I love The Bridge, the newest TV show in the 'Scandinavian noir' genre. It stars Sofia Helin and Kim Bodnia who play Swedish and Danish detectives, Saga Noren and Martin Rohde, respectively. They are drawn to work together by the discovery of a body placed on the bridge linking Malmo and Copenhagen. The body lies exactly on the border between the two countries, but they soon discover that it is actually two bodies, the top half of one, a Swedish politician, the bottom half of the other, a Danish prostitute.
The first episode was enigmatic in the extreme; no-one had a clue what was going on, especially not the participants. They were going about their business unaware that the world was changing and that a killer had been planning his 'Truth Terrorism' campaign for years. So initially characters popped up, did or said something and then disappeared as if they were of no importance whatsoever, only to reappear as crucial pieces in the jigsaw in a later episode.
The two lead characters work so well together, not necessarily as colleagues initially, but certainly in terms of providing an entertaining interaction.
Saga Noren is superficially a little like Lizbeth Salander in character, in that she is Swedish, 'difficult' and oddly beautiful, but that is a first impression and says nothing about the depth of this woman who, unlike Salander, is older, has a regular job and appears to have no social life whatsoever. Noren is contradictory, she seems emotionally removed from the rest of the world but plays a really important and effective role in it; her colleagues find her hard to get along with, but they clearly treasure her abilities. She seems focused entirely on work, wanting to find solutions and to react to events as quickly as possible whatever the time of day, but she is also very aware of her own physical needs. Working alongside her is Martin Rohde, who is seemingly very different, he has a complex family life, he shows his emotions easily, he laughs freely, he gets angry and frustrated, and he understands other people. This is not meant to be some kind of comment on the national traits of Sweden and Denmark, rather it is a clever counterpoint of characters; so different but seeking the same result; employing their own particular methods to get to the same goal.
The contrast between the two of them is amazing, and she is an especially fascinating character; so serious, so clever and so unintuitive. Whereas he is a seemingly simple character, but with a real sensitivity to the feelings of others. The American series 'Bones' features a similar pair of characters created by Kathy Reich - Temperance Brennan, the highly intelligent and serious pathologist unfazed by the horrors laid out before her, and her partner, the funky sock wearing FBI agent Sealey Booth. But, being a popular US TV series, it fails to commit to the character entirely and softens her too often and too much.
I think the appeal of characters like Saga Noren is found in their honesty, lack of tact and guile, and the humour that comes from their inability to understand other people. A lack that is highlighted by the emotional and intuitive reactions of Martin in which he so easily reads the feelings of others. Far from being entirely dark and serious The Bridge has moments that are funny and sweet; for example, the man Saga had that night picked up in a bar, wakes from his post-coital slumbers to find her examining images of mutilated bodies on her laptop, it is a classic "I'll get my coat and go" moment that reveals the extreme nature of her work and her possessive dedication to doing it, set against the bland simplicity of most peoples lives. It is also very funny.
The imagery is beautifully done, with odd angles and uncomfortable close-ups, while the two cities, Malmo and Copenhagen, look strange and interesting, especially in the wonderfully created night shots. The gradual reveal of the identity of the killer is clever and intriguing. Clues are dropped one by one, signs are placed in the ground, sometimes they point in the right direction, sometimes they point completely the wrong way. The plot is wonderfully complex and involving, and at this point, having watched six episodes, I think I have a clue who the killer might be.
I agree with Saga it could be a police officer. But which one? And is she right? Martin suspects the Social Worker, Stefan, we have already seen him in violent action, and he is creepy with that whole seventies look he has got going on. But, and here is the beauty of it which one of the odd couple is right, the analytical, by the book, Saga, or the intuitive, gut-feeling, Martin? I am so looking forward to discovering who the Truth Terrorist is, and how Saga and Martin catch the killer.
