The Killing III

[gurnemanz]

Again loving the pace of it. I definitely would not prefer dubbing (as is always done on German TV, for instance) but you really need to concentrate hard to get the subtitles while trying not to miss too much of the visual impact. Ideally, you would watch it again having got the dialogue to take in the pictures.

[DracoM]

Deffo NO dubbing.......please!! So good to be able to concentrate on intricate plot, observe background detail on screen instead of having interminable close-ups eg Homeland which is more or less all we get - screens filled with A face in very close-up - particularly eternally gyrating, staring, manic, rolling eyes and endless hair flicking. Yuk.

[Russ]

As a fan of The Killing from its first series, I'm completely hooked of course, but the very fast and concentrated pace of the first episode of the new series does require a bit of concentration to see what pieces of the jigsaw are being presented to us at this stage. No doubt there'll be a few red herrings along the way, in typical Killing style. Two stylistic points continue to bug me though: although I guess Brit viewers will resonate with the general cold, wet and damp bleak atmospheres of the outside scenes, the internal scenes are unrelentingly 'low lit with spots', which seems to be de riguer for all dramas these days, a fashion developed in the early days of The West Wing, where the lack of general illumination being depicted in the Whitehouse offices reached comical proportions. The other stylistic quirk is the incessant use of mobile phones - granted it's a useful device for actors to be seen to be doing something when exiting or entering a scene, and a good device to keep other subplots bubbling away a la The Thick of It, but it seems a bit over the top to me.

Russ

[Nick Armstrong]

I've now got both the first two episodes under my belt... It's well up to standard, compelling, gripping etc etc. I love the rewards of concentration, Russ. including the need to juggle subtitles and visuals - one has to watch the show in a more observant way than most, appropriately. Glad the little 'Lund has a breakthrough thought' leitmotif is still in use (it does remind me of the three note figure that signalled a penny had dropped with Joan Hickson's 'Marple').

The use of mobiles doesn't trouble me, and the 'bleakness' is so well used that I go with it totally, as it seems so organic to the production. To quote the main man:

To understand The Killing, says its creator and head writer Soren Sveistrup, you need to read Greek mythology – and, in particular, the story of Oedipus. “The whole city of Thebes is damned. Nothing grows, and the sun can’t shine, because Oedipus has done something, and he doesn’t know what – until the ending,” says Sveistrup. “The Killing is like that – Copenhagen is overtaken by some kind of damnation, but by the end the clouds start clearing, you can see the sky again, because the case is closed. But until that moment, every main character is encaptured by this enigma, by this threat, by this killer."

[Russ]

Thanks Caliban - Copenhagen as the new Thebes is an interesting notion. I expect there'll be a rush of PhD dissertations along such lines soon (if there haven't been already!)

Russ

[amateur51]

Thanks Caliban - Copenhagen as the new Thebes is an interesting notion. I expect there'll be a rush of PhD dissertations along such lines soon (if there haven't been already!)

Russ

"The interplay between artisinal natural fabric garmentwear and Greek myth in 21st century Scandinavian television crime fiction: a critical study"

[aeolium]

Hope there's not too much incest and parricide

Seems to me Athens has a greater claim to be the modern Thebes than Copenhagen

[Anna]

I'm hooked but had a bit of a heart stopping moment when she seemed to be going soft, wearing her hair down, heels, being a bit girly, and angling for cushy desk job ......... Luckily she was soon on the case!
But the storyline with her son, and her to become a grandmother, oh dear, I feel I shall have to invest in a box of kleenex. (What am I saying - this is a fictional character ..... it's not real life! Get a grip!)

[Stunsworth]

Spoiler






Let me see, the ship where the body came from was called Medea. The central couple are estranged and one of their children is missing - and the child prefers to live with her father. I wonder if the scriptwriter is playing games with us - and providing a subtle clue?

[Angle]

Just have to say, Anna that men in Scotland do not wear kilts. They wear the kilt; even your Shaggy Shetlanders.

[mangerton]

I've just caught up with this thread, including Caliban's reference to me "knocking things up in rough Shetland"

Like others, I am thoroughly enjoying this excellent serial. It certainly requires full attention to read the subtitles, watch the picture, and keep an ear open for the dialogue and music. I must admit to recording the episodes and watching them the following evening. My V+ box has a device which replays the last few seconds, which I find useful. It will be very interesting to see how the various threads develop in the coming episodes.

Angle, yes, you're right, men in Scotland wear the kilt. I got my kilt (no prizes for guessing which tartan) in my teens, and wore it until I was about forty, when it unaccountably began to shrink. One of my nephews now has it.

[Nick Armstrong]

I've just caught up with this thread, including Caliban's reference to me "knocking things up in rough Shetland"

Like others, I am thoroughly enjoying this excellent serial. It certainly requires full attention to read the subtitles, watch the picture, and keep an ear open for the dialogue and music. I must admit to recording the episodes and watching them the following evening. My V+ box has a device which replays the last few seconds, which I find useful. It will be very interesting to see how the various threads develop in the coming episodes.

I also record them, to watch when concentration can be guaranteed. I've now caught up with episodes 3 & 4... It's brilliant stuff. The scene where... .... But no, mustn't include spoilers, others may yet be getting up to speed.

[Resurrection Man]

Thoroughly enjoying it and no hints yet as to who the kidnapper is. The missus reckons it's........

One thing, if a body fell from that height wouldn't the weight and momentum of the body keep on going?

[mangerton]

I also record them, to watch when concentration can be guaranteed. I've now caught up with episodes 3 & 4... It's brilliant stuff. The scene where... .... But no, mustn't include spoilers, others may yet be getting up to speed.

Yes, I thought that was a good scene too. But what about the scene where........?

[mangerton]

Thoroughly enjoying it and no hints yet as to who the kidnapper is. The missus reckons it's........

One thing, if a body fell from that height wouldn't the weight and momentum of the body keep on going?

Yes, I should have thought so. I seem to remember reading somewhere that the length of the rope, and therefore the drop, depended on the weight of the body. Too short, and death would not result. Too long and decapitation would occur.

All a bit gruesome.