Forbrydelsen (The Killing) [** Spoilers, Season 1 & 2 **]

Edal

brian_t wrote: »

The Killing: knit your own Sarah Lund jumper

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2011-11-18/the-killing-knit-your-own-sarah-lund-jumper

I'd only mess it up. lol. Better to just pay the €280:)

johnny_ultimate

Black Oil wrote: »

Whilst the People's Party chap seems to want Buch gone, I presume he dislikes the PM more intensely? I sometimes don't follow all the political stuff that's going on.

I think they're both politicians who want to get at the truth, no matter what ramifications that will lead to. Mr People's Party won't let his political motivations get in the way of his moral duty, and Buch is the same. Here's presuming they're going to get ****ed over because of it I really like Buch as a character though. I'm kinda hoping they don't end up having him have a heart attack with all that junk food and (sweaty) pressure being piled on him. Would make a nice poetic comparison to Monberg, but would feel sorta cheap.

Really enjoyed the last three or four episodes. Reminds me of the Wire series 2 - initially disorientating with a whole new cast of characters, but ultimately rewarding. The tighter pacing as a result of half episodes is a major improvement too.

That said, not sold on the Strange 'twist' just yet. Couldn't believe they sent him to Afghanistan even with the question marks hanging over his head. Curious to see where they go with it - I just find it bizarre that they could have gotten this far without the issue raising its ugly head.

But I do want to see Lund justified in her acute assumptions this time around. She's a great detective guilty of overinvesting in cases (emotionally and otherwise). As a character, though, I'd like to see her get some sort of happier ending. This is the Killing, though, so bleakness is surely ahoy!

The Black Oil

Buch is great. I may have been imagining it, but I could have sworn there was one scene when he looked quite younger compared to how he looked last week and then later on in one of this week's episodes (not when he was sloshed)...he looked older. Maybe fatigue.

Agreed on the Strange twist, I wasn't particularly sold on that.

groovie

Black Oil wrote: »

Buch is great. I may have been imagining it, but I could have sworn there was one scene when he looked quite younger compared to how he looked last week and then later on in one of this week's episodes (not when he was sloshed)...he looked older. Maybe fatigue.

I think he's only in his late thirties in the show. It's the weight on him that makes him look older. His surprise when Katrina said his wife was outside, was a little odd though.
The bouncing the ball thing he does, he has very good reactions for a big guy (apologies for the cliche). "I'll have a pear". Brilliant.

The Black Oil

Really enjoyed the last two episodes.

Too tired to comment further, will pick it up tomorrow. Hopefully reassuring that the BBC continuity announcer said there'll be a series 3, though it's not due to air in Denmark until late 2012.

brian_t

That was a good finish.

It's a good job that Strange didn't go for a head-shot.

brian_t

Corsendonk wrote: »

The BBC will be screening the danish political drama Borgen too.

Borgen starts on Saturday 7th January 2012 at 9.00pm

Two episodes that night. Ten in total

The Black Oil

Thought the Afghanistan stuff was well-done. No patrionising about the geopolitics and so forth. Plus, Lund's awesome jumper survived the trip.

Buch was really going for it, there was going to be no stopping him. Then the PM pulled the 'keep your friends close, but your enemies even closer' type thing. Here, the political stuff felt like a grown up version of the West Wing, as in, no wish fulfillment.

Lund getting shot was a bit over the top. I also wondered about her not being shot in the head, but perhaps Strange did that so as not to make it look like it was such a clean hit. The scene was well done - Lund lying to Strange about Brix, a necessary fishing expedition.

Re Bilal, the Muslim soldier who self-detonated, wasn't entirely convinced with him being someone to go down that path, who knows, though I get that he was pretty desperate.

I did laugh when the Deputy Commissioner, Ruth (?) wanted to introduced Brix to her husband.

Any ideas how the Guardian blog have entries up so fast? Do they see the episodes of us? I usually check them just after 11pm and the latest entries are always there, maybe they're written as the episodes air.

brian_t

Black Oil wrote: »

Any ideas how the Guardian blog have entries up so fast? Do they see the episodes of us? I usually check them just after 11pm and the latest entries are always there, maybe they're written as the episodes air.

I'm sure Journalists could ask for pre-view copies from the BBC. The Guardian has given the programme good publicity.
You did notice too that Forbrydelsen 2 was made in 2009.

DeepBlue

And the job with the shortest life expectancy on the Danish police force is -

being Sarah Lund's partner

:pac:

I do suspect though that if you re-watched the series it might be less plausible that

Strange

was able to carry out all the murders.

ejmaztec

brian_t wrote: »

The Killing: knit your own Sarah Lund jumper

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2011-11-18/the-killing-knit-your-own-sarah-lund-jumper

Is the Kevlar version extra?

ironingbored

I think the writers could have been more subtle about the defining moment in the series...

when the killer fails to put a bullet in Lund's head

. This is a person who has mutilated and/or subjected the victims to horrific deaths...

then why not Lund?

A more subtle approach would have been yes hesitation but coupled with another cop shouting out Lund's name or something hence the killer fleeing.

ejmaztec

ironingbored wrote: »

I think the writers could have been more subtle about the defining moment in the series...

when the killer fails to put a bullet in Lund's head

. This is a person who has mutilated and/or subjected the victims to horrific deaths...

then why not Lund?

A more subtle approach would have been yes hesitation but coupled with another cop shouting out Lund's name or something hence the killer fleeing.

Perhaps he treated her differently because he knew her, and couldn't bring himself to blow her brains out, so went for the more impersonal upper-body shots, not thinking that she was wearing a Kevlar vest?

ironingbored

ejmaztec wrote: »

Perhaps he treated her differently because he knew her, and couldn't bring himself to blow her brains out, so went for the more impersonal upper-body shots, not thinking that she was wearing a Kevlar vest?

I was actually talking about earlier in the series when she chases the killer having come upon the priest. When the killer failed to blow her brains out you knew it was Strange.

groovie

It was a great series, happy to see it in five weeks too. Looking forward to the next series of this, in 12 months time. In the meantime I might explore getting through the first series. Lund is pretty hard to shake off.

Dizraeligears

Was glued to both series but tbh theres an awful lot of holes in KII.Raben must have been some kind of superman to evade the Special Branch for so long,and still turn up at the officers ball...found myself going ah come on now more than once during the series.Guardian Blog good for pointing out these little blips.Still,cant wait for KIII tho...

ejmaztec

Dizraeligears wrote: »

Was glued to both series but tbh theres an awful lot of holes in KII.Raben must have been some kind of superman to evade the Special Branch for so long,and still turn up at the officers ball...found myself going ah come on now more than once during the series.Guardian Blog good for pointing out these little blips.Still,cant wait for KIII tho...

I understood that Special Branch knew where he was, and were just using him as bait to draw out the killer? They only lost track of him when his father-in-law helped him give them the slip.

groovie

Dizraeligears wrote: »

Was glued to both series but tbh theres an awful lot of holes in KII.Raben must have been some kind of superman to evade the Special Branch for so long,and still turn up at the officers ball...found myself going ah come on now more than once during the series.Guardian Blog good for pointing out these little blips.Still,cant wait for KIII tho...

It seems hard to believe that both the Guardian blog and yourself missed the conversation in which the pros and cons of Raben being used as bait were explored.
Perhaps you were reading the blog whilst watching the program? Perhaps the blogger was writing the blog whilst watching the program.:rolleyes:

Einhard

I thought it was an excellent series but the whole story about

Bilal

didn't really add up. If

he wasn't the killer

why was he so desperate? Why

did he kidnap Raben's missus and then blow himself up?

groovie

Bilal was following orders, or so he thought what he did was

delete the messages from Strange, and being unable to talk about it, he was very unstable by the end

I would agree it was a bit ropey though.

Hippo

Preferred its length to the first series which was way too long at 20 eps, but found myself confused by the plot at times. Perhaps I'm just not very good at following difficult storylines. Very watchable though, largely because of Grabol's performance.

johnny_ultimate

Just caught the repeat (episode nine didn't record at the weekend ) and thought it was great television let down by a cheap action conclusion. I still had a raised eyebrow concerning the Strange business, but I kind of see the - admittedly stretched - logic behind it. Sort of all came together at the end. Some suspension of disbelief required, but hey we come to the Killing for atmosphere, political intrigue and character development, right?

Enjoyed the direction all the other narrative strands went off in. A little disappointed Buch

resigned himself to the machinations of government - honestly thought he was going to be the anti-Troels

A bittersweet half victory, half loss for the man.

Overall a better paced series, and definitely a fantastically tense last few hours. It lost the reliance on red herrings this time around to its favour, although the plot did come across as a bit contrived as a result. Ending wasn't as strong as season one either, but still gave the characters interesting, offbeat resolutions. The stupidity of the

bullet proof vest 'twist'

was an unfortunately sour note to depart fair Denmark on, but it's certainly still the strongest, most mature police procedural drama out there.

mike65

Just caught up with the final two episodes tonight (I've been taping on Wednesdays), I'm still slightly bamboozelled by it all! Part of the problem is that subtitles only get you so far, emphasis and nuance get lost and the other problem is that dialogue at times comes so thick and fat it just can't stay on screen long enough to be taken in fully as words.

Cardinal Richelieu

mike65 wrote: »

Just caught up with the final two episodes tonight (I've been taping on Wednesdays), I'm still slightly bamboozelled by it all! Part of the problem is that subtitles only get you so far, emphasis and nuance get lost and the other problem is that dialogue at times comes so thick and fat it just can't stay on screen long enough to be taken in fully as words.

I found it fine to follow but I watch more foreign language movies than english and you do naturally get use to following body language too because not all translations are good quality.


Congrats on breaking the 70,000 post barrier.:)

groovie

Cardinal Richelieu wrote: »

Congrats on breaking the 70,000 post barrier.:)

That's 18.26 posts per day for over 10 years. Holy Boardage, Batman.

KerranJast

Cardinal Richelieu wrote: »

I found it fine to follow but I watch more foreign language movies than english and you do naturally get use to following body language too because not all translations are good quality.

Thank Christ it was on BBC and they did decent translation. I missed the finale and had to download it complete with terrible English translation. I gave up 15 mins in and had to wangle my way onto the IPlayer.

The Black Oil

Recently watched the first episode of the first season again - had forgotten how much of an impact the discovery of the body has.

Temaz

Loved season 1 but s2 blew it out of the water! Roll on S3

cjt156

I came to this all ar$eways.
I watched the US Killing on CH4; 12 episodes as opposed to the Danish 20 episodes. I'd missed the Danish version at that stage and haven't seen it since.

Then Season 2 of the Danish version started & I recorded it on my PVR. Haven't watched it yet.

So my question; I'm looking forward to season 2 of the US version (purists look away now!) can I watch Danish season 2 without spoiling what's coming in the US season 2?
I'm assuming the US version will follow the broad strokes of the Danish, longer season 1.

DeepBlue

cjt156 wrote: »

So my question; I'm looking forward to season 2 of the US version (purists look away now!) can I watch Danish season 2 without spoiling what's coming in the US season 2?
I'm assuming the US version will follow the broad strokes of the Danish, longer season 1.

Probably not. I think I read somewhere that the first case is solved early in The Killing Series 2 (US version) whereas it's completely resolved at the end of Forbrydelsen Series 1 (Danish version).

So the bulk of The Killing Series 2 will be a new case and if the plot of that case follows the Forbrydelsen Series 2 then you will spoil the overall storyline for The Killing Series 2 by watching Forbrydelsen Series 2. Confused yet?

But really you should do yourself a favour and ditch the US version in favour of the Danish version. :pac:

cjt156

DeepBlue wrote: »

But really you should do yourself a favour and ditch the US version in favour of the Danish version. :pac:

And there's the dilemma!;)
Thanks...I think...

brian_t

The final series of Forbrydelsen will explore the global financial crisis as the ostensibly random murder of a sailor leads Sarah Lund through the financial community.

http://www.dr.dk/Nyheder/Kultur/2011/09/12/095955.htm

This is due to air in Denmark in September.
It would be great if BBC4 could show it at the same time

brian_t

Fans of Danish crime series may be interested in "Those Who Kill". Starts tomorrow Thursday on ITV3

Those Who Kill (Den Som Dræber in Danish) is a Danish crime series. The series was created and written by Elsebeth Egholm and Stefan Jaworski. Several screenwriters worked as episode writers including Siv Rajendram, Stefan Jaworski, Rikke De Fine Licht and Thorleif Hoppe. Directors include Birger Larsen, Niels Nørløv and Kasper Barfoed.

The series depicts a special unit within Copenhagen Police which deals with homicide including serial murders. The series consists of ten episodes of which two episodes form a two-part story, enabling the series to also be screened as five films. A continuation of the series in the form of a film with the title Fortidens skygge will premiere in Denmark in March 2012.

In a similar compliment to the series to the ones given to DR's series Forbrydelsen and Borgen, a US network has arranged to remake Those Who Kill for the A&E Network.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Those_Who_Kill_(Danish_TV_series)

Those Who Kill
ITV3
Thursday 23rd February 2012
22:00 to 00:00

The Corpse in the Wood.
Danish crime drama series about a police team whose task is to track down serial killers. When the skeletons of four young women are found buried in woodland north of Copenhagen, DCI Katrine Ries Jensen and forensic psychiatrist Thomas Schaeffer are drawn into the perilous hunt for a serial killer. The murderer kills according to a pattern, but one which is at first impenetrable. For both Katrine and Thomas, the challenge becomes one of discerning the human being behind the monster. Only when they come to understand the fantasies and trauma that drive him will they be able to confront him.
Starring: Laura Sofia Bach, Jakob Cedergren, Lars Mikkelsen
(Editor's Choice, Stereo, New Episode, Widescreen, 2012, 3 Star)
Excerpt taken from DigiGuide - the world's best TV guide available from http://www.getdigiguide.tv/
Copyright GipsyMedia Ltd.

pauldoo

i think this started off well, but 20 episodes is way too much, started to get a bit drawn out in the middle. The police work by lund was terrible, never asking the right questions, always having to question people a few times, i think it was a way of filling out the episodes,the killer didnt make sense and there were a load of holes in the story.

i would say its average at best,how someone above says its the best tv they have ever seen, needs to watch more tv

brian_t

Tomorrow BBC News 24 has a 25 minute section on Danish drama called
"From The Killing to Borgen: The Danish Secret of Success".

What is it about subtitled Danish TV dramas that make them such compulsive viewing? Emma Jane Kirby talks on set to Danish stars, writers and creators of the shows.


It's on three times at 10.30am, 2.30pm and 8.30pm.

If you miss it there is an account of it here http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17853928

The Black Oil

Thanks for that.

I wonder how US shows are received in Sweden and Denmark and if there are any blogs or review sites from there, in English.

pickarooney

I just finished watching season two last night and I don't understand what exactly Plough is supposed to have done. I was also confused by Bilal's story and have no idea how Strange managed to avoid detection all along. Is Brix really that thick?

brian_t

I don't remember the exact details of the story at this stage but the Guardian blog is still online which might interest you as you've just finished watching it.

Plough turned out to be Buch's leak; the stickler for rules and fineprint so bent on revenge for his son that he failed to see that his actions were sabotaging Buch's own attempts at justice.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2011/dec/17/the-killing-2-episodes-9-10

pedantic.pat

Not sure if this has been mentioned previously. For anyone who enjoyed Forbrydelsen there is a new Danish/Swedish Tv series called the bridge (Bron/Broen).

It was on BBC4 a few weeks back. I finished it last week. I really enjoyed it.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1733785/

Thanks for that suggestion brian_t will check that out.

Anyone any other scandanavian tv series recommendations?

pickarooney

Hamarinn (The Cliff) - Icelandic mini series
Ornen (The Eagle) - Pan-Scandinavian detective series

Borgen is supposed to be good but I haven't got around to watching it yet.

_Whimsical_

pickarooney wrote: »

Hamarinn (The Cliff) - Icelandic mini series
Ornen (The Eagle) - Pan-Scandinavian detective series

Borgen is supposed to be good but I haven't got around to watching it yet.

Borgen is absolutely fantastic. I couldn't recommend it highly enough. For me it has eclipsed The West Wing in many ways and is definitely better than Forbrydelsen though I loved that too. Borgen deals with well drawn,interesting political issues but it also weaves through this the personal lives and sacrifices of the people wielding the power in office,in the media and behind the scenes. There is none of the formulaic irrelevant sex scandals or the lazy "goodies v's baddies" storylines that so often prop up these kind of shows. It is thought provoking intelligent drama.You won't be able to peel your eyes away from the screen or a second.

TwoShedsJackson

Are the BBC showing the second season of Borgen any time soon?

Temaz

I saw the novel of the original 'The Killing' in Eason's today, basically it's season one so I'll pass on it but if an original story comes out in the future I'll be first in the queue for it.

adox

pedantic.pat wrote: »

Not sure if this has been mentioned previously. For anyone who enjoyed Forbrydelsen there is a new Danish/Swedish Tv series called the bridge.

It was on BBC4 a few weeks back. I finished it last week. I really enjoyed it.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1733785/

Thanks for that suggestion brian_t will check that out.

Anyone any other scandanavian tv series recommendations?

Finished this earlier in the week and loved it.

brian_t

TwoShedsJackson wrote: »

Are the BBC showing the second season of Borgen any time soon?

See the Borgen thread.

The Black Oil

Anyone find that they want to use 'tak' in ordinary conversation because of these shows?

ejmaztec

The Black Oil wrote: »

Anyone find that they want to use 'tak' in ordinary conversation because of these shows?

Nej.

pickarooney

Selvfølgelig

_Whimsical_

Undskyld
The Danish must apologise more than any other nation. Undskyld is used at least 10 times per every episode of every series.

Anyone else notice that these shows are so engaging that you forget that you're reading subtitles and are surprised you dont understand the spoken dialogue when you look away....or you don't notice the occasions they break into english while you are watching.

Bonus point for anyone whose noticed their swear word of choice btw!

pickarooney

With Meyer out of the equation I missed the constant streams of Pis!
For helvede! is pretty good though.

I love the bits where you finally think you're starting to understand complete sentences and then you realise it's a Swedish character talking and pronouncing all the letters.