Forbrydelsen (The Killing)

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Sunday 8:00 PM on DR1
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Show Summary

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This series--known as The Killing in the UK--is a police drama from Denmark. As the show starts, an investigator from the Homicide department of the police force begins her last day at the job before moving to Stockholm. Fortunately for the viewer, it is not an uneventful day. A top politician campaigning for the municipal leadership of Copenhagen is linked to a heinous crime involving a Vesterbro-family.moreless
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Fan Reviews (3)

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  • Ultimately disappointing.

    4.5
    "Poor"
    By mrswing, Dec 06, 2011
    Just finished watching this yesterday and frankly I'm disappointed. The story concerns the rape and murder of a 19-year old female student in Copenhagen. We follow the investigation, led by resolutely unsexy cop Sarah Lund, the impact of the crime on the girl's family and the political shenanigans surrounding the election of Copenhagen's new mayor. This isn't such a stretch when you know that the progressive candidate, Troels Hartmann, is continuously implicated in the murder, though he keeps insisting he's innocent and never even met the girl. The good: acting is fine (though it becomes VERY one-note as the series progresses for most of the leads), the mystery keeps you intrigued for the full 20 episodes (even though, inevitably, the final revelation was a disappointment as my wife and I suspected the real killer from the start, and even his motivation was what I thought it would be). And the series is generally well-directed, though not flashy in any way.

    The bad: plotholes galore, deliberate and accidental. Way more mysteries are set up than are ever revealed, and I have a strong suspicion that this series was written 24-wise (i.e. we make it up as we go along) - except for the main culprit, who was set up from the start. Protagonist Sarah Lund becomes insufferable near the end of the series, arrogant, self-centered (well, monomaniaclly obsessed with the crime though it's hard to tell why exactly as it doesn't affect her personally), ignoring anything people tell, ask or order her, and responsable for one of the greatest tragedies in the series though she doesn't even seem to care very much. Plus she breaks about every rule in the Danish police handbook in frankly stupid ways. The story is very plot-driven: clues are not investigated, conclusions are drawn which are illogical but necessary to keep the plot moving, crime labs are either incredibly good or hopelessly incompetent - again, to move the plot forward; story elements which the audience keeps wondering about are ignored by the cops after a while, some major early plot strands are simply forgotten about, major clues are ignored by the leads even though it's obvious they're going to be very important, the police are either incredibly clever or incredibly incompetent...

    One storytelling element which bothered me was that certain scenes were not shown, so that there were jumps in the narrative. But this was only done occassionally so it wasn't a continuous stylistic device, and the result of this was that certain scenes which would have been interesting to see were not shown, and others were fundamentally undramatic and just relayed exposition which could have been dramatized effectively. And a few times this way of storytelling led to disorientation and confusion (as in 'when did THAT happen?' or 'How on Earth did the cops discover that bit of info?'

    So, overall, not sure why the series was almost rewarded with an Emmy. It's fairly enthralling while you watch it, but it's a major disappointment once it's over.moreless

  • A top murder whodunnit show with intense, believable characters and a convoluted story that sucks you in and keeps you guessing to the end. Everyone is sneaky and devious, people you think are good guys are, then aren't, then... nothing is expected.moreless

    10
    "Perfect"
    By Dandeleo, May 25, 2011
    When a young girl is found murdered the investigation into her death involves a plethora of people from many walks of life. The police are affected, the families involved, friends, politicians... and as the series progresses some are more involved than others. The believable characters are all through the show, from the driven female detective (which somehow steers clear of the stereotypes) to her reluctant partner/replacement cop who just wants her to go so he can take her job. The politician whose political career (and that of his advisers) seems tied in with the young girl's murder are just as interesting as the extended family and friends who have their own agendas. One minute you don't understand the connections, the next you do - one minute you trust a character and the next you think he's a bad guy. And all through it you still have the mystery of who killed the girl and why.
    I agree with some that the ending leaves a lot of questions unanswered - I guess that is like any investigation, you never know it all, and maybe it means something in the second series (which I haven't seen yet). But even with the loopholes at the very end, there is still a satisfying conclusion and it doesn't stop me from rating this series a ten. I didn't expect much, watched four or five episodes, and then I was hooked and staying up late working through the dvds and racing out early next morning to buy the rest. Addictive. For that, and the characters, the sneaky plotting and the insight into Denmark, I rate the series highly. An American version has been made and it does follow this series pretty well, but this is still the original and best.moreless

  • ONE OF THE BEST SHOWS I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE & i can tell you i am a massive tv fan. i was excited from beginning to end trying to guess who the murderer was & why they did it. i cant express in words how good this programme is only it is a MUST SEE.moreless

    10
    "Perfect"
    By AnnmarieLewis, Apr 11, 2011
    This is brilliant i dunno what the previous person was talking about but it wasnt this show. basically a girl has been murdered & the police are trying to find out who did it. It could be family, friends, teachers the mayor or any one in the political party. You never know until episode 19 who actually did it & it keeps you guessing throughout. Its fantastic. i wasnt a big fan of subtitled programmes but i was told to watch this & im so glad i did it kept me & my whole family hooked for weeks we were dying to see the next episodes. the characters are very believable & the actress who plays sarah lund is brilliant.moreless
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