, the acting is good, and I always find myself enjoying the episodes. The exception here is the soapy ménage that persists between Dan, Fleming, and Marianne, the latter of whom is the least interesting/most annoying character in this series. By the beginning of season three, I was hoping beyond hope that the writers would do the viewers a favor, and either kill her off, or send her somewhere to "find herself" (because she seems like one of those people who would need to do that), and then just leave her there. Everything seems angst-filled with her, and it gets to be seriously tedious after a while. Largely she adds nothing to the show. Fortunately there are other delightful characters to partially make up for her existence, Svend in particular, a wonderful character who bakes. I'm looking forward to more, but not with Marianne. She needs to go.