When I started this project several months ago, I began by collecting the names of books, recipes, movies and TV shows that would transport me to each country that I was restricted from visiting in person. Today, I get to review for you a TV show for the first time, and I will start by saying I LOVED IT!
The Bridge is a four season series that begins and is set on and around the Øresund Bridge that connects Copenhagen, Denmark with Malmö, Sweden. The series opens with the discovery of the deceased body of a woman exactly in the middle of the bridge, which creates confusion over the jurisdiction of the investigation, and requires both the Copenhagen and Malmö police departments to get involved. We quickly learn how gruesome the 'Nordic Noir' genre can be when it is discovered that the body is not one woman, but two - the bottom half belonging to a homeless woman, and the top half belonging to a City Councillor - one from Sweden and one from Denmark.
A police officer from each city - Saga Norén from the Malmö Police, and Martin Rohde from the Copenhagen Police, and the two become an unexpectedly successful duo - in their work and in helping each other navigate society. While it is never spelled out as such, Saga exhibits lots of behaviors and personality traits typical of someone on the Autism Spectrum. We learn that Martin has his own challenges connecting with people and building lasting relationships, as he is currently married to his third wife, and its clear he has trouble connecting with his kids from each marriage, and often cheats on his relationships.
Each season of the show lays out a complicated case to be solved, and the drama and suspense along the way is gripping! The character development, casting and writing is really clever and outstanding. Just be ready for a bit of gore as they make their way through each case. Also, they are not afraid to kill off known characters along the way.
Logistically, this was a bit of a challenge for me to figure out how to watch. In some countries in Europe, it is available but not with English audio or subtitles. I ultimately splurged for the digital version of each season on Amazon Prime Video. In the US, that version is in Swedish with English subtitles. I appreciated hearing the original audio/voices even if it required a bit more paying attention in order to read along. One surprising aspect of this search for me is that Amazon Prime Video has 3 seasons of this show available. I had assumed therefore that there are only three seasons. It wasn't until I finished the third season and looked it up that I realized there was a fourth! I ended up ordering a DVD online of the 4th season and it should arrive any day. I am excited to watch once it arrives, and I am hoping that it will continue to include the original audio and the English subtitles.
Due to the graphic nature of some of the crimes, I would recommend this for adults only. I would DEFINITELY recommend it. As I got to know the people, and especially the main characters Saga and Martin (and eventually Henrik), I could not wait to watch the next episode. It is a great series to binge as the individual episodes often leave us on a cliffhanger.
Let me know what you think if you decide to watch it. It is a very engaging show and a really interesting way to get to know Copenhagen and Malmö in a new way!